Opinion on Aequilibrium GTX Speed

I am looking for a boot to take me through the cascades this season. I like the speeds a lot.. however, I am hesitant because there around no laces, only a sort of draw string. How is the draw string mechanism?

I tried a pair on for the second time last weekend and the draw string seems fine.  These really aren't a replacement for an all-round boot, I'd be replacing my Trango Techs with these and I have concerns about the durability of the fabric if I got into scrambling/easy climbing on dry rock, easy scrambling through rough talus, etc.  They are not very stiff so it wouldn't be fun to spend much time in alpine ice (dry glacier) but they would be fine for objectives like Baker, Shuksan, Eldorado, etc, if you can cherry pick your weather windows, especially if you move quickly (in-a-day).  The Aequilibrium top or leather versions would be better general-purpose boots in the Cascades.

Jason4Too wrote:

I tried a pair on for the second time last weekend and the draw string seems fine.  These really aren't a replacement for an all-round boot, I'd be replacing my Trango Techs with these and I have concerns about the durability of the fabric if I got into scrambling/easy climbing on dry rock, easy scrambling through rough talus, etc.  They are not very stiff so it wouldn't be fun to spend much time in alpine ice (dry glacier) but they would be fine for objectives like Baker, Shuksan, Eldorado, etc, if you can cherry pick your weather windows, especially if you move quickly (in-a-day).  The Aequilibrium top or leather versions would be better general-purpose boots in the Cascades.

There will be a new generation of trango like lasportiva boots, a light summer shoes with durability in mind. I think it will come out as the 2025 season, there was a press release through an italian youtuber a few days ago.

I was concerned as well, the lace lock seems to work just fine for me.

Lots of geeking out on these boots (shoes) in this thread: mountainproject.com/forum/t…

I have a pair. The drawcord material is probably more durable than most other Sportiva laces, and the mechanism itself locks well. I’ve never had it come loose. I would only use these as glacier/snowfield approach shoes for alpine rock climbs, as they hold a crampon better than approach shoes, keep your feet dry in summer snow, and they are lighter than many other summer boots. They’re less stiff, which makes them much more comfortable for hiking.

I would not, however, want to use these for steep snow climbs or any climbing that involves sustained front-pointing (like over an hour of it). The same flexibility that makes them comfy for hiking makes them super uncomfortable for frontpointing. They will give you calf-pump.

Although I’ve never climbed in the Cascades (I’m a gumby, but I work part time at La Sportiva so I have talked to many people about these shoes), I’d probably recommend these for Cascades summer routes. Stuff like Forbidden, where you are approaching on snowy/glaciated terrain to climb on rock (right?) is where these niche shoes shine.

They were developed for mountain runners to set FKTs in the Alps, so that’s what makes the design so specific, really. They are made to be run-able summer boots at the end of the day, which very few people need.

I haven’t used mine a ton. Might use them for some routes in the Tetons this summer, though.