I'm in the market to buy my first pair of mountaineering boots. I have a wide forefoot for a woman, and have always purchased mens climbing shoes since 'women specific' shoes often seems to just mean 'narrower'. Does the same hold true for mountaineering boots, or are there other differences I'm not aware of? I'm unfortunatly in an area where I can't pop down to the local store to try on different styles. Looking to use them for 3-season alpine climbs low in technical grade, probably including an early summer bid on Rainier (early June). I'm assuming I should be looking for a small pair of mens boots. Input?
I'm no expert, but in my experience, women's boots are built on an overall narrower last then a men's boots. If you have a wide forefoot, you're probably better off going with a men's model. You just might run into a issue with "heel slop."
Brittany, I'd love to hear what your experience ended up being. With women's fit boots I often find the ball of the foot area to be too narrow but my heels will still slip. I'm not sure if men's boots would just provide more room everywhere.
My ladyfriend has gone through a couple pairs of mountaineering boots, both in small mens sizes (Koflach Degre and Millet Radikal Pros) . She has a slightly wider foot and tends to like that aspect of how the boots fit.
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