La Sportiva  G-Summit Mountaineering Boots

Very impressed with these boots! Reviewing this from the perspective of someone with wide & low-mid arch hobbit feet. These climb mixed (only tested dry but still) extremely well. They felt as nimble if not more so than my trango towers, the added weight was not noticeable in the slightest. I was originally looking at phantom techs since they are better suited to wide feet, but having boa was a dealbreaker after seeing how easy it makes life at belays. Here are my 1 day drytooling findings: Hiking impressions: • Walked a quarter mile from my car, with the boa completely disengaged and while getting some foot movement in the boot, it was comfy walking • Sole was solid and grippy on mixed surface (packed snow and ice on rock) Climbing experience: • Easily crank down boa right before tying in • Easily Undo boa through my softshells • No heel lift after cinching down shin strap and boa (coming from gnarly heel lift in my trango towers, which may be too big at 42.5) • It appears these boots were molded to fit darts perfectly • Even with cranked boa/strap no circulation cutoff, after 15-20min climbing Report on warmth as double boot: • 1 micro light hiker darn tough sock & stock inner neoprene liner (no insole) • -16C & in the shade, w/ ~10mph wind • Toasty feet, my feet were right on the line of too much warmth, but it was really nice. • Was climbing for a couple hours my socks were slightly moist but not wet when i took the boots off, so maybe double was perfect for this. (i tend to have cold toes and the rest of my feet sweat so this is great news for me!) • May be too warm in this configuration for an extended approach with lots of uphill. • For comparison, my toes were freezing in 2C temps in my trango towers on a snow approach in Hyalite, so these are miles warmer than those boots. Fit Impressions: • Wide foot and these still work for me • 42 fits like a dream, no pressure points even in the wide forefoot i have. Inner also stretches to fit foot shape. • Other shoes for comparison: 42.5 in trango tech gtx (Trango Narrow Last) fit perfect, 9.5 in new balance and nike fit perfect • Tried on Nepal Evos at a retailer and these fit exactly the same. (True Nepal Last) • It appears that the outer line of the boot is not as rigid as other models and then you crank the boa it molds to your foot. only way to explain this fitting narrow low volume feet and my wide feet so well. Incredible technology! • I included a picture that shows my foot outline w/ measurements and the outline of the inner sole of the G-Summit in highlighter for comparison. Quality Impressions: • Suprised to find the outer to not be hard plastic, it is coated in a textured plastic that scuffs • Boa is phenomenal and is life changing coming from laces • Neoprene inner feels very quality and is easy to stretch on. • The shin strap cranks down without cutting of circulation • Outer zipper is a little finicky, cannot just grip and rip with a higher volume foot, have to stretch one side over and then rip it. • Sole is WAYYY more quality than my trango techs and trango towers, looks to be a more durable higher quality mix of vibram. Overall i am thoroughly impressed with how much warmth is provided without the boot feeling clunky or heavy. For me, i see the neoprene inner boot as a mid layer, but for your feet. On a day where i had 3 layers (baselayer, puffy mid, shell) on both upper and lower body it made sense to toss the inner boot on as well. I think in warmer conditions where i wouldn't have the puffy mids, i would also leave the inner boot off and maybe just layer with another sock to eat up some of the extra volume. Although the boa does a great job of deleting the missing volume from the inner, BUT the boot is not as comfortable as the inner liner gives a nice cushion between some of the seams of the boot.

I bought a pair of G Summit. Compared to the G2 it runs rather short. My size for the G2 of Nepal Cube is 42 1/2, but I had to go to 43 1/2 for the G Summit. The liners for the G Summit are thinner compared to the G2 and don't have heel loops that helps put the liner on. The G Summit liners are prone to developping tears where the different sections are sewn. The zipper loops are also smaller and thinner on the G Summit compared to the G2. The main positive for the G Summit is that they are lighter compared to the G2, but otherwise a number of somewhat minor but important details are overlooked in the design.

As a bit of background, I own a number of La Sportiva products pairs of G2 SM, Nepal Cube, and GTX Trango boots. I tend to like their products. This one gets mixed reviews. I ordered a pair of G Summit in my regular size, equivalent to 42 1/2, and to my surprise they run significantly short, so much so that I could not even put them on. After a couple of additional tries, the 43 1/2 size appeared to fit the best. Sizing does not match well with other La Sportiva products. I added a picture comparing the length of the G2 SM boot size 42 1/2 to the G Summit size 43 1/2. While this is more of a minor inconvenience, related to the liner thickness, it's still something to be aware of. Which brings me to a comparison of the liners which are significantly sturdier for the G2 compared to the G Summit. Also noteworthy is the absence of loops that can be very useful to pull in/out the liners. Judging by how the G2 Summit liners are designed, and the lack of loops makes it likely they will develop tears where the different sections are sewn together. Other seemingly minor things are the loops on the main zipper, which again is bigger and studier on the G2 vs the G Summit. These may all seem minor, but make a difference when the dexterity is affected by cold temperatures and low O2. The main positive of the G Summit is the weight, which is 1 lbs lighter per pair compared to the G2. Also the Boa string in hidden for the G Summit, which avoids the possibility with getting it tangled.

The boot is lightweight, but not durable at all. Keep these boots away from anything sharp, the rands do not have the durability to resist cuts. I have had these boots less than one season. I had one misstep and my crampon cut open the rand. La Sportiva does not stand behind their products. They are using weak materials that will break down much faster than the sole will last.

I am a normal size 42 in La Sportiva boots & shoes and these fit perfectly! I pull on the liner like an over-sock first then put my foot into the boot. Simple, fast, and convenient. The boots BOA makes adjustment easy. Insulation is good for Winter Colorado Mountains. The boots climb like a dream on vertical ice & mixed. And they hike very well also. Very comfortable to wear; literally forget that I am wearing them and use them for truck driving to/from the climb also.

The big brother to the G-Tech. Sizing seems to be identical. The G-Summit adds several millimeters to the sole length, outer width, and outer toe box height, has thicker insulation, and the empty boot shell weighs about 100 grams more. Both the G-Tech and G-Summit seem to have the same sole stiffness. The boot fits and walks well with either the insulated insole or the inner boot. Be sure to remove the insulated insole first before using the inner boot. You can put on the inner boot first like a sock. Zipper lubricant helps. Comfortable shin & ankle support and minimal heel lift when front pointing using either the insulated insoles or the inner boots. You can loosen or not use the ankle velcro strap on long approaches.

Fantastic boots that wear comfortably from the start, and perfectly balance the structure you want for attachments with flexibility for easy walking. And with the zipper closure and dial lace system, adjusting them on the go is easy.