LA SPORTIVALa Sportiva

I am comparing these to my previous boot. I had a pair of Zamberland boots that I hiked glaciers in Montana. I hiked the Continental divide. I hiked parts of the Appalachian trail. I hiked in Waterton Park Canada. I hiked in the mountains of Mexico and I wore those boots everyday for work. I figured I would try another pair of fine Italian boots. For starters, why are they not waterproof for the price? Second, once you wax them the color changes, and not for the better. I really do like the fit and finish of these boots and hope they last and keep my feet dry.

I mainly purchased these for their quality as well as their looks. I would use them for real ridge hiking maybe twice a year, but sometimes I'll just wear them with a nice pair of jeans for cold weather days. As soon as I pulled them out of the box I could see the huge quality difference between these and my old Bears that they are replacing. Bears are still great but the Karakorums look like they could survive a bomb blast. The Vibram soles look indestructible. I can't wait for some real snow to test them out. I'm normally a USA size 7 1/2 to 8 and read that you should order a half size larger. I chose size 41 because they are closest to USA size 8 1/2. Tried them on with the socks I normally wear and bulls eye, perfect fit. Color is true to what I saw on the Amazon site, more olive than green which actually works better, you don't wanna be the guy walking around the street with green boots. Just got them; have yet to put them through the paces but right out of the box they are nice.

I love these boot enough that this is my second pair and I just have a few months on my first pair. I got the second pair in case they phase them out this year. Awesome boots for general hiking with a load or anywhere you want more support than a light hiker. Stiff enough for crampons, flexible enough for hiking, but then again, I like a stiff boot. Warm enough for PNW winter hiking. Would probably want something warmer for mountaineering. They are comfortable enough that I wear them at work, 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks at a time.

I wear a size 9 US. I initially ordered a size 9 US and it was very tight. I ordered a size 9.5 US and the fit was perfect.

Precisely what I expected was precisely what I got. Excellent product!