SOS - last minute boot help

Hey everyone,

I just bought a couple of pairs of La sportiva G2 SM for a trip, have been trying them on in the house and cannot decide which size.

I own size 45 nepal evo gtx, so I got size 45.5, 46, 46.5 of the G2SM to try on

The 45.5 hits my toes - no go.
The 46 seems about right, but possibly a bit tight on my bigger left foot. I can sense the end of the boot without feeling it, seems mayyyybe a bit tight at the toes, but I have no heel lift
The 46.5 feels great in the toes, but I have pretty significant heel lift, probably at least 1/2 inch.

What do I do??? My feet are moderate to narrow so I think i have the right brand - Scarpas feel no better

Advice???

G2 SM is a double boot, correct? What you might be able to do is put some foam around the outside of the inner boot (just behind your malleolus) to help prevent heel lift in the 46.5s. Insoles might help as well.

Gavin W wrote:G2 SM is a double boot, correct? What you might be able to do is put some foam around the outside of the inner boot (just behind your malleolus) to help prevent heel lift in the 46.5s. Insoles might help as well.

Yeah, they are doubles. I have thought about an insole to see if this could help or not.

I've also thought about trying the 46 with thinner wool socks. I typically wear a liner and an mountaineering thickness wool, I could try a bit less thick.

Any other opinions? Maybe a bit snug vs feeling great but heel lift?

Try some better insoles like the superfeet reds. They will take up some of the rooming the heal without losing too much in the toes.

Haven't tried the GS SMs but I'd be suspicious that the inner boot will pack out over time. 46.5 with lots of heel lift seems like a recipe for unhappiness, but as others said the right insole might solve it. I found the Sole Ed Viesturs insoles to take up a lot of volume while adding warmth and support. They're also semi- heat moldable in your home oven, which helps. YMMV.

The way you describe them I'd be tempted to go with the 46, experiment with different insoles or a boot stretcher to manage any tightness in the short term, and expect it to pack out to a more comfortable fit over time. Not sure how you've been testing the boots, but you might spend some time kicking the inside of a door frame or a solid baseboard and feel for discomfort in your toes.

These things solved the heel lift problems I have with mountaineering boots: eZeefit

With them I can wear boots that give me toe room, but they stop any heel lift. Was worried at first that they would be uncomfortable on approaches, but they turned out to be fine to hike in. You also get the added bonus of blister protection.

I'll 2nd the benefit of a different insole. You can really change a lot about how a boot/shoe fits with a slightly different insole. Depending on what you go with it's a $10-$50 fix and you have really good fitting comfortable boots.

hey all-

thanks for the input, the different opinions and options are very appreciated.

I really the idea of the Ezeefit with the dual blister prevention and after some research the reviews online look astounding, however they are tough to find other than from the company so I had no time for that.

I figured boots a little big are better than too small (blisters vs toe crunch and frostbite) so I went on an insole search

I tried Superfeet insoles in the 46.5 boots, the blue, green, orange, and carbon and the oranges feel great. They are soft and feel great on the soles and eliminated about 50-75% of the heel lift I was experiencing, leaving room in the toes.

I'm headed to Elbrus tomorrow - I'll try to let everyone know how it worked.

Funny enough I have the exact same problem with the G2SMs. I have a 42, 42.5, and 43 sitting here and the 42 and 42.5 feel a touch small, but the 43s have some heel lift. I even went and bought a significantly thicker sock and the heel lift remains.

I have a suspicion that the cause is the boa system, you can't customize where things are tighter or loser in the boot as you would with normal laces.

Regardless, I'm curious how your insoles work out for you on Elbrus. If it seems like a good solution I may try that method as well. Good luck on the peak!

Successful summit!

These boots absolutely rock as far as function, warmth, and the BOA system. I saw everything from trail runner shoes (weird choice for glacier acclimatization) to the Olympus Mons on Elbrus and the G2 SM was great. I saw others with Scarpa 6000 and leathers sometimes stomping feet to get circulation and warmth moving but my feet were pleasantly warm. I do have some concerns about longevity of the G2 SM as I have some crampon dings and a couple of days under gaiters wore some of the design off of the built in gaiters, but time will tell.

As far as my dilemma went, I went with the larger of my options, the 46.5, and was extremely happy. I had concerns but as always, if going between two boots, pick the larger rather than one too tight. The comments helped a lot. I wanted to check out the eZeefit someone mentioned but without time I tried Superfeet blue, green, orange, and chrome. I went with the Superfeet Oranges, which are a ridiculous product and I can't praise them enough. They are meant to cushion for long ascent/descents and using these in my boot almost entirely eliminated any heel lift. After 3000ft ascent and 6000 feet descent on summit day my feet and knees felt good, which I attribute more to the superfeet insoles than the boot, as I usually have aching knees after a descent like this. I'm getting a superset orange for my normal asolo hiking boots.

Bump in case someone searches this thread for answers to say I had good luck with those ezeefit inserts this season. I had developed a fairly painful hot spot on my heel last season that took a couple of months out of mountaineering boots to completely go away. Thicker socks and fancy insoles didn't help for me. Picked up the ezeefit after reading this thread and after 3 long days on ice this season, no problems (same boots).

Finding a good boot fitter is also a plus.
Why pay $800+ for a pair of boots and not get them customized to your feet? or at the store where you bought them if they're good at it, or at a separate boot fitter where you'll pay around $60 for a fitting.