Best Boots for Alaska Range
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Thinking about a trip in the spring I need to update my kit. Our trip is Ruth related but I would like to get something that will work higher. But also, be practical for cold local ice days. Trying to choose between the Nepal Top Cube, G5, G2 or the G tech Leaning toward the Nepal Top Cube but wondering if they are warm enough for high camp/summit on Denali? If anybody has some other great ice/mixed/mountaineering boot recommendationsim all ears I always ran double boot on my previous AK range trips. but that was 20 years ago. GO! |
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Airbiscuit wrote: I don't know what a "Nepal Top Cube" is but you absolutely need something warmer than a Nepal on Denali. The G2 (or comparable double boots from other brands, like the Phantom 6000, Nordwand 6k, etc.) is the lightest boot that will be sufficient high on Denali. A G5 or G Tech is definitely not warm enough for the upper mountain. Here's a detailed rundown of all the gear recommended for Denali, I set it to start playing at the boot section: https://youtu.be/AKNA5ysyJco?si=BqgjH4u_CXmYoKfm&t=173 Denali is so cold, it's hard to have overlap between gear for up there and gear for regular objectives. I used Phantom 6ks on Denali, (and on the Harvard Route on Huntington, no summit). I use Phantom Techs pretty much everywhere in the lower 48 and the 6ks just sit on the shelf. |
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Certain select individuals get away with using single boots in the Alaska Range. They are usually very good alpinists who are already experienced up there. The best general advice though is going to be to use a double boot. The only one you have listed in your considerations is really the G2. Depending on your timing, they could be absolutely necessary even on the Ruth. Stuff gets wet living on a glacier. And while sleeping bags, tents, and jackets get dried pretty easily in the Alaska Range, single boots would be a lot more difficult. Leaving you with a much more limited safety margin. |
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As Nate said you should prob wear double boots. Just last year a talented climber Anna Pfaff lost 5 toes climbing The Harvard Route on Mt Huntington. If I remember right she was wearing G5s. |
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Sam Klinger wrote: Interesting note, Sam. Can I ask where you heard that? I had always assumed given the season, and the temps, (and from photos) that she had been wearing G2 Evos. I have never seen it written anywhere one way or another though. |
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I would not venture into the AK range without double boots. In fact I never have even when doing routes on the Ruth. If one is doing Denali or Foraker one will see many people with 8000M versions of the mfg boots. One can experience some damn cold days in AK and for extended days. Even at the lower elevations. While the new single boots are great I would not take any of them to AK. @NateC - I believe Anna was wearing a single boot. I too recall reading it somewhere. That said it is hard (at least for me) to see a significant difference between the G5 and G2 in action photos. |
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NateC wrote: Just check out her Instagram. She posted all about her injury and recovery, which took the better part of a year thus far. |
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AlpineIce wrote: I have. I followed her since before the injury and read all of her posts about it. I even looked again yesterday but didn’t see anything about her being in G5’s. Other posts on this thread seem to support my belief she was in G2’s as well, so it’s apparently not something that is clear for all. |
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The latest generation of double boots climb so well that I dont know why you'd even consider singles. |
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It's been over a decade since I was in Alaska, but back then the Spantik was ubiquitous, at least on Denali's West Buttress. I'd be interested to hear what models have been popular in more recent years, and in particular whether something has replaced the Spantik as the de facto standard. |
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mark55401 wrote: G2’s and Phantom 6000’ in whatever the current iterations are standard for most these days. There’s still a lot of 8k boots among the guided teams. Fair amounts of ski boots with overboots as well but that limits the tolerable temps a bit more. |
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Save a few hundred dollars on single boots may cost you a few toes. I've done several dozen Alaska Range trips at varying altitudes and never once considered single boots. Why get turned around from your summit because you have cold feet. No half-measures in alpinism. Do it right or don't go. I wouldn't leave the ground with someone with singles. |
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Do you have an AAC membership? The Mammut 6000s are 35% off there and I hear they climb pretty well for a double. |
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Artem Vee wrote: if you're going to fly in with one boot, don't fly in with singles. Sure, you can definitely climb in singles, but I wouldn't bank on it. I've seen so many instances of people being evacuated due to poor choices in footwear. This guy hasn't been to Alaska before. Hence the strong recommendation. |
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Ross Goldberg wrote: I climbed in them for a season and they climbed virtually as well as my phantom tech. I could argue that they walked better than my phantom tech. One of the more underrated double boots out there, if they fit. |
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Ross Goldberg wrote: Can you elaborate on where that deal is? I can't seem to find it on my AAC portal. I happy to discuss via PM, too. |
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Artem Vee wrote: you wouldn't believe how often I've seen people climbing only in singles in the Ruth, the Kahiltna, and yes...even Denali. And I watched that guy get flown off from 14k with frozen toes. |
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a Ball wrote: ExpertVoice. You can sign up using your aac account information. |
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Do y’all think that the G-Summits are going to get it done, I was talking to one of the employees at my local store and he said he might take them up the Cassin. I thought that they would be a bit cold for that considering their design. |
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Yes even though everyone said that singles are not even good enough for single day shorter routes. You should for sure take them on a multi day route up Denali. |
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Finn Lanvers wrote: I could definitely be wrong but from some extreme zooming in on IG, I think (???) Cornell wore them up Jannu.... Or it was older G2s that I am less familiar with and didn't recognize... |