UKC

The G-Summit is billed as 'the new benchmark for high-altitude technical mountaineering'. So should UK climbers think about them only in terms of winter trips to the Alps or big peaks overseas? Not necessarily, says John McKenna. 

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In reply to UKC Gear:

I've had the G-techs for a season now, warmest and lightest boot I've ever had. The BOA is a game-changer. Super tight for technical leading then release at the belay and all blood releases back in. Works a treat, even in -15 in Norway. I can see G-Summits being a bit overkill for Scottish winter. Ironically the G-techs with Darts are lighter than my dry comp boots

In reply to Ramon Marin:

That's pretty remarkable that they are also the warmest boots. Do you tend to suffer from cold feet? They look great and would love to try a pair, I would have been hesitant on them being cold, but maybe that's not the case then...

In reply to John McKenna - Rockfax:

Yes I always get cold feet, to a point I had to use Spantiks for ice back in the day. The Ice Cubes did ok for the 5 seasons I had them, but had always cold feet. I tried G-Techs with my heated socks, which I normally used with other boots but then stopped as I didn't need them. Just to be clear, my feet are fairly cold on this ones when leading (I crank the really tight), it's at the belays when you release the BOA that the blood rushes in.

In reply to UKC Gear:

Jesus wept!!! When did normal earners got priced out of the activity?!?

Surely you can’t be serious- £600/£700 price tag? I mean, as a punter I need all the help I can get but, surely, this is not the trend. At some point, the kit must be affordable…

In reply to French Erick:

And they claim climbing isn't middle class. At this rate, it won't be for much longer.

In reply to French Erick:

I've been considering getting back into winter stuff, and was having a mooch round the boots in Outside. I was pretty impressed with the Mammut Kento Mountain High, fit me really well....and a big chunk cheaper than the Scarpa/La Sportiva offerings. If we actually get some winter they may be on my Christmas list...

In reply to Ramon Marin:

That's really interesting Ramon. I know what you mean about at the belay. I remember the feeling doing that the first time on a cold belay and being really happy. I first used the BOA lacing on the G5 Evo which were a decent less bulkier than the G Summits - one of the reason I mention being a bit sad that these aren't continued. 

In reply to French Erick:

It's a big price tag as I say. Climbing gear is getting more and more expensive, like many other things. Although I wouldn't point to these boot specifically and say this is representative of the wider market - this is top range technical gear. There are still plenty other more affordable yet still technical boot options. As I suggest in the review they will be a bit niche for many when using for Scottish Winter and maybe more suited towards colder environments and higher altitudes. For a lot of people, the choice will in the end come down to the price attached to these. There are always the sales if you suffer badly with the cold and do fancy them... 
 

In reply to French Erick:

Treat yourself dude and pair them up with the new DMM axes for another £750

I've got no kids, a reasonable wage and no mortgage so I'm not shy about occasionally spaffing some cash on lovely shiny new gear and even I think this is mental.

You can still get stuff cheap though - my boots were £150 on sale and tools were new and unused secondhand for £250, that was both within the last couple of years. 

Edit to add that top end gear has always been pretty expensive and that's without inflation/Trussonomics/Covid etc

In reply to French Erick:

Haven't "normal earners" always been virtually priced out of top of the range equipment for the greater ranges?

It's effectively a hand made small batch product, for whom raw material costs and labour costs have increased. It is the pinnacle flagship product that is not intended for sale to the "average punter", but a product on which the brand credibility is built and us punters keep buying the Nepal/Trango Tower.

Also, see the Arc'teryx Alpha SV. £800 RRP

https://arcteryx.com/gb/en/shop/mens/alpha-sv-jacket-7555

In reply to French Erick:

When we started deeming 'high altitude technical mountaineering' boots as suitable for Scottish Winter I guess.

In reply to TechnoJim and galpinos:

Galibier Makalus, state of the art leather double boots - the Olympus Mons of their time, cost £47 in 1974. Applying the Bank of England inflation calculator this is equivalent to £433 now. In the unlikely event of me going mountaineering again this feels about what I'd be prepared to pay for boots.  

I'm sure Olly Mons or G-Summits perform better than Makalus but you'd think the top quality leather and hand-crafting that went into the latter would make them more expensive than boots made from bonded plastics and nylon so I'm not sure why prices have doubled in real terms.  

In reply to flaneur:

Applying inflation is a good strategy to use when challenging costs, it gives some interesting results.

The immediate"excuse" that springs to mind is that Galibier didn't have an army of toned models to keep in brightly coloured clothing and jet setting around the globe for photoshoots. It what makes the price delta worthwhile 🥴

In reply to French Erick:

Agree, crazy prices! You always have the choice to buy lesser spec boots, there are plenty in the market, you don't have to buy the Ferraris. You can still buy new Nepal Extremes for under £300. For a good 2 decades I've always bought cheaper gear, 2nd hand cams, just re-sharpened my 15yo original BD express. Clothing from Rab outlet now or in the sale from Go Outdoors. My darts are still the original, 12yo, same as my nomics. But these boots, to me, are worth every penny.

In reply to French Erick:

Inflation Erick - £400 in 2008 money is £633 now....

Obviously our salaries have kept pace... Ahem... 

In reply to Ramon Marin:

Upgraded from scarpa freneys to phantoms on sale about 4 seasons ago. They are awesome and the comfiest boots I have ever owned but also the most expensive items I bought new until recent upgrades. I wear them with gaiters in the hope to make them last longer with extra protections. At my level, the weight saved won’t matter.

I still climb on G14s and nomics 1st gen acquired 2nd hand (no wobbles either!)
i had to replace my jacket last season and struggled to get something for a decent compromise cut/quality/price under £300. I was certainly not even considering going the £600 in a jacket.

My paramo aspira salopettes are still going strong.

If I don’t get up my pitch it’s because I am a wuss and as weak as a kitten. The gear is circumstantial. My partners would all agree I look like a bum when I climb: the smell might be a reason!

In reply to Alasdair Fulton:

I would not have paid £400 for a pair of boots in 2008. Hell, I only paid £380 in 2020!!!

Some would think I am the love child of a Scot and a Yorkshireman!

The review briefly mentions fit but doesn't discuss the difference in fit between using liners VS insoles. Unsurprisingly they become a lot wider with only the insoles, especially in the forefoot. I have bad bunions and these are the first winter boots i have worn that don't hurt my feet. Also rock climbing ability and traction in mud/snow has impressed me. I found these to be one of the very best gear purchases I've made, worth their weight in gold.

In reply to EspenK:

Apparently so.

In reply to French Erick:

They do look like they could be quite good, but I agree with you, some elements of the climbing manufacture industry appear to be disappearing up their own backside, much like biking has done - so I believe. It would be one thing if was worth it, but in the case of textiles it invariably isn’t. I’d like to hear the justification. 

In reply to UKC Gear:

What is the sole wear like? That was a major issue with the second generation Phantom Techs - mine needed resoling after a single season of weekend hits. To their credit, Scarpa resolved them for free. Apparently the soles are thougher in the third generation. I also destroyed the soles on a pair of Trango Ice after 3 summer alpine routes. La Sportiva’s distributor refused to resole as they said they weren’t meant for summer alpine use. Fortunately Feet First were able to resole with a Nepal sole. These experiences made me quite weary of lightweight boots. Good gear is worth paying for - if it lasts. 

In reply to galpinos:

I looked at the jacket to prepare myself before cutting old shallots for dinner. I never felt a thing my eyes were so dry!

As Rich said, textiles ain’t really worth it!

What’s the point of driving a Ferrari on shitty single track roads? £800 jackets to go in a granite chimney/through route?? I think not.

In reply to Misha:

The sole unit on my G-Techs is holding up fine after half a season of use but then again, I try to do as much walking in as possible in a pair of approach shoes.

The same can’t be said for the rand, which is a lighter rubber compound and had a chunk out of it within a day (hour!) and started delaminating to the point I had to seam seal it back on. For the price tag, they’re really not what I would call an ideal Scottish winter boot but they are very nice to climb/walk in. 

In reply to Rich W Parker: Inflation is affecting every part of the chain, so the manufacturers, distrobutors and then shops have to carry all this .  Then the shop price has to  carry the fact that if they order 20 pairs of these there might be 4 pairs lmocking around at the end of the season and the other boots have to cover these 'losers'.

It's also true that wages haven't , and won't hold pace with price inflation in a stagnant economy

In reply to UKC Gear:

Fascinating seeing someone lauding a set of boots because they are so warm. I've got some Nepal Cubes and my least favourite thing about them is they are too warm. 

I'd love it if a company brought out some ice boots that we could wear without our socks being soaked in sweat after an hour or two!

In reply to UKC Gear:

Are they waterproof?

In reply to TheGeneralist:sell you my rebel ultras

In reply to UKC Gear:

While I agree that these boots are very expensive, it's worth putting the cost into perspective against every day life. How much a month are you paying PCP for your car? What are your monthly energy bills? I'm having to have the braking system replaced on my 15 year old caravan, it's going to cost me £940. What did your last cam belt change on the car cost? Anyone had any tree work done recently? It cost us over £1000 to have an intrusive conifer removed from close to the house. If you are young enough to have a good climbing life in front of you these are an investment for your future comfort and enhancement of the enjoyment of your sport. As for me, at 73, I will pass, I've only got a few years of visits to Cogne left in me (if I'm lucky)!

In reply to Mr Fuller:

Yes

In reply to UKC Gear:

Re the price tag of these boots.

I remember when I was a lad, my Scout leader, who was a knowledgeable hillwalker and mountaineer remarked that a pair of good boots should cost a weeks wages.  Obviously the type of boot and the type of salary means that there is a huge variation in what actual sum that equates to but it has remained a good rule of thumb over the subsequent 40 years.

Of course, the boots in this review are very specialised and technical.  This would make them far more expensive than the boots that my Scout leader had in mind.  On that basis though, dare I say it, the price of the boots is perhaps not quite the rip-off that they first look like.  I certainly can't afford them but that is not the same as saying the price is completely unreasonable.

In reply to johnlc:

A quick Google threw up: "The latest government data (published October 2024) reveals that the mean average UK weekly wage (including bonuses) across all industry sectors (in England and Wales) is £693 gross. That’s the equivalent to an annual pre-tax salary of about £36,000." https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/business/average-uk-salary-by-age/ 

So that works out quite well for these boots - yep, you'll have to borrow 47 quid from next weeks salary, but definitely in the right ball park.

If your weekly salary isn't up to the national median these less fancy models have got me up and down plenty of winter routes over the last 5 winters with all my little toesy-woseys still attached and un-frost bitten!

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/footwear/mountain_boots/dolomite_miage_peak... (£410 then, now the RRP seems to be 450, although I saw some advertised on various website for closer to 300 if you're lucky with the sizes)

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/footwear/mountain_boots/la_sportiva_trango_... (£345 then and still being sold by some UK shops at that price or less)

In reply to TobyA:

Just followed that dolomite link , I remember those well now, just the thing for a muddy hole in the ground! I've just got a pair of g techs,  how about you come down to masson and see how they compare to fruit boots! It's about time we saw you there again ! 

In reply to climber34neil:

I actually suggested it to a friend last weekend but he gave me that "are you joking?" look. I know Adam has done a new D4 this autumn so I do want to come and give that a go, so yes - I will come soon. Are you there most weekends currently - getting strong for winter?

In reply to TobyA:

Just depends, but I'm really flexible so can work around you. Going Thursday evening for a session with lamps, welcome to join the fun if that works for you

In reply to French Erick:

When I started Alpine mountaineering (around 1970) a basic guide was that a pair of good Alpine boots (I had Galibier Super RDs) would set you back an average week's wages. Given that these La Sportiva offerings look a bit up-market from just "good boots" it doesn't look like things have changed a great deal.

Martin