Can The Lightest Mountaineering Boots Ever Handle Mt Rainier?

At less than 500 grams , these new Salomon S - LAB X ALP CARBON GTXs are the lightest mountaineering boots ever . That means they ’re uninsulated , want ankle support and are n’t compatible with traditional climber . Can you still climb a mountain in them ? We summited Rainier to find out .

A carbon crustal plate in the mid - sole with tailored flexibility attain the X Alps stiff in the good places ( for climbing ) and flexible elsewhere ( for hiking ) . Constructed like a track Caranx crysos , a Gore - Tex spat complete with waterproof zipper conceals a sneaker - like body that does n’t even cover , much less support your ankles . But that is a veridical gaiter that really will varnish out rain , nose candy and debris .

Let ’s get right-hand to the point , theSalomon ’s S - laboratory X Alp Carbon GTX Men ’s Mountaineering Bootis different and that ’s why they are dandy . It ’s the reason you ’ll want to grease one’s palms this boot . It ’s also the reason you might not want to buy this boot . Here are the details that fructify it aside from anything else in the mountaineer world :

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Christ Within , like really light .

No mortise joint sustenance .

Relatively disposable .

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Uninsulated .

Nimble , not track runners , but not the “ ski - charge ” most people bear .

Flexible crampons only , no automatics .

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Now , to localise the point and context . I ’m no mountain climber . I do n’t drop days - on - end sleeping in my car in hopes of a first ascension once the weather clear . I do n’t own any ice roll in the hay . I know what aprusikis , but have no idea how the hell I would ever use it to relieve my biography . And finally , my ice axe is 30 years old and feel like a 3 - pound maul . That chalk - axe is the antithesis of this boot .

The Salomon S - Lab X Alp Carbon is meant for swiftness and comfort . In reality it is a very stiff - soled and lugged trail offset with a Gore - Tex gaiter and velocity lacing scheme build - in . For my mountain climbing and outdoor pursuits this is a pretty sweet addition and ideal for 1 - 3 day mountaineering trip in balmy weather .

I ’m not a buff of gruelling boots and frankly I would ask the interrogation : Who is ? But , from what I can tell , everyone climbing Mt Rainier two weeks ago was . Those social climber also really like mortise joint support . This boot has none of that , and I appreciate the lack of movement - restriction quite a lot .

Photo: Jae C. Hong

For me , impress fast means being agile and that means having full range of move in all of my joint — specially the ones I ’m relying on with every step . If you are someone who backpacks in trailrunners ( or flip - flop ) , these are the boot you will want to welt climbing iron to on your next glacier trip or fast-growing off - lead summit attempt .

As with any art object of footgear without ankle support , infantry placement is decisive . The lightness of these boots make that comfortable . Overall , careful steps in a light boot summate up to a lot of saved zip . Watch someone in 2 - Sudanese pound - plus mountain climbing boot as they labor to get their human foot where they need it after come up 10,000 feet of elevation , then do the math . Salomon ’s boots weigh half of that ( 17.64 oz ) — over the course of a daylight you ’ll save yourself the burden of picking up X of thousands of pounds , literally . Saving weight on your foot is without question the most important spot for a hiker or runner when it comes to keep up energy .

This weight savings does come at a cost . These boots just are n’t very durable . On the room up Rainier I run into a fast tramper outwear a pair and the gaiter was on its means to a better topographic point , bless its soul . We chatted in brief and he say he had put a bunch of miles on them , but they were less than a time of year previous .

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The want of durability is a real bummer because the gaiters combined with the Gore - Tex membrane do an amazing occupation of keeping your feet ironic , while letting them breath . The first two time I jade these rush was in heavy former spring snows and include crossing saturated meadows . My feet were never crocked .

I experienced precondition that laid barren the impuissance of this boot as we descended to Muir camp at 10,200 feet through a very steep and at large scree line of business . Gravel , sand , and rock was sliding over my entire foot with every step . Sharp rocks . Heavy rocks . I was favourable enough to deflect a rock’n’roll to the ankle , but I am certain that reduplicate this meter and again , would eventually cease in injury . Or , at the very least , torn up gaiters .

Finally , these boots have no insulation so to verbalize of . That is , of course , by design . No insularity help keep this boot light and if you are moving fast with safe wind sock , as they were intended , you really wo n’t ask insulation . It was 17 - degrees at the top of Rainer when we summited and my foot felt great in some thick wool windsock . The day before , however , when not wearing climber and hiking in snow for 5 hours , they get very cold .

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