Ed Viesturs & Peter Whittaker: Plastic vs Leather, mountaineering boots

[mark182hoppus]

I have a question I buy me the OR brooks ranger overboots!! last week

how can I attach the crampons there??? for the fronts i think its okey but for the back the heel

behind it has no attachment! Can you help? or you not have tested the product OR brooks ranger

honer if you can help! thanks.

[lizhenrocks]

Hi, Are Nepel Evo suitable for touring ski bindings? Thanks!

[darrenchromey]

so you would recommend the leather over the plastic boots? me and my dad are trying to summit rainier next summer and we're trying to get our gear and seeing which is better.

[shawnrr1]

Great video and really informative. I have one question about the EVO. Do you treat the leather on the boots and if so what is your leather product of choice?

[WhittakerMtneering]

@shawnrr1 Thanks, glad you liked the video. The Nepal evos are waterproof due to a laminate on the inside of the boot, not due to the leather on the outside. These boots hold up really well and usually won't need any treatment. If however, your boots are a bit older and you're noticing that the leather is getting wet and want the leather to bead up, I would recommend some sort of water-base waterproofing wax for leather. There are multiple brands that offer adequate products. Hope that helps!

[darrenchromey]

@WhittakerMtneering you say the EVO is waterproof, so you wouldnt have to put any ointment or scrub any grease on?

[pharmdrake]

Used the Evo on Mont Blanc and it worked in back to back years. Great boots. Used the pro style BD sabretooth with them and curious how the sabretooth would hook up with the Olympus Mons??

[WhittakerMtneering]

@pharmdrake The Sabretooth (both pro and clip) work well with the Olympus Mons…we tried on the pro for good measure and it is a great fit. Hope that helps!

[WhittakerMtneering]

@automagp68 Almost all climbing boots will have some heel lift. Do not expect them to fit like ski boots.

[WhittakerMtneering]

@automagp68 As far as using crampons with overboots, the safest bet would be something like the Petzl Vasak or the Grivel Air Tech. These don't rely on having any mechanism engaging into the welt of the boot. This is the system that I use and it has not failed me. You can certainly try a locking system but you need plenty of welt at the front and back of the boot and you'll need to have the crampons very tightly fitted to make sure that they stay on.

Hopefully this information helps!

Ed

[WhittakerMtneering]

@automagp68 For sizing the Koflachs I allow plenty of toe room knowing that these are my boots for high mountains and cold conditions. Koflachs tend to be a high volume boot with plenty of toe box room anyway. I fit mine to allow two pairs of socks- a lighter pair and a heavy pair over that- some people just wear one pair- it's personal preference.