Denali Boots

Does anyone have some guidance on boots to use on Denali? I am climbing next May/June. I have a pair of Spantiks, but didn't really want to get an overboot and crampons on the overboot, so was thinking about a boot with a built in overboot. Thoughts on the best choices? Thanks.

My friends and I had Koflach Arctis Expe boots for our attempt on the
West Rib in 2003. We carried overboots, but none of us ever used them.
Never got that cold.

If you're worried about using crampons with overboots then another alternative would be to use your Spantiks with insulated supergaiters instead of overboots. MountainTools sells them: mtntools.com/cat/techwear/G…. I used supergaiters on Denali and Mt Logan, and they worked fine, even though my feet tend to get cold easily. (On Logan I used supergaiters with Dynafit TLT6 ski boots, which aren't as warm as Spantiks). As an insurance policy I slipped in a pair of chemical toe warmers on summit day.

Totally doable with Spantiks and Purple Haze overboots.

I will tell you this, I had Oly Mons and on summit day I thought my feet were going to fall off.

Millets, Scarpa 8000 etc would be best

I find the greatest benefit of the -40 Overboots is wearing them around camp with some down booties. Constantly wearing climbing boots on a expedition is a good way get frostbite, trench foot and blisters.

Spantiks and -40 Overboots get my vote.

Have fun up there on the Big-D:)

i wore baruntses and wore the 40 below purple haze overboots. i only wore the overboots on summit day.

i wore my grivel g12 strap front, auto rear (think they call it newmatic) over my overboots and it worked fine. they never fell off or came loose.

i would take my inner layer of my baruntses out of the shell layer, then wear them with down booties around camp. another poster mentioned something similar.

this setup worked well for me.

Get over boots for the Spantiks. It isn't as though you will be climbing technical ice and mixed terrain and concerned about crampon performance.

It sounds like the OP doesn't want overboots.

G2 SM of Olympus Mons are really your only Sportiva choices.

There are a few considerations with this decision not already mentioned.

It's really helpful to not just look at your boots, but your overall footwear system: (Socks, liners, boots, overboots, crampons, and even your snowshoes)

Make sure everything is dialed and works together.

To simplify things and eliminate the need for the overboot and the pain in the ass of trying to fit crampons over them. Get triple boots. I saw plenty of people with Olympus Mons on Denali, but I would also look into the Scarpa 8000, as you might be able to get the previous model on the cheap.

These are great boots and I wore them my entire trip. A member of my team had the newer wrap around zippered Scarpa 8000 and he hated the design. The advantages of a triple boot are that you eliminate the overboot and get the gaitor, so you can leave those two items at home. There was only a few times that a gaitor would be helpful though, mostly when digging out camp after storms, other than that, you don't really need them for Denali in my opinion, so that benefit is somewhat diluted. The 8000 and 6000 boots from Scarpa have the best lacing system in my opinion, which makes a difference since you will be lacing up for weeks on end.

A lot of people that wear double boots and end up bringing overboots will wear them over their camp booties around camp, which is really nice. If you get triple boots you're not going to also bring overboots just to wear with your camp booties, some people will, but I just wore an extra pair of socks to insulate and was fine on all but the coldest mornings. I have also heard of some people using their double boot liners inside of overboots, but I never tried that due to fit issues (Again, something to work out ahead of time).

The downside of the triple boot is that they are heavier and you might need to get extender bars for your crampons if you have bigger feet like I do. That adds extra weight on your feet as well.

If you go with a double boot plus overboots, you will have to really dial in your fit with your crampons. Plastic over the toe instead of a metal bail will work a lot better in this regard and are generally preferred for this type of climbing anyways. I've climbed other times with the overboot and crampon combo and it worked ok, although I did drop a crampon at one point, which was surprising and uncool. You'll need to dial in fit with and without the overboot, since you'll need to adjust the crampons before putting them on.

If I were to do it again, I would still go triple boot. The only time they sucked was down low on the glacier a couple days when it was really cooking. Even unzipping them didn't help. They barely fit my snow shoe binding, but overall they worked great given the varying conditions etc. on the mountain.

Also, get some travel sized anti-perspirant and use it on your feet morning and night and your liners and socks will stay dry and your feet warm, regardless of which boot system you choose.

I used Scarpa Invernos, with OR overboots, on an attempt 7 years ago. Plan on returning in 2-3 years and will use La Sportiva Spantiks for that attempt