Warmth: La Sportiva G5 vs. Nepal Extreme?

Hello everyone,

I am looking at a versatile and warm winter boot. For summer and winter lower hillwallking (in France) I have a pair of Trango Alp (leather version of the Trango Tower) which is fine down to -5/0°C if I am moving.

I was in a shop the other day to try on a few models. G5 and Nepal Extreme from La Sportiva stand out in terms of fit for me (not exactly the same type of boot, I reckon!).

Warmth is maybe the primary factor for me. The shop employees were all saying the Extreme is warmer than the other Nepals (evo, cube) and comparable to the G5... that puzzled me a bit and I thought I'd ask for confirmation here, suspecting they are also trying to get rid of the last batch of old Extremes they have (?)

(obviously price also is a factor: G5s go for almost double the price of Extremes at the moment in France, and I suspect they will last about half the time before needing repairs/replacement)

More generally interested in any feedback from owners of either boots in terms of temperature you use them in.

For reference, I had a chance to try G5s while ice cragging in the alps (temps in the -10/-5°C range, quite some standing around belaying time) and was mostly OK maybe a touch cold earlier in the day. Another model I tried on the same trip was Scarpa Mont Blanc in which I was cold most of the time, if not unbearably so.

Mark. I'm not sure you're going to find a lot of direct comparison between the two. The Nepal Extreme boots (if I understand you correctly) haven't been sold in the US in probably 15 years. The G5 and Extremes are two different generations of boots. You will probably have better luck asking for G5 and Nepal Evo/Cube comparison for warmth. For instances I have G5s and have owned Nepal Evo. Really either boot should be sufficient to -5 to -10 C. That's not very cold. If you naturally have cold feet (like I do) you may have to do a couple jumping jacks or go for a brisk walk occasionally to generate some warmth or just embrace your cold feet. I stopped messing around for colder than -20 C temps and just wear double boots now.

Barely used Evo/Cube boots are regularly for sale on here for less than half retail so unless the Extremes (assuming they've been sitting on the shelf for 15 years) are a screaming bargain I'd have a hard time recommending those, regardless of any potential additional warmth they may provide.

I currently own the G5s, and previously owned the Mont Blanc Pro (MBP) and the Phantom Tech (current iteration). A supergaitered boot like the G5 or Phantom Tech will almost always be warmer than a typical single. I used the G5 most recently ice and mixed cragging at about -18C without feeling cold. The MBP (similar to the Nepal) would've have left my feet frigid.

Durability is only an issue if you spend most of your time on scree or dirt, and not on snow or ice.

Thanks for the answers guys!

Foster: really makes me think I should probably just with the G5s and be done with it even if my wallet doesn't agree too much. Oh well.

Jason: good point about Extreme being unavailable overseas, didn't realize that. Indeed Evos or Cubes are as close as it gets. Having owned the Evos, would you say the G5s are indeed warmer?

Marc,
I still own a pair of Extremes and I demoed the G5s... as I did not use them on the same day (and stopped using Nepals awhile back) take take it with a bit of salt but to me G5 were noticeably warmer, more importantly G5 are in a totally different class as far as comfort. Extremes are extremely stiff and had no rocker so walking on any hard surface is not a pleasant experience... 

Thanks Alex, interesting point about walking comfort... the Nepal being an all-rounder while the G5 looks like it is made for ice mostly, I would have actually guessed the opposite.

I can’t say much about the Extremes, but I do own the Cube and G5. I find them to be about the same. Even though supergaiter boots tend to be warmer, I really can’t tell much difference between these two.

The Cube can get saturated by water in certain conditions and get pretty cold. That can mostly be prevented by waterproofing though. 
FWIW I much prefer the G5 to the Cube. 

Thanks all. I think I made up my mind and will step into the 21st century with a pair of G5.

Just be aware that the G5 is about as waterproof as a used Kleenex. Great boot otherwise...

I ended up getting the G5s and so far took them on an overnight snowshoeing trip to break them in and ice cragging over a weekend. Very pleased with the fit-comfort (I already knew that), warmth (actually they are a little too warm for the late ice season in France... but toasty toes are better than numb toes), incredibly low weight and climbing ability. Waterproofness has not been an issue so far even postholing badly in wettish snow (I don't plan to be crossing streams with these). They are pretty decent to hike in although after a while the stiffness and tight fit in the heel will get to you.
My main gripe maybe: for a "made in Italy" boot the finishing touches are seriously sub-par, as in fraying velcro right out of the box, loose stiches here and there... but at the end of the day fit trumps everything else!

Are the G5’s slightly more narrow than the Scarpa Phantom Techs? I live in tennessee and really don’t want to have to order tons of boots to try. My Olympus Mons Evos are great, and I’m a narrow 10.5/11.

Daniel Lewis wrote:

Are the G5’s slightly more narrow than the Scarpa Phantom Techs? I live in tennessee and really don’t want to have to order tons of boots to try. My Olympus Mons Evos are great, and I’m a narrow 10.5/11.

Yes the G5's are more narrow than the Phantom Tech.

Daniel Lewis wrote:

Are the G5’s slightly more narrow than the Scarpa Phantom Techs? I live in tennessee and really don’t want to have to order tons of boots to try. My Olympus Mons Evos are great, and I’m a narrow 10.5/11.

Yes, the heel in the phantom tech was very sloppy for me. Despite a wide forefoot, I found a great fit in the G5. Also far easier to put on, take off, and adjust than the phantom tech. 

DeLa Cruce wrote:

Yes, the heel in the phantom tech was very sloppy for me. Despite a wide forefoot, I found a great fit in the G5. Also far easier to put on, take off, and adjust than the phantom tech. 

I actually just opened G5’s yesterday that came from Campsaver. Looove the fit and mild flexibility.