Deciding which shoes

So here is the deal, I am currently prepping to do a moderate car to car alpine climb and I was hopping to get some advice on what shoes to wear. It breaks down like this:

~25 miles of well maintained trail with very minimal elevation gain
~10 mile of un-maintained trail with a 10-15% grade
~1000' of snow or ice depending on conditions, but most likely ice
~200' of rock up to 5.7 C0

There is obviously no one shoe that will be excellent at everything, and while a mountaineering boot would be good for the ice and rock, it would be heavy and cumbersome for the trail. Like wise, an approach shoe would be ok for the rock and trail, but bad for the snow and ice. Should I just carry 2 pairs of shoes?

anyway, thanks in advance

Approach shoes + strap on crampons?

For me it would depend on the difficulty (and potential hardness) of the ice.

If it was anything over WI3+ or I was expecting low angle but bullet hard glacial/alpine ice, I would probably err on the side of caution and go with a very light boot. I would want the stability and rigidity for 200' of front pointing. Something like the Scarpa Rebel Pro or the red Sportiva boot (Trango S Evo...something like that?).

Also, I find that on long days (anything over 10 miles) my feet get very, very fatigued in soft approach shoes. Especially the soles of my feet - they take a beating from all the sharp rocks pointing up that dig into my arch. A slightly stiffer sole actually does wonders for me. Sometimes, light isn't right.

One other thought - if you're expecting 200' of snow, you'll want some short softshell gaiters and possibly a waterproof shoe as well - if they get soaked through while postholing, you're gonna be miserable for the duration of the day and likely wind up with some serious blisters.

Thanks for the input Jon! I was leaning towards a light mountaineering boot, but its always good to hear what other people have done, especially when it confirms your thoughts

Maybe check these out: sportiva.com/products/footw…

Hmmm, the gandas sound pretty cool, any idea how they would do on snow or ice? And it will be on glacial/alpine ice not water.

A review on the sportiva website says they shed water well but la sportiva makes no claim that they are wAter resistant / proof. As long as your feet stayed dry with the gandas combined with some microspikes at least and I bet you'd be happy.

I have a pair of the lowtop Gandas, and I don't think I would want to use them in the snow, but YMMV.

Also, microspikes for 1,000' of ice? I hope it's not too steep!

New Camp Four. awesome outsole lugs for the trail, edging patch for the climbing. mid top for the strap on crampons.

shopfiveten.com/P-5165040/C…

Guide Tennie Mid. Great climbing performance, solid on the trail, mid top makes more comfy option for sustained strap on crampon use.

shopfiveten.com/P-5124040/G…

I have done a fair bit of stuff like this and I tend to take a different approach than others. For me I look at what consumes the majority of the trip. you are covering 35+ miles of dry trail, most of which is will maintained. with only a 1000' of snow/ice and some easy climbing that will most likely not require a pair of climbing. You could use approach shoes but I have found that they are heavy and don't do well more me over 10+ miles of trails, great for loose scree and scrambling but if it straight trail, I pick a shoe that is design for that. I use Brooks Cascadias or Pure Grit. they are stable light trail shoes that will give you the most comfort throughout the majority of your trip. bring an extra pair of socks and strap on crampons if the snow and ice is a concern. they will work just fine with pons and the climbing, if aid or 5.7, you should have to worry either. The other benefit is while they are not water proof or tough leather, the breathe really well for the 98% when you want them to. Just food for thought. Good luck with the trip