UKC

Hey everyone , just wondering how my Scarpa SL's will do me this winter , I intend on doing quite a bit of walking but unsure how warm they will keep me!
Anyone shed some light on them , or any recomendations on which socks are the warmest etc?
Thanks a lot
Andy

In reply to happy_c:

I wear M&S thermal socks with mine, they cost about £7 a pair so aren't especially cheap, but I have never had cold feet in mine in winter in the Cairngorms.

In reply to happy_c: I've never had problems in my SLs in the winter with a thin thermal liner sock and a Thorlo loop-pile walking sock.

In reply to happy_c: Thats the kind of answers i was looking for We how do they cope with the cairngorms in winter? What are they like with crampons as well , I know their only a walking crampon (sorry , talking about G10's here!) But will they cope with scrambling ok? I use the boot for scrambling now , so i couldnt see any reason that without a bit more care and use of a rope , they wouldnt cope now?

In reply to happy_c: Andy,

Had my SL's for about 5 years and if you keep them proofed they should be ok for ages. Sock wise, Bridgedale Summits are good. Out for about 7hrs last year doing a few gullies and feet stayed warm all the time.

Darren.

In reply to happy_c:

Used mine with Monte Rosa's on Far right gully, grade I, last year and were fine, going to attempt grade II when conditions allow, sure they'll be fine for that as well.

Darren.

In reply to Darren09: So far there the best things ive ever worn , just out of interest what do you treat them with?

In reply to happy_c:

Ditto!

I use the nickwax stuff, sorry dont know the name, comes in a flat round tin, Yellow, use your fingers to apply. Really good.

Mine are the old style, without the articulated ankle (supposed to be the best, so they say). If the died tomorrow then they'd be replaced with the same.

Cheers,

Darren.

In reply to happy_c: I love mine to death, but despite being a warm person, I do think you'll get cold feet. For goodness' sake use gaiters - getting snow down them is awful as they'll take a week indoors to dry properly. If you proof them you should be OK, but I'd want Mantas or similar for grade I/II and snow use.

In reply to happy_c:

I'm a pretty warm person, but I've never had any problems with mine. They're the best part of 10 years old, have covered plenty of miles, and still got me up a few grade I and IIs this winter without any issues. Crossdressingrodney of this parish seconded a IV, 5 in a pair (and with broken crampons).

In reply to happy_c:

For most general winter hillwalking and low-grade scrambling activities I'd say the SLs with G10s are a good combination to start out with. Couple of examples for you: I've done the Zig-Zags on Gearr Aonach in my SLs with G10s and they were absolutely fine. I've also done the N ridge of Am Bodach in the Mamores in them. That involved a lot of front-pointing straight up the ridge line and did highlight for me one of the key shortcomings of a walking boot with some flex in its sole on that sort of ground: your feet and ankles get really tired without the extra support that a stiff B2 or B3 boot gives you.

I still use my SLs for hillwaking all year round, only taking the B2 boots out when I'm planning a more technical route.

As arctic_hobo said, use gaiters with them. Cheap ones are fine, especially since you are likely to put the odd crampon point through them.

I was advised to use Nikwax Aqueous Wax (now called Liquid Waterproofing Wax for Leather) to waterproof them, as it doesn't soften the leather like the old-style solid yellow wax does. It's also dead easy to apply and you don't have to wait for the boots to dry before you apply it.

My current pair of SLs are the version before they introduced the articulated ankle. As far as I know they no longer do the version I have. I'm not sure how convinced I am about the change to the design, so I may need to do some more research when the time comes to replace my current pair. One reason why SLs work for me is the option of the wider fitting, so I'm going to have to be pretty sure that any alternative is going to be OK in that respect.

In reply to happy_c:

Old style SL's on second soles, perfect for winter walking. As long as you are on routes where you don't do too much standing around, they are absolutely fine. Any belaying, a different thing.

Otherwise agree with everything said above, and I too worry about what to replace them with, as I have old-style Mantas too............

In reply to happy_c:

You might go gor Mantas instead, they are a little lighter than the SLs and I found the SL sole to be too flexible which contributed to heel lift.

In reply to happy_c:
SLs with a good pair of socks must easily be as warm as mantas. If you get some insoles that are better than the originals this would help with warmth and comfort. They should be more than ok on a grade II; last year a friend did left hand trinity solo wearing knackered scarpa ranger GTX boots and a pair of katoola KTS flexi crampons, A setup that makes SLs with G10s look like a full on mountaineering setup.

In reply to happy_c: I've done plenty of winter walking and alpine trekking in my SLs. Have always found them warm enough unless they start to get wet. However most of that was relatively short bursts of snow and otherwise dry conditions. I think if I was trudging in snow for most of the day I would want something more. (I now have a couple of other boots that I use for Alpine and full on winter mountaineering, but they are nowhere near as comfortable and unless I need their solidity I would go for the SLs.)