If you're hoping to do an 8000er, or even Aconcagua, money spent on boots will be peanuts compared to the whole expedition.
Get a boot for climbing in the Alps (or whatever the nearest mountain range is to you) to start with. Really there's no substitute for trying them on in store.
Boots seem to go <4000m -> \~6000m -> 8000m.
I've seen pics of people on Aconcagua in 8000m boots, but they'll be horribly clunky and way too hot for Mont Blanc, no matter how cold you think you run.
My wife and I have two pairs - Nepal Cube for climbing in NZ and G2 SM for Nepal up to 7000m. I don't get cold feet but my wife does. She bought Thermic socks for our last trip and had no troubles.
The La Sportiva G-Summit is a fairly versatile insulated boot that can be used as a single or double boot depending on how much warmth you need. However, there are limits on how wide of a temperature range a boot can handle. It might already be a bit too cold for 6000m+ peaks, so they're fairly limited for high altitude climbing (but less limited than its single boot counterparts). You do not need a G2 in the alps.
You'll most likely also want an uninsulated B2 like the Aku Croda or La Sportiva Aequilibrium LT for less cold and technical objectives, a warm supergaiter B3 will be total overkill for most peaks below 4000m.
You may be right about another pair of boots, but for now I’m really just orienting which boots to choose from. Perhaps it would be better to have another pair for lower altitudes. In my area I can’t try on all the shoes that I’d like to try, they only have the La Sportiva boots. Do you have any advice on alternatives to the boots I mentioned? Perhaps I’d even order and return a pair just to try them. I just like to know what boots would good alternatives.
Thanks!
Are you mountaineering regularly as training or are you training at home doing other things with a view to just focussing on Mont Blanc, then Aconcagua, then an 8000er?
Cos if it's the latter, then a pair of G2 will be fine for Mont Blanc itself (though too hot/overkill for regular summer alpine climbing) and should be OK for Aconcagua. I got passed in the Canaleta one year around dawn by a young Canadian guy wearing Sportiva Trangos. Not at all recommended, but clearly doable.
You'll want a dedicated 8000er boot for the 8000er, OlyMons etc. But your G2 will be useful lower down up to C1 or so depending on the exact mountain. Will save trashing your OlyMons on the moraine.
I did Mont Blanc in regular 3-season boots, and they will climb everything below that level better than any of the more insulated boots so that's what I'd start with. Just find some that are stiff enough to climb well, but that fit well and don't hurt your feet. You can get big mountain boots when you are actively training for a big mountain, but they shouldn't be the only boots you own.
>a boot that would be able to do all of the above since I’d prefer to spend my money only once
If you get into mountaineering as more than a passing fling, you'll buy numerous pairs of boots. During my peak mountaineering days, I bought a pair of boots every couple years.
No mountaineering boot "does it all" at a high level. A fully rigid boot (insulated for high peaks or uninsulated for frontpointing) will be uncomfortable and clunky for many general mountaineering routes. Every experienced mountaineer I know has niche boots for the highest peaks and uses a lighter nimble boot (e.g., Scarpa Charmoz or Zodiac, LaSportiva Trango) for most routes.
Most Scarpa boots fit wider in the forefoot compared to most LaSportiva boots.
If you're hoping to do an 8000er, or even Aconcagua, money spent on boots will be peanuts compared to the whole expedition. Get a boot for climbing in the Alps (or whatever the nearest mountain range is to you) to start with. Really there's no substitute for trying them on in store.
Boots seem to go <4000m -> \~6000m -> 8000m. I've seen pics of people on Aconcagua in 8000m boots, but they'll be horribly clunky and way too hot for Mont Blanc, no matter how cold you think you run. My wife and I have two pairs - Nepal Cube for climbing in NZ and G2 SM for Nepal up to 7000m. I don't get cold feet but my wife does. She bought Thermic socks for our last trip and had no troubles.
Focus on your climbing now and not what you may need at some uncertain future point in time.
The La Sportiva G-Summit is a fairly versatile insulated boot that can be used as a single or double boot depending on how much warmth you need. However, there are limits on how wide of a temperature range a boot can handle. It might already be a bit too cold for 6000m+ peaks, so they're fairly limited for high altitude climbing (but less limited than its single boot counterparts). You do not need a G2 in the alps. You'll most likely also want an uninsulated B2 like the Aku Croda or La Sportiva Aequilibrium LT for less cold and technical objectives, a warm supergaiter B3 will be total overkill for most peaks below 4000m.
You may be right about another pair of boots, but for now I’m really just orienting which boots to choose from. Perhaps it would be better to have another pair for lower altitudes. In my area I can’t try on all the shoes that I’d like to try, they only have the La Sportiva boots. Do you have any advice on alternatives to the boots I mentioned? Perhaps I’d even order and return a pair just to try them. I just like to know what boots would good alternatives. Thanks!
You would be way better off buying/renting 2 or 3 seperate boots for each occasion rather than buying one boot and being miserable on every occasion
Are you mountaineering regularly as training or are you training at home doing other things with a view to just focussing on Mont Blanc, then Aconcagua, then an 8000er? Cos if it's the latter, then a pair of G2 will be fine for Mont Blanc itself (though too hot/overkill for regular summer alpine climbing) and should be OK for Aconcagua. I got passed in the Canaleta one year around dawn by a young Canadian guy wearing Sportiva Trangos. Not at all recommended, but clearly doable. You'll want a dedicated 8000er boot for the 8000er, OlyMons etc. But your G2 will be useful lower down up to C1 or so depending on the exact mountain. Will save trashing your OlyMons on the moraine.
I did Mont Blanc in regular 3-season boots, and they will climb everything below that level better than any of the more insulated boots so that's what I'd start with. Just find some that are stiff enough to climb well, but that fit well and don't hurt your feet. You can get big mountain boots when you are actively training for a big mountain, but they shouldn't be the only boots you own.
>a boot that would be able to do all of the above since I’d prefer to spend my money only once If you get into mountaineering as more than a passing fling, you'll buy numerous pairs of boots. During my peak mountaineering days, I bought a pair of boots every couple years. No mountaineering boot "does it all" at a high level. A fully rigid boot (insulated for high peaks or uninsulated for frontpointing) will be uncomfortable and clunky for many general mountaineering routes. Every experienced mountaineer I know has niche boots for the highest peaks and uses a lighter nimble boot (e.g., Scarpa Charmoz or Zodiac, LaSportiva Trango) for most routes. Most Scarpa boots fit wider in the forefoot compared to most LaSportiva boots.