In reply to DaveHK:
Yes, bought a pair on sale for about £100 last season to use to prepare for Winter ML qualification.
Absolutely destroyed my ankles, but persevered with them and my legs got used to them.
At the end of the day, plastic is much more unyielding compared with fabric, but it's your body that'll have to get used to them, rather than the other way round.
As for laces, swap them for 3mm cord from a climbing shop. The original laces are useless.