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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Mad Rock Alpinist Boots > Owner Review by Sam BishopMAD ROCK ALPINIST BOOTSBY SAM BISHOP Owner Review March 4, 2007 TESTER INFORMATION NAME: Sam Bishop EMAIL: nanking3030@yahoo.com AGE: 28 LOCATION: Ventura, California, USA GENDER: M HEIGHT: 5' 10" (1.78 m) WEIGHT: 185 lb (83.90 kg) My wife and I started taking short backpacking trips a couple years ago. We mostly hike and camp in Los Padres National Forest, but are taking more trips into the eastern Sierra Nevada. We hike and camp year round in southern California, USA, but are just getting into snow camping and mountaineering. My pack is heavy by today's standards. I prefer low volume to low weight. PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Mad Rock Climbing Equipment Year of Manufacture: 2006 Manufacturer's Website: http://www.madrockclimbing.com MSRP: US$199.95 Measured Weight (pair): 4 lb 10 oz (2 kg 110 g) Size: Men's US 10 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The Mad Rock Alpinist boots are considered mountaineering boots. They are made of synthetic materials with a full shank lug sole (Mad Rubber #5 formulation). According to the website, the uppers are made of "Kevlar polyester". It could be a blend of two fibers or Kevlar and polyester used in different places on the boot. It is unclear from looking at the boot or reading the website which is the case. They are insulated with an open cell foam lining and accept step-in crampons (both heel and toe bails) making them appropriate for peak bagging and mountaineering. They have a sticky rubber rand similar to rock shoes for use in alpine rock climbing. FIELD USE I have worn these boots in the eastern Sierra Nevada and in the San Jacinto Ranger District and San Gorgonio Wilderness of the San Bernardino National Forest. These trips were weekend-length mountaineering training trips at elevations under 10000' (3000 m) in winter conditions with temperatures between 10 and 50 F (-12 and 10 C). I didn't encounter any significant snow storms. I hiked on snow, ice, and rock in them with and without crampons.  These are my first pair of mountaineering boots. While Mad Rock calls them lightweight, they are heavier than other boots in the "alpine rock" category (although they are less expensive than other similar boots). I have hiked up to 6 mi (10 km) with 3500' (1000 m) gain with a 40 lb (18 kg) pack in these. I have put about 30 mi (48 km) total on these boots, and they don't behave like backpacking boots I have worn. When fully laced and hiking steeply uphill, I had to duck walk a bit to avoid getting heel blisters. Unlacing the top three eyelets (which form an ankle cuff), I got more flex and could hike normally. My toes slammed into the front of the boot going downhill at first. I replaced the stock insoles with Superfeet and adopted a thicker sock system to solve that problem. There are two strips of padding on either side of the Achilles' tendon and heel area which protrude quite a bit. This padding has helped stabilize my ankle laterally when carrying heavy loads and kicking steps in snow, but it could lead to sizing issues for different foot shapes. The boots worked well when postholing in snow in Lee Vining Canyon in the Eastern Sierra. They were functional for ice travel, too. Strap-on Stubai brand walking crampons cinched tightly, but I had trouble fitting Grivel G14 technical crampons over the width of these boots. The boots were rigid enough to kick steps in firm snow and for general snow hiking. With the walking crampons attached, I could front-point into ice and snow passably well.  Because I didn't have a chance to waterproof them before my first trip in these boots, I initially wore a Sealskinz waterproof-breathable sock. This was overkill. My feet stayed warm and dry with regular hiking and liner socks even with the boots fully submerged in snow most of the day. I attributed this to the gaiters I was wearing, but even without the gaiters snow was adequately kept out of the boots with the top three eyelets tied securely. The boots were very stable for snowy talus scrambling up Lily Rock outside Idyllwild, CA, USA, but I broke an eyelet on the day I didn't wear gaiters. This could be a problem on expeditions. The sticky rubber rand was noticeably effective in keeping my feet secure during sketchy scrambling.  I have used these boots on trails, snow, ice, and rock pretty aggressively. The boots are holding up adequately. I had to glue one eyelet back on that I broke off scraping against granite (duct tape on the left boot in the above picture is my field repair). A couple other eyelets have gotten scraped up, but only the swiveling ones below the cuff seem in danger of breakage since they can get snagged. The swiveling eyelet helps with cinching the laces down to some extent, but not enough to cover the hassle when they break. The sticky rubber rand is getting worn away in the same fashion as rock climbing shoes. I've been meaning to ask Mad Rock about resoling services for this boot. If they can't do it, other resolers and do-it-yourself kits are available. The sole is a harder rubber than the rand and shows no tread wear so far. The heel and toe bails get scuffed up pretty immediately on the trails. The bails are pronounced enough that it looks like it will take a lot of wearing away before they become unusable. SUMMARY The Mad Rock Alpinist is a good entry-level mountaineering or heavy backpacking boot. It can handle snow and ice travel and is crampon compatible. It is also comfortable for moderate length trail hiking with a heavy pack. The rand and sole are fairly unique in their utility for alpine scrambling and climbing. THINGS I LIKE 1. Price 2. Sticky rubber rand 3. Heel stability THINGS I DON'T LIKE 1. Eyelets can break off 2. Low quality standard insole 3. Weight SIGNATURE -Sam Bishop http://taonk.blogspot.com This report was created with the BGT Report Generator. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Read more reviews of Mad Rock Climbing Equipment gear Read more gear reviews by Sam Bishop Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Mad Rock Alpinist Boots > Owner Review by Sam Bishop | |||