La Sportiva  Aequilibrium Top GTX Mountaineering Boots

This is the most expensive boot I’ve ever purchased by a wide margin, and I got them for me and my wife. I expected buyers remorse, but they have been worth every cent. My wife has Raynaud’s, so her feet always freeze, but with these boots that hasn’t been a problem. After my back surgery my numb right leg had made descents a trip up the Amazon, but the goat heel is a thing of beauty. Other reviewers have complained about how they perform with crampons, but our semi-automatic crampons have worked great with them, even with my dead leg. The zippers…well, there’s no excuse for them. They are a pain in the ass, but after 60 climbs in the Cascades, I can still get them zipped (In, like, 15 minutes). Most importantly, after my back surgery I am physically impaired, yet these boots make it possible for me to drag my ass up Rainier, and that’s saying something.

Since buying these in Feb, 2022 I have hiked in snow w crampons and on clear trails preparing to climb Shasta in four weeks. Yesterday the zipper split WHILE hiking in Moab- imagine if I had been on Shasta. But I loved these boots- they fit my long, narrow feet w a high arch and kept me dry when I slipped into an iced-over pond in March. The water proofing and fit were excellent, the workmanship NOT. I just bought another Trango without the zippered sheath. As a woman wearing a Men's boot (43.5), I needed to add a heel cup to limit shift.

Poor quality on the zipper, it got stuck from the first use. It took me almost 10 minutes to unblock the zipper in freezing weather and it no longer works. I had better expectations of a brand like La Sportiva.

Purchased these in 2022. Next day took them up pikes peak in Apr and have been using them on and off again ever sense. Very comfortable around the foot. A bit flexible for serious ice climbing, but I took them a few times and on easy climbs they will do okay, they are not for mix and difficult objectives. But ... la sportiva ... what were we thinking here? Ice boot with no water to attach gators, automatic crampons, and a BOA system that is pressed super hard into your legs once the shell is zipped. I say on and off again bc everytime I wear them for more than an hour I remeber why they are the LAST boots I go for when looking up at a technical mountain objective.

I’ve been testing them for around a year, mostly in Alaska. While I greatly prefer my G5’s for sustained German technique, the Aequilibrium is certainly adequate for shorter stretches. They are durable enough for kicking steps in scree, and the “hoof” heel truly helps. This is the boot I grab for unknown or varied terrain. There are better boots for specific scenarios; however, these cover a far broader spectrum than any other boot I’ve worn.

Bought these with high hopes for a superlight mountaineering boots for summer climbs in the PNW after reading a ton of reviews for different boots. On my first proper climb I had an excruciating descent down a very steep peak (40% grade) due to the very narrow toe box being a poor fit for me. Ended up hobbling behind my group on the way down and had subungual hematomas on both big toes, plus pain under my toenails for a week. Also, the gaiter is nice in theory, but in practice led to excessively sweaty feet and also seemed flimsy holding up to incidental crampon strikes. It is also water/resistant rather than waterproof. Boot has that made in China quality to it. I say this being someone who loved Nepal Cubes but returned them because they were too heavy. Well, they would have been a better choice than this hot garbage. Glad REI took these back though. 2 stars for that.

Having used the aequilibrium LT for some time I had high hopes for this puppies and they’re a complete and total disappointment. These are definitely not a “all-season” boot, using these in the winter exposes you to frostbite while using them in the summer overheats you. Great fit and comfort just like the LTs but at a much higher cost. Save yourself some $$ and go with the LTs or a different boot altogether.

Several times I took them to the bowl in Baldy and I ended up hurt by the shaft of the boot, a lot of humidity and cold on my feet, I tried several types of smartwool mountaineering socks and I couldn't avoid the cold and humidity. the times i used them i ended up with wet and cold feet. I don't know if I made the wrong boots or are they for those terrains, but they didn't work for me on snowy mountains.

These boost are great for hiking around the white mountains NH in the winter , wish they made them for automatic crampons

I purchased the boot in 2023 and it lasted a season. The problem I had with my pair is that the gaiter zipper jammed and then came off the boot. Once that happens, you're pretty much toast in the field since a lot of the insulation/protection is in the gaiter itself. Getting in and out of the boots was also a pain in the neck. I will be purchasing an AEquilibrium LT and using it as my winter boot from here on out.