Is the La Sportiva G-Summit the Most VERSATILE Climbing Boot?
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Versatility. It’s a benefit when it comes to our gear… mostly.
Why do I say, “mostly”?
Well, a piece of gear that does many things well won’t be the best at anything.
The La Sportiva G Summits kind of fit into that continuum. They are a double boot; that means the warmth of a boot with a removeable liner, but the thinner liner doesn’t add as much insulation as other double boots, like the La Sportiva G2s, which I’ve used on very high and very cold climbs, useable up to 7000 meters. But, on the flipside, that thinner liner allows for a narrower and lighter boot which makes it climb technical terrain better than a wider, heaver - and warmer - double boot.
But the G Summits can be used without the liner. We add in a thicker insole, provided when we buy the boot, and turn it into a single boot. But guess what: the opposite becomes true when comparing to other single boots: it’s wider and warmer but therefore less technical when compared to narrower and lighter single boots.
So, it kind of fits in the middle. That can be a real benefit. My kids are finally old enough, and have big enough feet, for real mountaineering boots. But I don’t want to get a single boot and a double boot for two kids. That a lot of money on boots. I can cut that price tag in half buy getting the G Summits, and therefore only get one boot for each of them. Yes, it’s still expensive, but it’s half as expensive as the more traditional alternative.
It’s not the most technical boot for the most technical climbing. Fruit boots - the kinds with bolt-on crampons will always out perform a mountaineering boot, especially a double boot. It’s not the most warm boot, there are the big 8000-meter boots that will be significantly warmer. It’s not a Ferrari and it’s not a tank. But it can race a bit, and it can plow a bit.
Take a look at the complete review and consider if this “jack of all trades, master of none” boot might be a good solution for your (and potentially a cost-effective one, like it will be for my kids).