Ice climbing boot comparison

I know...I know... It's all about the fit

But, in a vaccum, can anyone compare and contrast the Scarpa Phantom tech HD, Asolo Eiger XT EVO GV, La Sportiva G-Tech, and Salewa Ortles Couloir, or any other super gaiter ice/mixed/technical mountaineering boots on the market?

I know that the phantom tech doesn't really work for my foot and that the Salewa Ortles Couloir runs super narrow. Probably too narrow for me seeing as they are narrower than the G-Tech, but they seem really cool. I have tried on the G-Tech and they fit great, but are impossible to find right now. I haven't been able to try on the Asolo or hear much about them, so I was looking for any insight there.

I was really just wondering about the specific use case and performance of these boots or any others currently on the marked that are comparable. I'm looking for a boot to complement my Zamberlan Zarathustras and Scarpa Ribelle Tech 3 HD (which fits really well oddly enough), for pure ice climbing with maybe some mixed or super technical mountaineering (where my zamberlan might be lacking). 

Thanks in advance!!

the phantom techs fit my foot in my street size. The G techs fit my left foot just fine in a half size larger and my right foot fine when I remove the foot bed. The G techs do get a bit cold at times but feel great to climb in bc they’re so streamlined and I feel like I can be more precise in my front point  placements when kicking into featured ice or climbing on rock. Plus the boas are a great perk and give me a good reason I’ll never go back to laces. As great as the g techs are, I am looking for a warmer boot so depending on the temps where you are, they might not be the best fit. 

Check out the north face summit vertical fa

I tried the Asolo Eiger at home. They seemed super warm, lightweight and of good quality. However, they were not as stiff as I want a boot dedicated specifically to ice climbing. In terms of stiffness and walkability, the Phantom Tech strikes a good balance for me.
G-Tech seems to have durability issues because of its lightness and has been not enough of a boot feel to me. 

I have asolo eigers.. they have a rigid sole? what else do you need?  again the only thing that matters is if they fit and are warm.. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I have asolo eigers.. they have a rigid sole? what else do you need?  again the only thing that matters is if they fit and are warm.. 

in my experience, the Sole of the Asolo Eiger is not fully rigid, neither is the Phantom Tech‘s. 

seems to work...  I certainly never noticed that its not a ridged sole? 

I never said it did not work. I said it is not as stiff as I want a boot for ice climbing.  

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I have asolo eigers.. they have a rigid sole? what else do you need?  again the only thing that matters is if they fit and are warm.. 

How do they fit for you? Have you tried on other boots to compare them to? Do you like them?

I had the white Kolflachs

and then the purple Kolflachs

both of which were sloppy double boots with ample heel lift.

The Sportiva nepal extreems that were too tight but amazingly light.

Then these kind of bulky sportiva single boots that were supposed to be warm but they were sportiva narrow on my foot. 

then I bought asolo Eiger extreem? on the internet 45.5 because the PTSD from Sportiva made me go big. they were too loose..

I now have Asolo Eiger extremes in size 45  They are not perfect but they are comfortable and warm. I honestly don't see how the soles could be any more ridged?  perhaps we are talking about a different model? 

Philwrote:

in my experience, the Sole of the Asolo Eiger is not fully rigid, neither is the Phantom Tech‘s. 

If the Phantom Tech's aren't stiff enough for you, then I'm not sure what boot would be. Phantom Techs and Gtechs/Summits are some of the stiffest non-plastic boots on the market. My guess is you have a larger foot as well? You can always pair whatever boot you're using with a rigid / semi-rigid crampon like a Rambo or Bladerunner to increase stiffness. I'm still running Rambo 4s 18 years later because they're like climbing on a shelf, and there is a noticeable difference in foot fatigue at the end of a long multipitch day compared to my Darts, which is primarily because of the increased rigidity.

Mike Larsonwrote:

If the Phantom Tech's aren't stiff enough for you, then I'm not sure what boot would be. Phantom Techs and Gtechs/Summits are some of the stiffest non-plastic boots on the market. My guess is you have a larger foot as well? You can always pair whatever boot you're using with a rigid / semi-rigid crampon like a Rambo or Bladerunner to increase stiffness. I'm still running Rambo 4s 18 years later because they're like climbing on a shelf, and there is a noticeable difference in foot fatigue at the end of a long multipitch day compared to my Darts, which is primarily because of the increased rigidity.

The Phantom Techs are stiff enough. But hey are not as stiff as my previous Nepal cube. I have the feeling to notice that, especially on the approach. Other’s experiences may be different though. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

I now have Asolo Eiger extremes in size 45  They are not perfect but they are comfortable and warm. I honestly don't see how the soles could be any more ridged?  perhaps we are talking about a different model?

We are indeed talking about a different model. I tried these:

Again, they might of course work for some. I was just offering my individual experience,

Philwrote:

The Techs are stiff enough. But hey are not as stiff as my previous Nepal cube. I have the feeling to notice that, especially on the approach. Other’s experiences may be different though. 

Fascinating. One of my few complaints against my GTechs is that they're so stiff on the approach. My old Nepal Evos were super stiff on the climb but noticeably more comfortable on approaches, probably because they actually had a midsole. I never tried the Nepal Cubes but I know they moved to the carbon midsole on them. Were they more uncomfortable than the Techs on approaches for you due to the stiffness?

Mike Larsonwrote:

Fascinating. One of my few complaints against my GTechs is that they're so stiff on the approach. My old Nepal Evos were super stiff on the climb but noticeably more comfortable on approaches, probably because they actually had a midsole. I never tried the Nepal Cubes but I know they moved to the carbon midsole on them. Were they more uncomfortable than the Techs on approaches for you due to the stiffness?

I was talking about Phantom Techs, not G-Techs (corrected that).
The Cubes were uncomfortable due to stiffness and weight. They did not flex the tiniest bit, like walking in ski boots. 

Ended up buying the Asolo Eiger XT EVO GV. I use CAMP blade runners (supper stiff), so I'm not worried about any small flex in the sole. I was just worried that the GTech might end up aggravating my heel down the road, plus they're impossible to find.

I wonder if phil Is confusing midsole stiffness with ankle stiffness. The cubes would be relatively rigid in the ankle vs any other model, especially the eiger.

Andreas Gavalaswrote:

Ended up buying the Asolo Eiger XT EVO GV. I use CAMP blade runners (supper stiff), so I'm not worried about any small flex in the sole. I was just worried that the GTech might end up aggravating my heel down the road, plus they're impossible to find.

How do you find them? How’s the fit compared to the Phantom? I’m considering a pair to replace my phantoms - I have a very low volume ankle/instep but need the wide toe box, the phantom are fine with an insole as long as I don’t do them up too tight as the ankle bend creates pressure points.

How does the Asolo toe box compare to the phantom? 

As someone who owns the Zarathusrra, I'm curious why you would want another boot that is so similar. 

Kai Larsonwrote:

As someone who owns the Zarathusrra, I'm curious why you would want another boot that is so similar. 

That would be because I bought my Zarathustras too small. They also don't fit my heel very well. 

I also want a boot that was a bit more svetle than the Zarathustras.

Has anyone here tried Koflachs? Those are the shit