Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Wide Mountaineering Boot

'Hello' to the fine fleet folks of the WHA,

I have been wanting to buy a pair of Mountaineering boot for sometime. I have Hybrid crampons that wont work with a standard hiking boot (requires a crampon lug in the back). I bought a pair of size 14 Lowa Mountain Expert Mountaineering boots ($400 pair of shoes).

I made the mistake of listening to someone who claimed that they required no break-in time and I learned the particular nastiness of this lie on a summit of Death Valley's 11,049' Telescope Peak (14 miles that ended up being dry). In addition to having the nastiness of being new, the rigid sole had no rocker and the toe box was too narrow. The result was a blister 4 inches in diameter across my achilles and blisters innumerable that lined the side of my feet. I have never been in such pain before.

Still I kept the boots hoping that they would break in. After wearing them around on errands and one smaller hike, but I concluded that they were far too uncomfortable for my feet. I returned them for Salomon Quest 4D's.

My feet are size 13 EEEE (super wide, I usually can get away with a size 14 after being broken in). I'm wondering if there is a company who makes rigid shank, waterproof, insulated mountaineering boots w/crampon lug in a wide toe-box or if there is a company that will custom make boots.

My experience and ambition are ready to do some spring climbing on snow/ice and I've been waiting far too long. For the interim I'm probably going to buy a pair of strap-on crampons.

This won't help for winter mountaineering boots, but I have a wide foot, and so always go to Zappos.com, and order the super-wide New Balance hiking boot.

I have always had problems with hiking boots being too tight, until I finally found the right super-wide New Balance boot.

I was in REI several weeks ago, and just out of curiosity asked the shoe sales guy about super-wide boots, and told him my experience with New Balance. He confirmed by saying New Balance had established a market niche by manufacturing shoes for us ducks.

I've never seen EEE mountaineering boots...they are rarer than the 12 1/2 D's I wear.

Just go to the usual suspects websites...La Sportiva, Lowa, Asolo, Zamberalan, Vasque, etc. and go through their offerings.

Dan Asay, in Bishop, California, makes superior custom hiking and mountaineering boots. He has a really good reputation as a boot maker, and shares work space at the Rubber Room, also in Bishop. Give them a call (phone number at bottom of the Rubber Room home page) and they can put you in touch with Dan.

http://www.rubberroomresoles.com/

I don't wear a wide boot, but I can tell you that La Sportiva, my brand of choice, is the opposite - very narrow around the toe box in both, my summer and winter boots. Sometimes it gets so bad I begin to contemplate looking at other brands to get a little more room for my toes, especially those on the outside, but I love how the boots work otherwise.

Seems like all my European shoes are like this - Dynafit ski boots are rather narrow, too, and my bike shoes from Sidi are way narrower than those from Shimano.

I have the same problem with La Sportiva's Trango EVO. They fit in the heel but the toe box is a killer.

No last is perfect. Find something that fits and wear it until they make it no more. That's why I have resoled a pair of Kayland Contacts even though the eVent sock is NG, as it is on another pair of Kaylands.

I have wide wide toes.

Scarpa are pretty good. The Charmoz and its newer version all have pretty wide toe box. Also they make Koflach boots which I have no problem wearing. La Sportiva is way too narrow!

Regular boots I go with Keen.