First post will be a major topic of aspiring climbers. Mountaineering boots are such a big purchase and quite a big topic. I consider Dane's blog to be the authority on all things mountaineering boots. I will just put my small review on what has worked for me. When I lived in the midwest and only climbed a few weeks out of the year, only one pair of "do everything" boots could be justified. Living in the PNW and working in the Outdoor industry has given me a quiver of boots for almost every different condition our route. The same old rule as to what the best boot is, has not changed. It's the one that fits you the best.

For over 10 years I swore I was a "sportiva" foot. I wore my Yellow nepal extremes even though my toes were a bit cramped. They did it all...well almost. I then tried on some Scarpa's and wow my toes could wiggle. Before I begin though, not all Scarpa's fit the same though as my old scarpa phantom lites were a size 42 and cramped my toes while my new Phantom guides are a 41.5 with plenty of wiggle room.  Try all different brands, models, and sizes. So far I have tried (brands) La Sportiva, Scarpa, Koflach, Garmont, Boreal, Millet, Vasque, Kayland, and Zamberlan.  

You should also come up with a use first. Are you going to be climbing in the PNW in summer, the Alps in winter, or East coast ice? Do you get cold feet? How long is the approach? What insoles or orthotics? One sock or two? These are the questions. I will start off with the basic climbs that people from the midwest dream of climbing such as a Cascade volcano. Mt Rainier seems to be the crown jewel for midwest climbers and then it would be Mt Hood.

If you are like me you will end up with a gear room. It's a good and bad thing!

Ok so you need a boot for Summer Cascade volcanoes. Mt Rainier as your main objective with a few others after that. Only if you get real cold feet would I go with double boots. Yes they are warmer, but they are overkill most summer climbing. Some of the PNW hardmen (and ladies) wear the tried and true La Sportiva Trango S Evo GTX. I see those boots on so many mountains out here (second only to the Nepal extremes) that I HAD to try them. 

So there is my pair after a season of use. Used on Mt hood a few times, Mt Rainier, South sister, and Mt Jefferson. 

The Good

• They are light
• They climb rock well
• They take newmatic or strap crampons  well
• They are Gore-tex and waterproof

The Bad

• They won't last long
• They do not keep my feet warm at all
• Toe box is tight 

An older alternative that was Warmer although heavier is the Kayland Multi Traxion that you could get cheap on discount or used. Fit is the same as Sportiva but these will last a lot longer.

I wore the older Scarpa Phantom lites that were just a bit lighter than the Kaylands, and a hair heavier than the Trangos. The advantage was that the Phantoms have a built in Gaitor, primaloft insulation, and a trim all in one package. The negative was that the sizing was off. The size 42 felt like a size 41. I wore them on One Mt Hood climb and one Mt Rainier climb. They were warm for a single boot but my toes were cramped. Pretty good demonstration of the warmth as my toes could not wiggle. I wish they fit better. Plus Ueli Steck wore them on that Eiger speed climb!

A great alternative to the Popular La Sportiva Nepals is the Scarpa Mont Bonc. If you feet don't fit well in the Nepals try a pair of the Mont bloncs. They are very similar and I have worn both. 

First the Nepals 

and the Scarpa's

The new mountain boots are like the Scarpa Phantom lites. Built in gaiter, light, trim, and warm. I currently just got a pair of Scarpa Phantom Guides that I think I will end up using 90% of the time. They FIT me perfect, have primaloft insulation, are pretty light, and so far very comfortable that should work out on approaches. 

I got a pair of zamberlan Paine GTX boots to try out but they had a defect in them (bought a dealer sample in my size) and sadly had to return them. Nice looking boot.

I did get to try out a weird pair of Vasque prototypes. Too bad they were not a US size 9 but a UK 9. Fit was too big for me. 

OK so now I completely confused you on What boots to get. Yes there are so many makes and models out there that I feel it is important to try on as many as you can in the same range.  This is why you see so many used boots on the climbing forum classifieds. The only real way to see how they fit is to give them a tryout. Then you can't return them though to most places. They should be fairly comfortable right out of the box as most modern boots don't need a break in period. Especially synthetic boots. 

Here I am in Double boots on Rainier  though you can see it's not cold on the approach. Singles would have been better as it only got in the 20's up high.