14ers.com

Trotter wrote: ↑Wed Jun 03, 2020 1:50 pm And specifically rented boots there? Or saw what kind of selection they had for rental?

Doing Elbrus in August, and I don't have true mountaineering boots.

I've done Orizaba, and many winter and spring climbs in my leather single wall saloman boots, but I understand they will not be accepted on Elbrus.

So my choices are buying a pair here ($400-$1000), bringing them across in luggage there and back. OR renting a pair at the base of elbrus for about $8 a day, and not having to haul them around in my luggage. Has anyone rented from the gear shops at the base of Elbrus, and how were the boot choices? Old crappy worn out stuff, or halfway decent?

Scott P wrote: ↑Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:42 pm If you don't plan using your boots again, or not very often, go to somewhere like Cabelas and buy insulated hunting boots that have a stiff enough sole for crampons. That's what I did with my kids since they would outgrow boots so fast. Those boots should be more than adequate for Elbrus.

desertdog wrote: ↑Thu Jun 04, 2020 6:49 am I’ve done Elbrus. The route is basically a walk up. When I did it, the start was very very cold. One thing I took away from Elbrus is that the climb is pretty easy, but the weather can be a huge issue and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I used double boots, but had not purchased them specifically for the trip. I would be cautious on your boot choice, since it would be bad to travel all that way and have to bail because of cold feet. There are one or two rental shops shops in town. They were pretty basic. I think they rented boots though. Personally I would deal with the boots before you get there and not count on rentals. Lots of used options on eBay, geartrade, etc. if you are trying to keep it cheap.