"Light Mountaineering" Boots?

[Jorts]

fwiw, the traditional strategy for long snowless approaches is to wear a separate pair of light trail runners for the approach, and then change once you hit consistent snow. yes this is more weight overall - but as you know, any kind of boot that accepts crampons, will be somewhat painful and slower for walking on trails. And weight on your feet matters more than weight on your back, so the overall expenditure may be less than making a single boot work for the whole objective.

Now, LS is marketing the Aequilibrium Speed as something that bridges the gap. Reviews claim they run well, and for moderate snow climbs like Snowmass should be good enough. I don't have personal experience with them. fyi there's a LS store in boulder where you can try on any of their footwear.

Good point about the light trail runners. FWIW, on moderate snow climbs I always just pair trail runners with lightweight crampons and gaiters. But that topic has previously been debated to death.

[justiner]

I think La Sportiva is phasing out the age old Trango line

I don't know if that's true, but I do know they're currently almost half off on the la sportiva usa site!

[dr_j]

I'm not a fan of boots, but when I do wear them on snow / glaciers, I have a pair of the Scarpa Charmoz. Pretty basic light mountaineering boot, with a notch for crampons, sufficient for the summer Cascades climbs that I've done (Hood, Rainier, St. Helens).

[desertdog]

I think La Sportiva is phasing out the age old Trango line

I don't know if that's true, but I do know they're currently almost half off on the la sportiva usa site!

I hope you’re right! I’ve used different Trangos over the years and love ‘em!

[Nobleman]

A bit late to this party but I thought I'd throw in my $0.02. Basically, for what you are describing, a mid to later season snow climb in Colorado, when there is a decent dry approach, a relatively steep/engaging summer snow couloir, and then perhaps some rocky scrambling near the summit, a 3 season mountaineering boot is probably the right tool.

As an aside, the season for "3 season" boots in Colorado is relatively short - more like 3 months than 3 seasons haha! Our winters and early spring are often bitterly cold, and then our summers come in hot and fast, and we have no glaciers or permanent snow to speak of. However, climb in the Cascades or Alps and the 3 season boot has an incredibly useful place in the footwear quiver. While not the absolute best at any one discipline, a good 3 season boot can hike, snow climb, and rock climb all reasonably well. Trail runners or approach shoes with microspikes or light crampons can work for easier or shorter snow climbing, but for longer, steeper, more sustained snow climbing I think most people would agree that boots and crampons provide significant security. The key here is to match conditions, steepness/severity of consequence, and personal experience/comfort and pick the right tool.

Anyway, another thing to consider is that there is a decent range of weight and stiffness across the category of light mountain boots. Weight can be fairly easily compared online, but getting an idea of how rigid/flexible a boot is can be a bit harder. It's a fairly important factor, since although generally 3 season mountain boots fits a semi-automatic crampon (heel welt but no toe welt), the stiffness of the boot determines the tradeoff between walking/climbing (softer sole) and snow climbing (stiffer sole). As with any footwear, best thing to do is to try them all on and get a feel for fit, comfort and support. La Sportiva and Scarpa are probably the most popular brands, but Mammut, Salewa and Asolo also make good boots, and are also quite popular, particularly in Europe. Other brands exist too.

Personally, I'm a La Sportiva guy. The Trango line of boots has been their classic 3 season collection, with several different versions optimized for trekking to ice climbing. However, in the US that lineup has been largely discontinued in favor of the Aequilibrium line up (La Sportiva has a weird distribution model where they only make some of their products available in North America, its a bit of a bummer). I have the Aequilibrium Tops, which I think are fantastic modern 3 season boots geared more towards the snow side of things. The integrated gaiter makes them quite waterproof, which is nice in Spring afternoon slushy snow, however it also makes them run a bit warm. The sole stiffness of all the Aequilibrium lineup provides a good blend of snow and rock/hiking performance - I'll admit I first thought they were on the soft side of things for a mountain boot, but found them adequate for snow up to easy ice (I tested them by leading up to easy WI3 in them, although would not in any way recommend them as an actual ice climbing boot) and they scramble/climb rock about as well as approach shoes. I think for Colorado I would go with the Aequilibrium ST (synthetic)/LT (leather) over the gaitered Tops though, depending on how much time on snow vs dirt hiking you see yourself doing (basically early vs late season trips). The Aequilibrium Speeds look like a really nifty blend of approach shoe and mountain boot. They were too flexible for what I wanted at the time I got my boots, but I could certainly see them filling a niche of relatively chill snow/glacier approaches to long technical rock climbs like in the Bugaboos. Otherwise I'm not really in the mountain running community, where I guess La Sportiva was optimizing them for very fast and light technical "runs" in the Alps.

For Scarpa, the Zodiac Tech, Charmoz, and Ribelle lineup (which is nearly as confusing as the LaSpo Aequilibrium lineup) provide a range of choices for 3 season boots. Mammut has the Taiss lineup, and Salewa has the Raven on the heavier side of things, Crow in the happy medium, and Ortles on the light side of things. Many options!

Hope this helps the OP or any future user. I put a bit of thought into 3 season boots recently, as I needed some for a trip to climb in Patagonia. Coming from Colorado where I was usually in either ski boots/full mountain boots in the winter, or in approach shoes in the summer with not much in between, I became a pretty big fan of 3 season boots. While for long approaches I generally wore trail runners, the Aequilbrium Tops were impressive as I hiked glaciers, scrambled talus and low 5th, stowed them in a pack for technical rock, then busted them out again for summit snow fields - my favorite kind of mixed terrain day!

[madmattd]

Nobleman - thanks. I never updated this thread apparently, but I did end up getting the Aequilibrium LTs this Spring. They've done fine for my intended use - I climbed a moderate couloir on Blue Sky in them that was firm both up and down (thanks to cloud cover rolling in), and they were plenty stiff enough for the extensive front-pointing I ended up needing to do. I also took them up Snowmass a couple weeks ago, including using them on the 8+mi hike to/from the lake. The latter was a compromise decision (versus carrying the weight and using hiking shoes for that portion), and my feet were feeling it on the way out, but it went fine overall. Just one small blister spot on one heel. They were great on the snow, and while not great at scrambling, I managed fine with them on the ridge direct to the summit. Not too hot considering they are a Gortex boot, and they have stayed dry in a few late-morning soft snow fields. Looking forward to more use with them next year, but for now enjoying being back in hiking shoes!

[rmcpherson]

I've worn LS Trango Tech GTX's on some fairly long, multiday trips of 40+ miles with little to no worse for wear on my feet, including some substantial road walks. I find them just one notch above a summer boot in feel, but of course, they are a little bulkier. They don't feel like a mountaineering-like boot to me since as you guess, the sole is much more flexible.

I don't prefer them over an even more flexible trail runner, but they've done the job OK. This includes going from Breckenridge to Boreas Pass and over Hoosier Ridge to Hoosier Pass then hiking back to Breckenridge, hiking from Loveland Pass to Georgia Pass then down again to Breckenridge, and summiting Mount Massive from downtown Leadville. They HAVE kept my feet both dry and warm, so that is a huge plus over trail runners. I haven't worn them in the summer, though.

Would the LS Trango Tech GTX be up to the task of a June Rainier climb via the standard route? They are compatible with my crampon's and I'd prefer a less stiff boot if I can get away with that. Heavy insulation shouldn't be needed given the season I'd think, but I'd love to hear from those with experience with these boots and on Rainier, or even better: with these boots on that route.

[swilson753]

I've worn LS Trango Tech GTX's on some fairly long, multiday trips of 40+ miles with little to no worse for wear on my feet, including some substantial road walks. I find them just one notch above a summer boot in feel, but of course, they are a little bulkier. They don't feel like a mountaineering-like boot to me since as you guess, the sole is much more flexible.

I don't prefer them over an even more flexible trail runner, but they've done the job OK. This includes going from Breckenridge to Boreas Pass and over Hoosier Ridge to Hoosier Pass then hiking back to Breckenridge, hiking from Loveland Pass to Georgia Pass then down again to Breckenridge, and summiting Mount Massive from downtown Leadville. They HAVE kept my feet both dry and warm, so that is a huge plus over trail runners. I haven't worn them in the summer, though.

Would the LS Trango Tech GTX be up to the task of a June Rainier climb via the standard route? They are compatible with my crampon's and I'd prefer a less stiff boot if I can get away with that. Heavy insulation shouldn't be needed given the season I'd think, but I'd love to hear from those with experience with these boots and on Rainier, or even better: with these boots on that route.

This is a tricky and highly personal decision. I did Rainier via the Emmons route in LS Nepal Cubes in warm weather at the end of June '23. I did Baker via the Coleman-Demming in LS Aequilibriums in '24 during similarly warm weather. The Aequilibriums are pretty similar to the Trango Techs - I'm honestly not sure what significant differences there are. The Aequilibriums were perfect for Baker. We didn't encounter any ice or snow hard enough to need front pointing. However, I did several steep/firm/icy couloirs (Skywalker, Dragon's Tail) in my Aequilibriums last spring and found myself wishing for more stiffness. On Rainier, there were sections on the ascent where I was glad to have the extra stiffness in the Nepals for front pointing very firm snow. On the flip side, the descent off Rainier gave me bad blisters. I blame the blisters on the heat and my inexperience at the time - I didn't lock my heel down well enough and didn't pre-tape my typical hot spots.

If I was to do Rainier again, I'd make my final boot decision a day or two before the trip based on weather and conditions reports. There's pros and cons to both boots. If the weather hadn't been as warm as it was, I'd lean more towards the Nepals. Bad weather can form extremely quickly in the PNW and I wouldn't want to be stuck high on Rainier in sketchy conditions in Aequilibriums. I also run very cold when stationary but quickly roast once moving.

Are you planning Disappointment Cleaver or Emmons? If DC, the rock section on the Cleaver makes me wonder if the Trango Techs/Equilibriums would be better for the scrambly section. I haven't done that route, but it's another piece to consider.

The weather on Rainier in June can be super warm (35 deg and no wind on the summit when I did it) or freezing (whiteout blizzard several of my friends got stuck in in '23). What's your experience climbing steepish (>40 deg), firm/icy couloirs and front pointing in the Trango Techs? Are you comfortable climbing up to 5000' vert of ice/super firm snow (happened to my friends in that whiteout) in those boots?

[climbingcue]

Would the LS Trango Tech GTX be up to the task of a June Rainier climb via the standard route? They are compatible with my crampon's and I'd prefer a less stiff boot if I can get away with that. Heavy insulation shouldn't be needed given the season I'd think, but I'd love to hear from those with experience with these boots and on Rainier, or even better: with these boots on that route.

I used my Trango Tech GTX on my Rainier climb in June of 2024. I thought they were awesome, would total use them again if I was to repeat Rainier.

[desertdog]

The Techs might work, but on a mountain like Rainier its probably not good to use the word "might". I wouldn't underestimate conditions in June plus you will be on snow and ice most of the time. You will want your campon work to be solid which is helped by the stiffness of the boot. I would look at something like the Nepal Evo. They will hold a crampon much better than the Techs and keep your feet warm. As a side, I have Techs and the Evos. I find the Evos pretty comfortable although heavier.

[justiner]

The Aequilibriums are pretty similar to the Trango Techs - I'm honestly not sure what significant differences there are.

It's a hard question to answer, since the Aequilibriums are a whole family of boots (which isn't unlike the Trangos). The Trango Tech GTX ARE on fire sale right ($120!) now so I'm wondering if they're being discontinued (I should ask...). That's a pretty good deal for a 3 season hiking boot that's good in the snow.

I haven't tried on the Aequilibrium, but I may pick up a pair next year -- not sure which one!

[swilson753]

The Aequilibriums are pretty similar to the Trango Techs - I'm honestly not sure what significant differences there are.

It's a hard question to answer, since the Aequilibriums are a whole family of boots (which isn't unlike the Trangos). The Trango Tech GTX ARE on fire sale right ($120!) now so I'm wondering if they're being discontinued (I should ask...). That's a pretty good deal for a 3 season hiking boot that's good in the snow.

I haven't tried on the Aequilibrium, but I may pick up a pair next year -- not sure which one!

I have the women's Aequilibrium STs. I picked them up on a whim at an REI garage sale and I'm so glad I did. I love them for everything springtime in CO except firm/steep/icy couloirs where I want a more secure crampon fit. I wore them for all 22 mi RT of Snowmass in June. I wish they could take a full auto crampon for the steeper stuff though

One of my partners on Baker had Trango Techs and from what I could tell, they were virtually identical to my Aequilibriums. Lightly insulated, flexible, and super comfortable for hiking. Scrambling performance is good, too. I'd buy another pair. I am intrigued by the integrated gaiter ones, but haven't tried them out.