La Sportiva Nepal EVO GTX
November 7, 2008
I looooove to go ice climbing. Something about wielding dozens of very sharp things on all of my appendages makes me feel empowered. I mean, if people give you a wide berth because you might accidentally skewer them, imagine how much room they’ll give you if they think you WANT to stab them? So I guess it’s not really ice climbing I love, it’s intimidating other people. From now on, I will refer to intimidating other people as “ice climbing”.
My love of “ice climbing” had of late been tempered by struggles with uncomfortable boots. A day in ice climbing boots meant a day of blisters and numb feet – and usually not numb with cold. Pressure points and strangely shaped boots meant to accommodate men’s strangely shaped feet would lead to nerve irritation, giving me that weird tingly sensation that seems innocuous but really is my feet crying out for mercy.
My feet ceased their whining once I got my hands (and feet) on (and in) these La Sportiva women’s specific mountaineering boots. Many people don’t truly understand the importance of making footwear women’s specific, and think that “unisex” boots should be just fine as long as they are the right size. I think most of these people are not women, because unisex boots are the bane of my existence. The Nepal EVO GTX from La Sportiva are made for women’s feet, which means they don’t shift and rub like those roomy unisex types. The ankle is slender to account for women’s smaller bone structure, eliminating the hot spot that usually develops on the back of my heel. Beefy and substantial, these boots are stiff and serious – meant for big mountain climbing and technical ice. But they’re versatile: for lack of a better boot option, I wore these boots on a 4 day shoulder-season backpacking trip. I did end up with blisters after four days, but only minor ones, and since my feet stayed warm and dry the entire time, I was seriously impressed.
For technical ice, I had a little trouble finding crampons to fit these boots. The toe bail of my regular crampons is too wide for these delicate ladies’ boots (hint: that is sarcasm) and I ended up with my boot slopping around in the crampons. Not conducive for “ice climbing” success – tripping and falling while menacingly approaching your opponent is more likely to make them point and laugh than quake in fear and run away. So make sure to find crampons that are compatible with the boots before you try your hand at my special “ice climbing” techniques.
But in all seriousness, these boots really do climb well. They are super stiff and precise, and the fit is perfect – very unusual in a big-mountain boot for women. Sportiva put some thought into this design and fit, and for that my feet thank them.
