WE DON’T SEE O0R USE SINGLE BOOTS THAT MUCH, AS EVERYTHING WE RUN IS EITHER MULTIDAY, VERY COLD, OR TOO REMOTE TO CARRY A SECOND PAIR, ALL OF WHICH MAKES SINGLES NOT MUCH USE. WE KNOW GOOD BOOTS EXIST, NOW THAT LEATHER IS HARDLY USED WHICH KEEPS THEM DRIER, BUT TENDED TO LEAVE THEM FOR THINGS LIKE SHORT MIXED DAYS, FINDING THEY WERE NEVER DEPENDABLE ENOUGH FOR OVERNIGHTS.
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RECENTLY, IN THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER FIT AND A WAY TO TRIM THINGS DOWN FOR 2 OR 3 DAY EFFORTS UP HIGH, WE GOT ONTO MAMMUTS BOOTS FOR THE INNOVATIVE WAY THEY KEEP WEIGHT AND MOISTURE DOWN. HUGE FANS OF NEW KNIT CONSTRUCTIONS MAKING ITS WAY INTO INNER BOOTS AND NOW OUTERS, THE NORDWAND KNIT HIGH GTX SINGLES HIT A NEARLY UNIQUE NICHE OF A SINGLE THAT’S WARM AND BUILT RIGHT FOR SHORT FORAYS UP TO 6000m.
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN MOST 6000m ASCENTS WERE DONE IN SINGLES, THEN DOUBLES CREPT IN BEING WARMER AND NICER TO MANAGE OVER SEVERAL DAYS. MARKETING TOO HAD A LOT TO DO WITH IT, WITH MISSION CREEP FROM 8000m CLIMBING CONVINCING PEOPLE THEY NEEDED THE SAME STUFF FOR 6000m. WHILST WE’D STILL ADVOCATE DOUBLES FOR ANY COLD OR PROLONGED 6000m CLIMBING, SINGLES ARE RETURNING IN THE FORM OF THE LIGHTER AND MORE DEXTROUS NEW GEN SUCH AS THESE.
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THE NORDWANDS ARE NOT REALLY LIKE OTHER BOOTS, BEING A STRANGE HYBRID OF OLD SCHOOL IDEAS, EMERGING MATERIALS, AND CONCEPTS THAT ARE PROVING GOOD TO GO ON.
ANYONE WHO KNEW PLASTICS WILL IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE THE SIMILARITIES, OF A SOFT INNER INSIDE A VERY RIDGID EXO SHELL, WHICH WAS CLUNKY BUT MADE FOR A VERY SOLID PLATFORM. IN A SORT OF REGRESSION, BOOTS WENT OFF INTO THE LAND OF LEATHER, EMERGING IN A PARALLEL EVOLUTION OF THE SUPER GAITER STYLES AND MUTANT OFF-SHOOTS LIKE THE SPANTIK, BUT THINGS ARE RECONVERGING IN THE NORDWAND KNIT HIGH.
THE ENTIRE BOOT IS BUILT AROUND AN INSULATED KNIT BOOTIE, THAT HAS A SEAMLESS FIT ROUND THE FOOT AND STRETCHES ROBUSTLY TO FORM FIT TO THE FOOTS SHAPE. THIS FORGOES ALL THE JIGGERY POKERY OF TONGUES, INTERLOCKING PARTS AND DEAD SPACE AND IS THE SAME AS THE NEW GEN OF KNIT LINERS CROPPING UP IN BOOTS FROM SCARPA, AND IS A NEW HORIZON IN INTERFACING YOUR SOFT BONY FOOT WITH THE DEMANDS OF A PLATFORM FOR CRAMPONS.
LOW ON THE FOOT THE BOOTIE MERGES WITH A SHELL THAT IS RIDGID, SLIDING STRAIGHT IN WITH NO NEED FOR AN OPENING. THIS SHELL IS VERY MUCH SHELL-LIKE AND FORMS A VERY SOLID PLATFORM AROUND THE FOOT, AND IS ENCASED IN THE SINGLE KNIT SLEEVE WITH A SOFT PANEL OVER THE BRIDGE AND UNDER THE LACES.
THIS KNIT SLEEVE THEN EXTENDS UP THE ANKLE WHERE IT LOOSES THE STIFFNESS, TO BE A SUPPLE UPPER COLLAR THAT IS STILL INSULATED AND FORMS TO THE FOOT. IT FLOATS WITHIN AN EXO SHELL THAT REACHES AROUND FROM THE REAR JUST LIKE OLD PLASTICS, WITH A FRONT PANEL THAT LOOKS LIKE A TONGUE BUT DOESN’T CONTACT THE FOOT THAT LACES UP TO PROVIDE UPPER RIGIDITY JUST LIKE A PLASTIC.
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THIS EXO SHELL ELEMENT CAN BE LACED TO SUIT WALKING OR STEEP CLIMBING, ENCASING THE FOOT AND ANKLE AT DIFFERENT DEGREES OF STIFFNESS. THE MATERIALS OF THE RIGID EXO SHELL ARE SPACE AGE STUFF THAT IS VERY STIFF SO IS ARTICULATED WITH SOFT PANELS, AND THE KNIT MATERIAL ITSELF REPELS SNOW AND MOISTURE MAKING NOWHERE FOR ANY INGRESS.
ON THE FEET THEY FEEL LIGHT, RESPONSIVE AND SOLID, AND HAVE ROCKERS THAT ALLOW FOR WALKING. IT IS TRUE THEY DON’T FORCE THE FOOT INTO COMPLETE LOCKDOWN AND LIKE OTHER NEW BOOTS FROM THE NORTH FACE AND ZAMBERLAN ALLOW FOR A DEGREE OF ANKLE FLEX THAT WILL DISCONCERT SOME USED TO INTENSLY ENTRAPPED ANKLES.
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IMPORTANTLY THEY DRY FAST, HAVING FEW CRANNIES TO COLLECT SNOW, NO LEATHER TO WET OUT, AND A 3D KNIT CONSTRUCTION THAT REDUCES LAYERS OF SANWICHED MATERIALS. THE GORETEX DOES WHATEVER IT USUALLY DOES, PROBABLY KEEPING THE KNIT STRUCTURE FROM BEING TOO POROUS, AND THE SOLE UNITS FEEL VERY WARM AIDED BY MAMMUTS SHAPING THAT FAVOURS A MEDIUM LOW VOLUME FOOT BUT WITH ROOM TO WIGGLE THE TOES.
THE RETURN TO EXTERNAL LACES IS SOMETHING WE HAVEN’T DEALT WITH IN YEARS AND FEELS REGRESSIVE, BUT MAYBE COULD BE RESOLVES AFTER MARKET BY REPURPOSING A SLIDE LOCK FROM ANOTHER BOOT.
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YES WE WOULD WEAR THEM ON SHORT TRIPS TO 6000m, INCLUDING DOWN LOW ON BIGGER OBJECTIVES, BECAUSE THE LIGHTNESS ON THE FEET AND THE SEAMLESS FIT MAKES FOR GOOD WALKING AND NIMBLENESS ON ANYTHING TECHNICAL. THEY DRY EASILY – THOUGH THE STOCK FOOTBEDS CAN BE SWAPPED OUT FOR BETTER – AND FEEL LIKE A TRUE MOUNTAIN BOOT DESPITE WEIGHING SIMILAR TO SOMETHING FOR MIXED.
HOPEFULLY THIS NEW KNIT TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES, AS IT APPEARS TO BE WITH SEVERAL BRANDS, AND THE BEST BITS OF BOOT HISTORY WILL EMERGE AND BE APPLIED WELL. WE DON’T NEED MORE GIMMICKS BUT WE DO NEED THE BEST ERGONOMICS WE CAN GET.