Pros: The boot fit perfectly out of the box. The plastic boot is a little more 'stiff' than the leather boots, but I wanted that stability for an all mountain boot. The 'platform' for standing when ice climbing was as I expected..stable. I felt secure. The heel cup on this boot is snug, which I thought was good since I lace the top of the boot loose to prevent 'shin bang'. I tested these out of the box on an 1100' ascent in 6' of snow. Solid on the snow (with snow shoes), very firm and stable laterally on traversing inclines. Easy to kick steps (without crampons). My feet were dry and warm the entire time. Also, FYI: Allison was very helpful from the shop notifying me of a slight delay in shipping and options to consider. Great customer service. Cons: They are a little 'heavy'.

Purchased these boots for a four day backpacking trip in the Catskills. They performed well in the snowy conditions keeping my feet warm & dry. Chose a mountaineering boot with removable liners so I could take them out to dry at night. I wear a US size 11 & ordered the UK size 11 as suggested. Felt fine out of the box but after hiking for a while they felt tight. My feet run a little wide, just wish I had gone with a UK 11.5. This is no way the boots fault. Overall a very well made product at a good price.

And now I know why this boot is the Guides Pick. I recently received a pair of these boots for Christmas as they were on my gear list for my upcoming Denali climb. I took these out to get use to them and break them in.The boots performed as I expected, they kept my feet dry and the High Altitude Liners kept my feet completely warm and cozy. Now these are boots.... nothing more so do not expect them to do what snowshoes and crampons do, they are for mountaineering in conditions that call for a stiff plastic boot. If you do not need them then I would recommend not getting them as they are a bit $$ and are as stiff as a ski boot. So again if you don't need them you wont enjoy them. I will be doing a full gear report on these bad boys at thesnowmelt.blogspot.com shortly so if you want to get a closer look cruise on over.

Nice boot and if you work with the lacing is very comfortable going up and down Mt. Rainier. One thing to keep in mind... is this boot is more than warm enough for Rainier in the summer. So if this is the boot you choose make sure to have warm socks and socks that will keep your feet cool if it is a bluebird summer day on Rainier because these boots do not breathe. You don't need to size up... tighten the laces for descent and loosen for ascent. I never had a hot spot (rub spot or blister) during training or a successful summit trip of Rainier.

Used twice now: on Baker and the approach to Muir (snow). Not a non-snow boot that's for sure. Perfect for kicking steps and climbing a glaciated mountain. Sized up 1.5 more than street shoe to leave room for the descent.