What are the best entry-level boots for Northeast Ice?

This Winter I'm planning on ice climbing in the Adirondacks and taking a trip to Katahdin around Jan/Feb. Which boots should I consider that aren't too expensive? I'm new to ice climbing, so I'm not looking for anything top of the line just yet. Eventually I also want to climb objectives like Rainier and the Palisade Traverse, so I'm wondering if there's 1 boot that would be versatile for all of this? Is La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX a good option? What are good entry-level boots for the Northeast?

I am a fan of the Scarpa Phantom Tech line because of the integral gaiter. Sportive has similar offerings but they do not fit my feet as well.

Not really entry level but when I got into climbing ice I jumped and bought a pair of Sportiva Batura Evo's and have never regretted it. They're great boots and were great to learn how to climb in the northeast and beyond with. I think the equivalent would be something like the G5 now or on the Scarpa side something like the Phantom tech. I loved the gaiter on mine for when I was doing gully climbs in New Hampshire but that has the drawback of when you're learning to walk in crampons, you will likely catch your heel on your cuff at some point and slice the shit out of them. Otherwise, really you cant go wrong with the Nepals, the Scarpa Mont Blanc's, or another sort of boot like that (The sportiva trango ice cubes are another good choice). I would avoid any of the hybrid crampon style boots to begin with, it's nice to learn to climb on a full bail style crampon rather than a hybrid.

Mike Climberson wrote: This Winter I'm planning on ice climbing in the Adirondacks and taking a trip to Katahdin around Jan/Feb. Which boots should I consider that aren't too expensive? I'm new to ice climbing, so I'm not looking for anything top of the line just yet. Eventually I also want to climb objectives like Rainier and the Palisade Traverse, so I'm wondering if there's 1 boot that would be versatile for all of this? Is La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX a good option? What are good entry-level boots for the Northeast?

I'm still rocking my Nepal Evos GTX's that I bought in late 2009 for similar objectives you described. The Cube's are slightly warmer and slightly lighter, I am told. So if they fit your feet well, you'll be good to go. I've used my Nepals for all of my winter climbing in NH (up to WI5) and routes on Rainier and Baker. Enjoy!

You can try the Nepals, some people do fine but they're not particularly warm so it depends on your personal furnace. Start by venturing out only on non-arctic days, stick to day trips and single pitch not too far from the car, see how it goes. The Northeast is coooooold. 

You better get the bunkhouse if you're going to try to use those in Baxter midwinter. 

They're more than enough warmth wise for anything on the West coast. 

I found  Nepals to be too cold to climb through the heart of the winter in the Adirondacks, after my first season climbing there i ended up switching to G5s and had much happier feet, the ability to quicks adjust tension after a pitch and increase circulation helps alot!

is there such a think as an entry level ice boot? don't they all start at around $600.00 ?

Yep.  No such thing.  You can likely get 10 yrs out of em.   Get the best ones that fit and you can afford.  Only real difference is insulation and bulk for higher elevations (> cost).  You’ll probably own a couple pairs eventually, but they’ll be Different by cold performance/ dexterity , not beginner vs expert.  

La Sportiva Nepal Evos. The gold standard. Can't go wrong with a pair. 

If you want to try out different models, go the the Mountaineer in Keene Valley. They rent several models (scarpa mont blanc and sportiva nepal, maybe others), so you can climb in them for a day and see how you like them. As of last year they applied rental cost towards the purchase of boots from them, which is what I did. I ended up with sportiva nepal cubes, but I do get cold in them (I run fairly cold). Some of my partners that also run cold use sportiva G5s, and I've also heard good things about a similar boot from North Face.

My  Asolo Eiger  extreme  seems to be the warmest  boots I've ever had  but that  could be due to a very  comfortable (on the loose side) fit  or  global warming  or both.. Additionally  in my old age I am smart enough  not to rope up if it's  too  cold.   Either keep  moving or  don't  even bother to climb ice if it's below zero..

If you're planning on climbing in the Adirondacks and you have a goal of Katahdin, I strongly suggest Phantom Tech - No point in having cold toes.

XC ski boots with aluminum mountaineering crampons work great for steep ice in VT ;)    (it's a long story)