Publications

AMC Outdoors, November 2002

By Michael Lanza

It was the dark, cold dead of early February. The forecast called for overnight lows of minus-30 degrees Fahrenheit in the mountains, and a buddy and I had a great notion: to snowshoe into the Whites for the weekend.

We packed in full winter gear, including crampons and mountaineering boots for frozen slopes. We saw a side of the mountains that few see and enjoyed clear days with long views of peaks gleaming white under a winter sun. But we spent most of that weekend struggling to stay warm and avoid frostbite — a struggle which, due to plastic boots that fit a little too snugly, I ultimately lost.

After getting back to the trailhead on Sunday, we drove to the nearest pizza place to celebrate the miracle of heated buildings. Sitting inside, I suddenly realized that in the hour since I had first gotten into my car, feeling had not returned to the toes of my left foot. I pulled off my shoe and sock to find my little piggies as white and cold as Casper, a telltale sign of superficial frostbite. My toes warmed up in the restaurant, but for the rest of that winter they would get cold quickly whenever I went outside.

No matter what your form of outdoor activity in winter, your feet are the hardest part of your body to keep warm because of their distance from the heart, and thus, along with your fingers, the most susceptible to frostbite. Warm boots — properly fitted, of course — can make all the difference between the happiness of a safe adventure and the embarrassment of showing a restaurant full of strangers your frigid, milky-white toes. Today's waterproof winter boots offer superior warmth without the bulk and weight of previous generations of footwear. The type of boots you need depends on where you're going, when you're going, and what you'll do there. Most of the models described below come in men's and women's sizes.

And because the two constants in the Northeast mountains in winter are snow and ice, I'll recommend two pieces of foot gear that will help you deal with water in its nonliquid forms: gaiters and crampons.

Hiking and Snowshoeing Boots
At lower elevations and latitudes in the Northeast, trails are often largely free of snow and ice, but you need a hiking boot with enough insulation and sole to protect your feet from the frozen air and ground. A waterproof, mid- or high-cut backpacking boot may do the trick if the mercury doesn't plunge too far below freezing. On chillier days, though, you'll want something warmer, like the EMS Ice Talon ($89), which has an oiled suede upper, Thinsulate lining, and a removable "claw" crampon with 20 short, metal points for traction on ice; or The North Face Chilkats ($100), with a leather upper and Thinsulate insulation.

If your trails occasionally dress in white, consider a boot that crosses over well from walking bare ground to wearing snowshoes, like the Merrell Ice Rider ($110), with a high-cut, leather and synthetic upper lined with PolarTec insulation and a sticky-rubber sole for traction; the extra-warm Thermolite-insulated and fleece-lined Columbia Excellerator ($115), which sports a leather upper and an outsole with a multi-directional lug design for good traction; or the L.L. Bean Snow Claw Boots ($119), Bean's warmest winter boots, with leather uppers, Thinsulate insulation, and a tread pattern on the outsole that sheds snow well to improve traction.

Serious snowshoeing in deep powder and cold requires boots that'll keep your toes toasty in the harshest conditions. Sorel has updated its classic big boot with the Conquest ($85 to $110), which has leather uppers atop injection-molded waterproof shells and Thermolite insulation, making the boot comfortable to minus-40 degrees. And Salomon's SnowPro ($160) has a removable Thinsulate inner bootie, a built-in gaiter with a waterproof zipper, and large lugs in the outsole for gripping hard snow and ice.

Mountaineering Boots
Boots for all-around mountaineering — cramponing up standard routes on Mount Washington in winter or Mount Rainier in spring and summer, hiking dry approach trails, and moderate ice climbing — are getting more lightweight and less bulky, and have better structure in the sole to improve comfort when hiking. Models like the Lowa Alpine Guide ($230) and La Sportiva Makalu ($245) have lightweight leather uppers, better suited to the moderate temperatures of a late fall or spring jaunt on Mount Washington or climbing late-winter through summer in the West rather than the fiercest cold of the Whites in mid-winter.

Plastic mountaineering boots with removable liners are the standard winter climbing boot for their warmth, performance in crampons, and protection from the elements. The Koflach Degre ($225), with a removable liner of open-cell foam, is one of the best bargains in a basic plastic mountaineering boot. The Asolo AFS Evoluzione ($300) has five layers of foam insulation in the inner bootie, and flex in the shell and sole for walking comfortably, allowing it to cross over comfortably between snowshoeing and mountaineering, though it's not stiff enough for steep ice climbing. The Scarpa Alpha ($350) is a hybrid boot for vertical ice and mixed climbing — lightweight, flexible, and warm. It's built on a leather-boot last and has a thinner carbon-fiber midsole and rubber outsole, placing your foot closer to the climbing surface than traditional mountain boots.

Gaiters and Crampons
Standard gaiters are made of coated, waterproof nylon, sometimes with a breathable membrane (like Gore-Tex), and wrap snugly around your lower leg from your boot uppers to just below the knee, to keep snow out of your boots even in deep powder. The Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain High ($37 waterproof, nonbreathable packcloth, $48 Gore-Tex) is a close-fitting gaiter with a Velcro front closure, best suited to lightweight, less bulky boots. The Mountain Hardwear Nut Shell Ventigaiter ($39) has mesh-lined zippered side panels that roll back to allow air circulation without having to open the gaiter, so it has the coverage for snowshoeing in winter and is cool enough for peakbagging in late spring. The Climb High Snowfield ($49.50) has a waterproof-breathable Sympatex upper and ballistic nylon in the foot section.

If you need warm, durable waterproof-breathable gaiters that fit over plastic mountaineering or telemark skiing boots, look into the Black Diamond Front Point GTX Gaiters ($50), the venerable Outdoor Research Crocodiles ($57), or the Climb High Alpine ($79) gaiters.

When hiking or climbing peaks in spring or summer, you can encounter firm snow, but traditional gaiters can be too hot and heavy. Because you won't sink into firm snow, a gaiter that covers only your boot top to above the ankle is enough (and useful in other seasons for hiking trails with lots of small stones), like the Climb High Mud ($24.50), the La Sportiva Gasket Gaiter ($25), or the Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters ($29).

Crampons are vital if there's ice on the trail. However, if you're winter hiking at lower elevations and expect to encounter only occasional patches of ice, you don't need full-on crampons. Instead, get a simple traction device that fits virtually any winter boot, like the L.L. Bean Stabilicers Anti-Skid Soles ($49), with 17 replaceable metal studs, or the Climb High Power Grip ($49), a six-point crampon.

More points equal more grip: Basic 10-point, strap-on crampons are made for boots that flex when you walk and lack welts at the heel and toe for step-in crampons. The Climb High Neve ($89), Grivel G-10 Classic Crampons ($99), and Black Diamond Contact Strap Crampon ($99.50) will get you up and down the low-angle snow and ice on Mount Washington's winter hiking routes.

For general mountaineering and moderate ice climbing anywhere, get 12-point crampons that fit a variety of boots — including lightweight models with a heel welt but no toe welt — like the Charlet Moser S-12 Rapidfix Lanieres Crampons ($125), Climb High Slipstream ($125), Grivel G-12 New-Matic Crampons ($128), and Black Diamond's Sabretooth ($135).

As for my own feet, I now have a much better fitting pair of winter boots, and my piggies haven't bothered me since.

—Michael Lanza is author of The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Travel, from AMC Books.