UKC

Wide fitting winter boot recommendations please

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 mcdweeb 03 Jan 2018
Can anyone recommend me a stiff B3 or perhaps B2 boot for winter walking and a bit of easy climbing which is wide fitting?
For Scottish winter use and occasional Alpine Euro adventure.
I have a pair of the Altberg Mallerstang extra wides and they are very good but a little too soft and bendy for really steep ground and I’d like to try something with a stiffer more supportive sole. I used to use a pair of Rachel plastic boots which were great but eventually I wore out the toe.
Thanks
 Mountain Llama 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:

My feet are fairly wide and I use nepal extremes

https://rockrun.com/products/la-sportiva-nepal-extreme?variant=31461468104

HTH Davey
 Dave the Rave 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:

I use 20 yr old leather Meindl super crack and have a wide forefoot.
 nathan79 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:

Mammut? Raichle boots are now Mammut. Something like the Mammut Magic might do the trick for you.
 UKH Forums 03 Jan 2018
This thread was started in the HILLTALK forum and has now been moved.
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 a crap climber 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:

Hard to find in the UK, but Lowa tend to be very wide fitting
In reply to mcdweeb:

I have very wide feet. I climb in Salewa MS Guide boots, in a wide fit.

Salewa Men's MS Pro Guide W Mountaineering Boot, Black/Yellow, 9.5 W US https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008V9ARX2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VFttAbGNXG1ES
 wbo 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:
What have you tried - Scarpa generally run wide
 tspoon1981 03 Jan 2018
In reply to James Richardson:

The pro guides used to come in wide and standard fit. I think they've been discontinued though.

The La sportiva G5s are quite wide, I've had both the pro guides and the G5s and they both fit perfectly. I may even have a pair of pro guides for sale, size 42.
1
 Wayne S 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:

I have a similar issue finding boots, so this is an interesting thread. Historically I have made some expensive mistakes with B2-B3 boots, Most Scarpa, La Sportiva and Solomon didn’t work out. I currently have some Asolo B2’s which are wider than most I have tried. I guess what I have learnt is that stiff boots with a heavy rand simply do not give or break in. Where I can stuff my hobbit feet into rock shoes they will give as long as I can tough out the pain, this doesn’t work with mountain boots. I’m guessing when I come to replace then I will end up buying a wide boot slightly oversize and then reducing the volume with inserts. I did briefly climb in a loan pair of Scarpa Mont Blanc‘s which might be worth a look as they seemed roomy.

 damowilk 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:
I’ve got wide forefoot and narrow heel and find Scarpa fit me best, but not any of their Rebel lasted boots. La Sportiva weren’t bad, but felt more narrow, though I use Spantiks fine. I actually found Raichle/Mammut pretty narrow.
 hpil 03 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:

It might be handy getting your feet properly measured, for width as well as length. I was having all kinds of bother trying to get the right new boots, ended up going to see Si at mountainfeet near Manchester - a trip well worth it. I'm size 42/8, d+/e- in width.
Boots that haven't worked for me:
Sportiva Nepals (borrowed a pair from a mate for a day)
Sportiva Nepal evos (bought a pair, these are now for sale if anyone is looking)
Scarpa mantas - the older bluey leather ones on the DL last
Boots that I have now and do work for me:
B1: Scarpa Marmolada (red ones spring '17 - BQ last)
B2: scarpa Charmoz (blue / silver ones, not OD, FT last)
B3: scarpa mont blanc (AG last, not the newer mont blanc pro)
For scarpa boots there seems to be quite some variation in the lasts, but if you delve into the depths of their website there is some blurb on the current lasts, which helps give some clues - eg the rebel lasts / fit talks about focused toe power, which suggests toes are squashed together so maybe a narrower last.
The scarpa FT last does have quite a bulge in width across the forefoot, so the new Manta pros using that last might fit.
Good luck!
1philjones1 04 Jan 2018
In reply to hpil:

I second this post about Si at Mountainfeet just outside Oldham. If you’re within a couple of hours drive, book an appointment with him for a fitting. He doesn’t charge but doesn’t discount his boots. His expertise is well worth it. I had the same issue with wide forefoot and ended up with him fitting me with a pair of Manta Pro’s that I’d already tried and discounted. The difference was a high arch insole he shaped to size. Great fit and very comfy in the Alps last summer.
 asteclaru 04 Jan 2018
In reply to mcdweeb:
Hanwag are the widest fitting that I have found so far. The standard fit is wider than italian boots and they also have the 'Alpin Wide' fit on some models which have an even wider toe box.

I have the Ferrata Combi GTX (with the Alpin Wide last) , which is a B2 boot. The fit is much better than any Scarpa or Sportiva boot I've tried. I've used them mainly for summer scrambling (for which they were very good), but also got the chance to try them in the snow recently as well. After 6 hours of mostly wading through knee deep snow, my feet were still completely warm and dry (as an aside, someone in our group who was wearing Scarpa Charmoz boots was saying that his were wet).

The only downside that I have found is that I don't seem to be able to completely clean them if I get them muddy, so after you've been through a few bogs they look more beaten up than they actually are.

If you want B3 instead, Hanwag also make the Sirius II GTX and the Avior with the 'Alpin Wide' fit, although I'm yet to find any store in the UK that carries the Avior.
Post edited at 13:49
OP mcdweeb 10 Jan 2018
In reply to a crap climber:
Well, thanks for the recommendation, I got a pair of Lowa Cevedale in the end, they are wide fitting and pretty comfortable out of the box, managed a decent walk in them without problems.
They are built like brick outhouses with a very chunky sole and deep rand but are quite soft in the front to back dimension (very stiff laterally) so comfortable to walk in but less good on steep ground going up. More B2 than B3, they really wouldn’t be great at all on steep ice but should cope with grade 1 ground OK and have a heel that will take clip on heel crampons although I haven’t had the chance to try this yet. And they should be plenty warm enough for a Scottish winter.
The Scarpa Mantas are stiffer but didn’t seem as comfy in the shop.

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