Outdoor Gear Lab
The Scarpa Mont Blanc Pro is a classic single leather boot that gets the job done. Newer boot designs are warmer, lighter, and faster to lace up. If this boot is a great fit for your foot, you may like its climbing performance better than we did. We found this boot to fit lower volume feet better than other single leather boots. While it's not outstanding in any department, we think its all-around performance is good.go to full review
The Lowa Alpine Expert GTX is a reasonably versatile boot that doesn't slay in any one way, except maybe lacing. They get the job done on ice and climb well on rock, with and without crampons. They're warm for a lightweight boot, and waterproof up to about 7 inches, but they lack a built-in gaiter to keep snow out of the cuff. There are lighter weight boots out there, too. Still, if this boot is a good fit for your foot, it will get the job done.go to full review
If weight and mobility are the primary concerns on your mountaineering or skiing objective, there is no better choice than the Choucas Light. It is also a great choice for anyone who spends a lot of time climbing classic mountaineering routes on glaciers and snow slopes. This harness costs about as much as other high-performance harnesses, and the incredible weight savings make it a good value for niche users looking for a specialized harness. However, if you are looking for one harness that..." go to full review
It didn't take long for our testers to recognize the awesomeness of the La Sportiva TX2 Evo, and as the weeks of testing went on, we only found more things to love. It climbs excellently, is astonishingly lightweight yet comfortable and supportive, and is suited just as well to the crag as it is to the alpine. We also like the eco-friendly aspects like how the shoe uses recycled materials and the new ESS Resoling platform that allows for easy sole replacement. The TX2 Evo scored high marks..." go to full review
These shoes are on the expensive side for a technical running shoe, but they perform well, and don't have many competitors. While minimalist and lightweight, the Rapid uses strong materials and intentional reinforcements in key areas. For many users who simply need a comfortable shoe to wear around the crag and that can tackle all but the most extreme approaches, these shoes might be the only approach shoes that you need. If your standard use of approach shoes is for easy technical climbs in..." go to full review
These shoes deliver excellent performance at an attractive price. They perform among the best approach shoes on the market, yet they are priced among the lowest. They do everything well, including hiking, climbing, and disappearing when the rock shoes come out. The only place they don't excel is on long approaches through rugged terrain, where a more burly approach shoe will provide more support and long-distance comfort. For climbers who spend most of their time approaching over relatively..." go to full review
The Katana Lace is an excellent option for women looking to find a female-specific shoe at the intermediate to advanced level. This shoe will give you the support you need for climbing pitch after pitch of difficult crack or face climbing and is relatively comfortable enough for all-day wear. It is versatile and performed well in almost all categories, and we especially love it for multi-pitches and crack climbing. For offwidth climbing or high-end bouldering, we might suggest something more..." go to full review
The Lowa Alpine Ice GTX is a no-nonsense cold weather mountaineering boot. The two main benefits of a supergaiter boot are warmth and protection from foul weather, and this boot delivers on those metrics. It also has decent performance on steep ice. However, it's among the heaviest boots in the review, and its old-fashioned lacing system divided our testers, some of whom preferred the newer designs and technologies on the market. If you have a wider or higher-volume foot, prefer ice to mixed..." go to full review
The Scarpa Phantom Tech is one of the supergaiter boots on the market today. It's quite light and agile on mixed routes, two qualities we don't always find in these boots. It's also respectably warm. Though it doesn't provide the robust waterproofness of some other boots, we think this won't be a major issue for most climbers. If this boot fits your foot, we think it's a great choice for mountaineering, ice, and alpine climbing.go to full review
The La Sportiva G5 Evo is an almost perfect mountain boot for cold weather ascents. It's one of our favorite boots for climbing ice, snow, and rock. It's pretty light and also one of the warmer boots in our test. This latest version, with a waterproof flap behind the zipper, keeps out water much better than its predecessor. The other thing that's on the outside of the boot is the Boa knob. We were pleasantly surprised with how much more useable this made the boots. This new ease of..." go to full review