Choosing Your Mountaineering Boots
If you’ve worn that hiking trail by walking over it a thousand times and you’ve been through all the other challenging paths, then you might just want to consider moving on to mountaineering. Not to be confused with hiking, mountaineering offers more rigorous exertions but is not yet as death defying as rock and ice climbing. Your trusty old hiking shoes therefore may just not suffice for the more arduous challenge of conquering a mountain. You may just have to get yourself a new pair of mountaineering boots. Before you troop over to your mountaineering shop, you may have to know a few things about mountaineering boots.
Generic Requirements
Mountaineering boots should ideally give you both support and protection. Mountaineering boots therefore are really intentionally tougher, stiffer, harder and higher cut than your usual hiking boots. Aside from protecting your feet and toes, mountaineering boots also protect your ankles. Other boot features may also include insulation from foot to ankle, waterproof features and sole traction. These boots are also naturally made to fit with crampons just in case you may need to negotiate some icy parts of a mountain.
Material
Traditionally, mountaineering boots can come in plastic or leather. You may want a plastic pair for conditions that are harsher than usual. Aside from the difficult terrain, you may also encounter some moist and cold spots. This is where your plastic can best be used for. Naturally, these boots have rigid plastic shells with good internal insulation. Although a little unwieldy, they allow less water in, they dry fast and they are definitely sturdy. Leather is of course, less stiff and therefore may be more comfortable than plastic. They may sometimes fit better and are generally less heavy and more exact in performance than plastic. Some pairs however are not as insulated as plastic pairs and may not be advisable for the climbs with a lot of surface ice.
Fit
Unlike rock climbing shoes that some rock climbers prefer to be insanely snug, mountaineering boots can be a little less tight. Your pair should fit you well around the ankles but you should have a little extra space for your feet and toes to breathe. Besides, it would be crazy to have such a stiff pair of boots fit extremely tight unless you want to walk with a crutch after your climb. Have boots that are functional, heavy duty and comfortable to give you that perfect climbing experience.