Mountaineering boot resole

Has anyone on here ever gotten a pair of mountaineering boots resoled? Where did you get it done and what was your experience? It doesn't seem like there's a lot of information online, do most people just buy new boots when they're worn out? If so, why? That seems like a really expensive way to go.

I've never worn out the soles on a mountain boot. Usually the uppers are trashed long before the sole is dead. I guess I spend more time on ice/snow so I'm wearing crampons. I've got boots with 100 days on them and the sole looks close to new.

But I digress. I've seen people recommend this guy but I've never used him:

davepagecobbler.com/

Komito Boots, Estes Park Colorado. Steve repairs boots for people from all over the world. Turn around time can be a bit slow but he's an old school cobbler that works exclusively on mountian footwear. Google him.

Jon H wrote:I've never worn out the soles on a mountain boot. Usually the uppers are trashed long before the sole is dead.

That's because newer boots have less durable uppers. Look at a set of Galibier Super Guides, LS Nepal Tops or Nepal Extremes, and you often see worn out soles with very serviceable uppers. I have a set of LS Nepal Extremes that need a resole.

The problem with boot resole is that most resolers never use the same type of sole for technical boots. They most of the time only carry soles for hiking boots only :(

The problem with boot resole is that most resolers never use the same type of sole for technical boots. They most of the time only carry soles for hiking boots only :(

Thanks for the replies everyone. I contacted Dave Page who said they get their soles from La Sportiva directly. I have a pair of Nepal Evos with uppers that are in pretty good shape (aside from those stupid webbing loops for the laces that always blow out) but the soles are beat to shit with a crack in the welt. $150 is way better than $500 so I guess I'll send them in and see what happens.

doublediamond100 wrote:Thanks for the replies everyone. I contacted Dave Page who said they get their soles from La Sportiva directly. I have a pair of Nepal Evos with uppers that are in pretty good shape (aside from those stupid webbing loops for the laces that always blow out) but the soles are beat to shit with a crack in the welt. $150 is way better than $500 so I guess I'll send them in and see what happens.

Hey man, did you check with Dave Page to make sure they are using the similar type of sole for the Nepal, namely the Vibram® with Impact Brake System™? Most of the time they claim the soles are from La Sportiva, but their soles are actually made for less technical footwears since La Sportiva makes hiking boots as well. Unless they can identify what model of sole they got from Vibram, replacing an inferior sole to the technical boots defeat the purpose of resoling it, I think.

Let me know what you find out from them. Since I have couple pairs of boots in the storage now waiting for the right resoler to fix them... It's kind of personal to me too. I wrote a two page long letter to Vibram two years ago complaining why they don't sell particular outsole to major consumer instead of just selling it to the manufacturer. They never gave me a satisfying answer regarding to that matter. I contacted the makers of my boots, they all claimed they don't sell the outsole for me to repair. So I am stuck...

Hey Bang, contacted Dave about the type of soles they use for their boot resoles. They try to replace the sole with the exact one that comes from the factory if they have it in stock, but if they run out they replace it with a substitute. I'm not sure what features the substitutes have, but he said they are of equivalent quality. There were only two pairs of the original soles left in my size, so email to find out the availability in yours. La Sportiva only sends out new soles once a year, usually in summer, so if they're out you can try again next year.

doublediamond100 wrote:Hey Bang, contacted Dave about the type of soles they use for their boot resoles. They try to replace the sole with the exact one that comes from the factory if they have it in stock, but if they run out they replace it with a substitute. I'm not sure what features the substitutes have, but he said they are of equivalent quality. There were only two pairs of the original soles left in my size, so email to find out the availability in yours. La Sportiva only sends out new soles once a year, usually in summer, so if they're out you can try again next year.

Awesome, thanks for the info. Hope you are happy with your resole. Once you got your boots back, would you mind posting some pictures of the new out soles on here?

I wore out the soles on my Asolo's... but they've been sewn back together and glued up with shoe goo too, on a few repairs. Soles we're nearly smooth. The final straw, the soft rubber cushion finally disintegrated as the rubber just crumbled into dust. Just shy of lasting 20 years. What a boot. I planned to resole them with sticky rubber for long hard approaches. But they just bit it.

Got my Scarpas resoled by Dave Page Cobblers in Seattle. They have a great system, great reputation, and sole options. They'll also work with you to make sure you're getting what you need. They did an awesome, and all things considered fast, job. I'd Highly recommend them

^ Looks like I got beat to it haha