You might have a hard time finding the Lowa Mountain Expert Gore-Tex Mountaineering Boot, but it's worth the hunt. I have a hard time fitting boots to my feet, and once I've found a good fit, I still have to make sure they're warm and functional. Imagine my surprise when the Mountain Expert fit me right out of the box.<br /><br />Break in? What break in? Initially I intended to climb four 14,000' peaks in Colorado during the first snow of the year. At seven miles, it was supposed to be a relatively short trip. Unfortunately, whiteout conditions doubled that mileage as I go turned around in the storm.<br /><br />The boots were amazing during the first 12 miles, but as I got dirt and rocks in them (I wasn't wearing gaiters), hot spots began to form. That was completely my fault and not the boots.<br /><br />Next up, ice climbing. For obvious reasons, it's usually cold when you're climbing ice, but 5 degrees fahrenheit was sort of ridiculous. I was testing multiple gloves on the same day and never could find a pair that was warm enough. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about my feet at the same time. My toes were warm even while I waited to climb the next pitch. <br /><br />After four hours I finally began to feel a chill and numbness in my toes, but that's only because I was standing around. If I was planning to stand around in cold temps, I'd definitely be wearing bigger, warmer plastic boots.<br /><br />The Lowa Mountain Expert is a great boot for mountaineering and ice climbing, and even warm enough to shovel a few driveways. It's a great all around boot that will sit at the front of my gear shed for many years.<br /><br />Links<br /><br />Lowa Mountain Expert Gore-Tex Mountaineering Boot: http://goo.gl/XOMh3<br />More gear reviews: http://goo.gl/Kk9I9
