Vasque Super Alpinista boot

I say he’s yella! Well, he’s wearing yellow boots, anyway. The Vasque Super Alpinista is the single boot brother of the Denali Approved Ice 9000 double boot. And where some boots are built for walking, this one is definitely built for the vertical world.

The Super Alpinista is step-in crampon compatible for the white stuff, and has Stealth rubber soles for everything else. At 4lb 10oz it’s over a pound lighter than the 9K. It’s warm enough, stiff enough and light enough to be a great winter climbing boot when you want the extra precision of a single boot and don’t need the extra insulation of a double.

My partner climbed late last season on vertical ice with these and found the stiffness to be double-edged: he loved them while climbing but after hiking them out couldn’t wait to let his dogs loose. And this is the same guy who lounges around in his 9Ks after getting off Rainier. A final caveat: the lacing system is not the greatest. Like the 9K you really need to crank on it to tighten the boot, and even then you can plan on re-tying your laces frequently as they tend to slip.

$206.97 (on sale from $344.95) at Backcountry.com