Mountain Project Logo

La Sportiva Ice Boots

Original Post
Tom Sherman · · Austin, TX · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 433

I tried a search, didn't turn up exactly what I was looking for, so... Let's just say I had the chance to pick out any La Sportiva Ice Climbing Boot - Fo Free! What would you guys get?

I am currently in Koflach Degree Double-Plastics, only thing I've ever climbed in, I can and do use these for all my winter hiking as well. I am happy in my Koflachs, but part of me always wonders, what the other side (a more precice or flexible boot/ what everyone else is using) is like.

Looking at Batura, Nepal Cube, and Nepal Evo. I heard the Batura's "climb better". Product spec's say Nepal Cube is warmer, online reviews and friends have said otherwise. Seems everyone I know is in the Evo's, not sure if that is just a price point issue. Would I feel noticeably less support in either Nepal's? What do y'all think? I should also mention, my feet have never been cold in my doubles, ever.

If I go with the Batura's is it too much boot for new england climbing? Too similar to my Koflach's/ not enough of a hiker/ all around boot? Initially trying on Batura, seemed even stiffer than my Koflach's/ harder to walk in, I am assuming that is just a break-in thing?

So it seems my departure is:
Get Batura's- cause they are going to make me a bad ass ice climber and I'm obviously going to climb K2 after getting them(kidding), keep hiking in Koflachs
Get Nepal's- decide between lighter cube, or the possibly warmer evo, now I have a more all-around winter boot for hiking

I've read on coldthistle, read reviews, and will continue to do so, but thought if I reached out to you guys and explained the whole issue (boots I currently own), I thought I could get some great feedback. Let me know, thanks!

Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188

Sounds like you've narrowed it down.
Batura is certainly warmer but many say not as versatile.
The Nepal Cube is a great option and its actually warmer than the nepal evo.

Mike Hasse · · New York, NY · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 365

First and foremost is fit. Go with the boots that fit your feet the best. Otherwise, you'll be cursing your $500+ mistake every time you climb. Unless you're climbing ice at a high level, I doubt you'll notice a difference in climbability between the Nepals and the Baturas (again, assuming a perfect fit). For warmth, I'd guess the boots go Batura, Evo, Cube from warmest-->less warm.

The Nepals are a more versatile boot than the Baturas. The Nepals are my preferred boot for winter day trips in the Whites. The Baturas are more delicate, due to being mostly synthetic, and walk very awkwardly. They can be downright painful on long approaches.

alpinejason · · Minneapolis · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 176

I'll be the first to say it.

Try them on.

Hopefully you're looking at the Batura 2.0 and the Nepal Cube. I don't know why the Nepal Evo would still be up for consideration.

Either way you'll probably retire your Koflach.

iceman777 · · Colorado Springs · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 60

First question to ask yourself is , do I have naturally cold feet ? If so then I'd stick with a double .

It's that simple , the rest is hyperbole , bullshit and the like . I never trust anything I've read about a product , esp if it was written by a sponsored climber , gear reviewer , ect .

I've owned several pairs of La Sportive boots over the years and not one of them kept my feet warm while wearing crampons standing or climbing on ice all day , and this includes adding red super feet insoles to each boot ! . With one exception the Spantik . But with the Spantick I'm at almost the same weight as my Koflachs .

My evos were ok for warmer days but not perfect , example ... Climbing in Ouray on a frigid day my feet would get so cold my mind would make excuses to go someplace warm and change boots so we could hang at the nice warm bar . Never happened with my Koflachs .

Btw none of them are comfortable for really long hikes imho .

As for support both the evos and cube will be the same , at least I could not tell the difference .

Even if I could get any pair of sportiva boots free I'd still choose to climb in my Koflachs . I can climb WI 6 in them so there ya go , perhaps you should practice more climbing in them and learn the nuances of foot work with em bet you'd be happy . Then choose a sportiva boot for warmer Ice days and hiking .

Bottom line is how willing are you to have cold and or frozen feet ?

Tom Sherman · · Austin, TX · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 433

Iceman -

Tom Sherman wrote:Boots - Fo Free!
You bring up a relative point, I have no idea how great the difference is between Single Leathers and Double Plastics, I just know that my feet have never been cold in the doubles, and that everyone I know climbs in Nepals. I think I am just wondering what the other boots are like, I mean why does everyone wear them?

Quick search says the evo's are only 3 oz. lighter than Koflachs and the cube's 13 oz., Batura 6 oz.???

And alpinejason, trying them on is proving to be the hardpart. Mountaineer in NY had evo and batura my size, Gearx in VT has cube my size, goin to call IME today... But it's basically a 4+ hour drive for me to get somewhere to try on boots, and then cutting into the time of any climbing day for me...
Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188
Tom Sherman wrote:Iceman - You bring up a relative point, I have no idea how great the difference is between Single Leathers and Double Plastics, I just know that my feet have never been cold in the doubles, and that everyone I know climbs in Nepals. I think I am just wondering what the other boots are like, I mean why does everyone wear them? Quick search says the evo's are only 3 oz. lighter than Koflachs and the cube's 13 oz., Batura 6 oz.??? And alpinejason, trying them on is proving to be the hardpart. Mountaineer in NY had evo and batura my size, Gearx in VT has cube my size, goin to call IME today... But it's basically a 4+ hour drive for me to get somewhere to try on boots, and then cutting into the time of any climbing day for me...
I know for sure that IME isn't carrying the cubes. and from what I heard, aren't planning on it. I do believe they have batura's though.
Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

If possible I would get yourself to MWV Ice Fest. Demo as many boots as possible. See what fits your foot and what keeps you warm.

I hear the cubes are as warm as the Baturas due to the carbon. The Baturas are warm but what if your foot fits better in Phantom Guides? What if Phantom Guides keep you warm enough to lose the doubles? We can argue how great doubles climb all day. I can climb WI7 in Olympus Mons but do I wanna rock those things all day? F no! I wear my Scarpa Rebels everyday I can.

Good luck and listen to the boot fitter if you go to the Mountaineer. I just picked up some Phantom Guides and thought they were too big. I listened to Jermery and love the comfort!

iceman777 · · Colorado Springs · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 60

If you trust the people you know that are climbing in nepals , then ask them to tell you honestly how warm there feet stay . I'm not trying to be a dick here ! But if you like warm feet while ice climbing then trust me you won't be happy . Here's an idea of what I have used and abused

Sportiva nepals
Sportiva Nepal evo , was my go to boot for everything ice climbing . Replaced my nepals
Baturas , again still too cold for comfort most trips
Phantom guide , another warm weather ice boot
Phantom 6000 marginally better then the others , not enough to please my frozen feet
Millet pro boa , very nice boot for warm climbs
Spantik , warm , hiked ok , clunky like a doubble .

I even went so far as to use the chemical in soul heat packs for really cold days climbing and thought
Why should I have to pay two dollars a day to keep my feet warm in 500 boots! So I dug out my brand spanking new yellow kolflacks and have never been happier . Yes there clunky , yes they take getting used to and yes the liners pack out and you spend time messing with the laces when they do pack out . But my feet have never been warmer .

I will add all the boots mentioned hiked really well and none gave me hot spots or hammered toes
But I know what fit I need and I agree with trying them on , you'll never ever know what fits you perfectly until you do . Here's anouther tip that hasent been mentioned , your feet swell during the day so the best time to try on boots is afternoon . bring the socks you plan on using DO NOT rely on the nasty socks provided by retailers for trying boots ! Besides the obvious ( nasty ass feet that's been in them and they never get washed ) the socks you plan on using are part of the equation when fitting a boot perfectly .in souls are Good for adjusting if needed , however a good boot fitter will set ya up if need be .

Finally when you have narrowed down your selection , try as many pairs of the same boot , same size as they have . Believe it or not more then one time I've found both boots from the same box fitted me slightly different and ended up picking one from anouther box to complete my pair .

Cheers

Max Forbes · · Colorado · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 108

I can't speak to the cube, but from what I've heard it's not all that much better from the EVO's. I'm in my second season in EVO's and I will be selling them after this season. Simply put, there not warm enough for me. There are some days that there's no issue, but long days or overnights are totally killer. The Batura 2.0 is much warmer and not all that heavier, and is exactly what I will be buying for next season. Just my two cents.

lukeweiss · · St. Johnsbury, VT · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 30

I love the cubes, but I am not sure they are worth the extra $$. I got them at prodeal rate, so the difference was nominal. Nonetheless, they are noticeably lighter than the regular nepals, and really comfortable to hike in.

Vince Pack · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2014 · Points: 0

Baruntse?

Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200

I've had terrible durability issues with LS boots, like trash them in a season, grommets rip out, pain in the ass. Their warranty department sucks more than any other company I've ever spoken to. Sent my boots in to them for what I thought would be a 2 week turn around. LS held onto them for 8 weeks only to return them unrepaired, as having 4 grommets blow out in year old $500 boots is considered "normal" and not covered by warranty.

Had one of my Baruntses start leaking mid trip, frost nipped my toes bad enough to lose feeling for 4 months. Sent them back to LS as the boots were only 3 months old, again, not a warrantably issue. Afterwards took them to Dave Paige cobbler, who inspected them and said that they should not have passed quality control.

La Sportiva really sucks. If you plan on climbing a lot look at other brands, if you're only getting out a few times a season and don't mind buying new (expensive) boots frequently, they do climb really well.

Nick K · · Denver, CO · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 30

I'm on my second season in a pair of Baturas and I love them. I have mediocre circulation in feet and hands, and my feet haven't been cold since I got them.

I rented a pair of plastic boots for my first day ice climbing ever a few years back, and I never want to put on another pair of them on again.

All my ice cragging and single day stuff is done in Baturas, and I have a pair of Spantiks for the multi-day climbs.

And, although I have heard about Sportivas QC/warranty issues from other people, I spent two months on an expedition in Peru thrashing the Spantiks without a problem. Baturas are holding up well to New England ice and the odd bushwhack too.

Eric Thomson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,570

Tom,

All 3 of those boots are built off the same last so they shouldn't size or fit differently whatsoever. The Batura is a Nepal Cube with an integrated gaiter that adds a fairly substantial bit of warmpth more similar to how your koflach will run than the cube. The Evo seems to be moving the way of the dinosaur and for the weight savings it'll give you doesn't seem worth the price tag.

Ty Falk · · Huntington, VT · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 280

I have the Batura 2.0 GTX for climbing in Utah and have found it works well for me. The Nepal is a more durable boot but not as warm since its a single leather boot. The Batura is a one and a half boot definitely not a double.

patbeaudet · · Magog, Quebec · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 5

I’m a naturally cold footer and I stand behind Iceman’s comments. +1

Eighty percent of my climbs are done in Scarpa doubles to stay warm. I have also a spare alveolite liner for below zero conditions. I can stand a long time in them before being annoyed with frozen feet, a thing you don’t wanna think with, in the crux!
Also, doubles give me much more ankle support than my single boots thus relieving my calves in sustained vertical pitches.

Single boot have their advantages and they are fun to climb with but mines have some T° limits. I have Nepal extreme and I can only use them when temp. is above 10°F. The boot climbs and walks well, is very pleasant to wear but I get easily cold feet in them. I have also a pair of Trango (first gen) and its ankle flexibility is awesome (which is a plus in mixed climbs) but its lower limit is about 20°F for my feet.

My best guidelines for a single boot is fit and warmth. If you have mountaineering projects and have to camp, go with doubles to be able to dry out the liner.

Don't forget durability and do watch for warranty issues. I wouln't buy from a company considering normal wear, a 2-3 months old boots (or 15 climbs). They are expensive and they worth reliability.

Good buy!

wisam · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 60

Nepal evo's are super versatile, but the spantiks are nice if you are doing multi day stuff in really cold weather.

Ray Pinpillage · · West Egg · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 180

I broke the midsole in a pair of Nepal Evos. Can't say I ever really liked the boots, they weren't warm, didn't breath, and fit my feet poorly. I replaced the broken pair with a new pair and then sold them after a few days use.

Tom Sherman · · Austin, TX · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 433

I got Cubes coming my way, went w/ them over egos for newer technology, over naturals for durability, will report back in some time, probably next year, if this thread still has any life.

Sidenote, I find BD front toe bails a real PIA to swap. Do you guys who own two boots end up favoring one and getting setup in those, or do you find, yourselves switching outcrampon parts on account of the weather forecast... Interested to see how these boots workout for me and how the age old 'singles are cold' thing is for me.

webdog · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 0

I'll talk about what I have. The trango Evo's . I've got a skinny heel and Euro shoes fit well. I know several people who've taken care of the leather and they've lasted 15 years. I've got cold feet and I'm happy climbing down to single digits

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Ice Climbing
Post a Reply to "La Sportiva Ice Boots"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.