LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

Wow, wow, wow! How these manage to be so light, WARM, and svelte is beyond me. The outer boot is rigid and makes for standing on frontpoints all day almost a joyous circumstance. The inner boot is exceptionally warm and seems to be very similar to the inner bootie on the Olympus Mons EVO. What I truly cannot get over is how trim the profile of these boots are. I had tried the Nuptse and while a solid boot, they were significantly heavier and bulkier than the Spantik. The Spantik is close to a full pound less (14 oz. size 42) than the Nuptse.
A few minor complaints, none of which compromise my love of these boots. The inner boot has a weird laces/velcro closure which requires some time to become proficient with. Also, these boots are quite rigid throughout and do not make for a comfortable approach. Lastly, and this is fairly lame of me to say, they do slightly resemble something you'd wear to the moon as opposed to the Andes or Himalya...
If the idea of keeping all of your toes attached to your foot while climbing bloody freezing technical routes, Spantiks are the ticket.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

This boot excels at high technical alpine stuff (not the best for long approaches). The double boot is a must for warmth and ease of drying. The downside is that high performance comes at a price. The techy-tech lacing system is quick, but it's also the weakest link. The laces themselves are prone to breaking and the eyelets come out within a hard season.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

Nearly as light as my Nepal Evo's, and much warmer. Lacing is different but it seems to work. Toe box is a bit narrow for my wide feet. Well shaped for technical climbing and enough ankle support for cramponing.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

This boot is amazing!

While I'm no mountaineer and haven't tested this boot out for what it truly was designed for (Himalayas, Alaska Range, etc.), I have used this boot for winter ice climbing in Alaska. Is it overkill? Probably. But I wanted a double boot for colder Alaska temps. I had Koflachs and hated them. The Spantiks are so light they don't feel like double boots--they hardly weigh more than my insulated single boots (the old La Sportiva Lhotse's). Also, the Spantiks are SUPER precise when front pointing. I've only used them on waterfall ice thus far (haven't had them too long), but I felt like I was just using a more insulated version of my La Sportiva Trangos--they felt that precise.
Another thing, a good deal of reviews speak on how stiff the boot is--and that it's not that great walking in. I disagree. These boots walk amazingly! I'd recommend loosening up the inner bootie laces some when done climbing for the walk out...but, regardless, they are so comfortable!

I can't forget to mention these boots are ridiculously warm...yet my feet didn't overheat even though it wasn't Himalaya cold out.

As for cons...the lacing system is kind of weird--I wish it was traditional. I've personally seen (not on my pair) and heard of eyelets coming off or laces breaking. I haven't used mine that hard yet to experience that, but be advised anyways. I also have heard the rubber lace pull comes off and is hard to use with gloves on. Everyone recommended adding a real zipper pull to the ends (via overhand knot) to make it more effective to lace the boots with gloves on.

All in all, this boot is the heat!

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

Used these for the first time for winter camping in Gatineau Park near Ottawa, Canada. Unbelievable comfort on the first time out. My buddy asked me how I liked my boots. I told him that since I hadn't even thought about my feet I loved them. We woke up to -12F one morning. It took a while to warm the boots up, but once we got going they were toasty all day long in sub-zero temps. I'm planning to take these to Denali with me in May/June - without overboots. Not sure how they will do in -40F, but I'm confident down to at least -20F. The lace system seems like it could break and it doesn't look like there is a good way to fix it when it does. The inner boot is terrific. So far I love these boots.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

They're great boots. Sizing them is quite challenging. I had to order multiple pairs(3) and spend hours walking up and down stairs to know which pair was right. For double boots they still have some performance to them. Not as sensitive as the Baruntse but lighter and much warmer. Not a tad bit warmer than the baruntse, much warmer. The baruntse feel like a bulky pair of single leathers though, these feel like doubles. For the definitve review go to [@] EMS is now my preferred retailer as they were extremely helpful in helping me size these things. I've used every major and minor retailer on the net and EMS has the best customer service, PERIOD!

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

Mountaineering boots are only as good as they weakest point when you are up there in the mountains.
These are very comfy, warm, flexible and stiff were needed boots, for ice climbing, technical climbing and mountaineering up to -20F for all day outings and I will give them 4 stars ( less one star for price) if it wouldn't be for one thing.
Construction on these boots include some type of silver tape like material that is very prone to catching crampon, punching thru hole and or getting riped out by it.
With leather or plastic boots this problem doesn't exist or is very unusual, but with these boots it is very common and it happen to me too.
I have also seen people taking a fall and riping cuff muscle due to catching crampon on it and falling on the way down the mountain.
These boots are hazardous to mountaineers and can cause serious injury with just little crampon contact.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

This is a truly die hard staple in the alpinists arsenal of gear. Boots are a foundational piece of equipment. These boots excel at everything. I have climbed gullies in forbidding weather and have shoveled my driveway in them. [$] a pair.... that is [$] a toe. No big deal...[$] is a lot of money, but there are very worth it. If you search / wait you can can get them for less. Bottom line: Dont ever get stuck in the mountains with cheap boots. Your feet will suffer, You may lose your toes and all other sorts of bad news. BUY GOOD BOOTS. Dont be cheap.Note: Get the perfect fit. Dont rush buy these boots... scrutinze them to death... take a long time getting used to them in the store until your satisfied.. Boots like this will last easy 5+ years in my opinion. The lacing system is unique but totally viable. Always bring an extra set of comparable laces with these boots though.These are the premier boots for winter mountaineering / alpine climbing.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

I have climbed a couple days of steep ice and done some AT skiing. The boots ski and climb better than the other double I've used; Scarpa Invernos and the Koflach arctic expe. The Scarpa's destroyed my shins, the Koflachs walked pretty well - maybe better, but they flexed too much on the vertical, resulting in calf pump/burn. The Spantik is nice and compact, it gets you closer to the ice. You can lace it up once and be done for the day and not have to mess with things. They flex enough to walk pretty well but are stiff enough to climb well. I don't know if its the built in rocker or what, but also I don't get the nasty hotspots on my feet when touring lots of miles with my silverettas... One of those days was probably too cold for hotspots (-28F), but my feet were happy.

my only gripe is the innerboot lacing system, it knots at the bottom, you suck it up and then velcro it - somewhat adjustable, but it takes a good bit of fine tuning I'd say.

Also I noticed that they don't seem to work real well with the traditional MSR Denali snowshoes, they're too bulky to position them in the right spot so that the crampon is underfoot - if you do the top of the boot hits on the shoe when it pivots. This isn't really a problem with the boot, and I can't say that I remember ever snowshoeing with the other doubles.

Comments about LA SPORTIVA Men's Spantik Mountaineering Boots:

I can't say enough about these boots. As an intermediate level climber, I'm always weary about dropping this much money, but these boots could cost twice as much & still be worth it. The fit is true to size & they almost seem to come pre-broken in! SO comfortable, & much lighter than a hard plastic boot.

My toes tend to run cold & these boots took care of that problem. I even shed a layer of socks.

Easy to put on & take off. Even though some people have commented negatively on the lacing system, I like it alot & found it very easy to learn.

I can't say anything bad about this boot!!!