Just went to try on some boots for scottish winter climbing. Tried on some Nepal Extremes and alas my feet are too wide. (They are the shoes everyone had told me to get!)
Tried on some Scarpa Freneys after that which seemed to fit well.
I am just after any anecdotal advice. I have various reviews but never really trust reviews
Main thing I am worried about is warmth. Is it just a case of getting the right socks to go with them?
In reply to leroybrown: Mine are the duratherm version and i pair them with the smartwool mountaineering thickness & 1000 miler liners and have always been toasty in them, even stood for hours at the belay. Not the stiffest of B3 boots-more a B2/3 imho. Great bit of kit tho.
I have a pair, as for me too the fit of the nepals was just not right . I find them really comfortable and have no problem in the -20 C we found last year in Rjukan. Used liner and 1000 mile sock. Never found stiffness to be an issue.
Don't have Freneys, but love my Cerro Torres - now getting on a bit, but still performing superbly and wearing well/
I always go for Scarpa - they fit my wider foot much better than Sportiva. I'd love a pair of Nepal Tops, but I know from having had other Sportiva boots that they just don't work with my feet - and I'm told I've got typically wider British feet!
mrc150829 Nov 2010
In reply to leroybrown: another vote for freney's. i had problems with nepals and find freneys hold my foot much better. i liked the lightness of them too and it feels more preceise when placing your feet on smaller holds. cant fault them.
In reply to leroybrown: got some second hand (maybe 6 years old) Freneys off ebay for £45 in mint condition...then spent £17 (eek!!)on a pair of extra thick merino wool socks...my feet are cold in a centrally heated house and i found this combination kept my feet toasty out on the mountains in wales last winter.
A minor thing worth mentioning - you'll almost certainly need some asymetric bars for your crampons to fit these boots.
They are cheap enough (the bars), but not every shop has them in stock.
Josh Maye06 Dec 2010
In reply to leroybrown: Just a note, scarpa have replaced these boots with jorasses. Although freneys are still on the Market. If they go wrong you may not be able to replace them. I know in the alps ( not sure about over here) that if you require a resole on the freney then it's done with a jorasse sole. Not as stiff and becomes a smaller fit
Podcast Factor Two - S3 Ep.2 Part 2: The Moment You Doubt - Ben Bransby
Press Release Arc'teryx Alpine Academy returns to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - July 4 – July 7, 2024
Fri Night Vid Ethan Pringle on one of Portugal's Hardest Sport Climb
In this week's Friday Night Video, we follow Ethan Pringle to the 'not-yet-popular' but world-class sport crag of Meio Mango in Portugal. In the film, Ethan attempts one of the country's hardest lines, Filipinos, which was first...