Comfortable. That's the word that truly describes these babies. Like the previous reviewer though, they are only for certain applications, talus slopes, scrambling, light hiking. For these they excel brilliantly. I found them surprisingly stable on city snow. I have 2 complaints though. The super sticky, and I mean super sticky, soles pick up pebbles and deposit them inside the shoe. This may just be the way I walk, but I have to wear ankle gaiters when hiking with these shoes. Does anyone else have this problem? And secondly, the super sticky soles wear out really quickly. Having a reputable cobbler (Dave Page - Seattle) resole them cost over 40 dollars. I elected to try the resole kit for myself. Big mistake. I was applying Barg's cement every 2 weeks. Finally threw them away. Forget the resole and just get a new pair. Only 4 stars because of the resole price/problem.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to mention

Great boots for certain applications...

The "Guide Almighty" is a high-top approach boot that can also be used for light-duty technical climbing. It has a nice soft leather upper that is well padded around the ankles. The lacing goes all the way down to the toes, so you can crank them down really tight when/if you actually want to rock climb in them.

The sole is a 'dot-pattern' of highly sticky climbing rubber. The raised dot-pattern means that you'll have some traction in dirt and leaves on the trail; but don't expect them to give you any purchase in mud, etc. Where the soles really shine is on rock - where they stick as if glued. These are the ultimate talus hopping boots. There is also a sticky rubber rand up over the toe and around the front half of the boot for wedging in cracks.

They were extremely comfortable out of the box and required no break-in at all.

I have done mid-length approaches in these (not carrying too much weight - climbing gear, lunch, clothes) and used them on technical rock climbs up to about 5.7 or easy 5.8. They are most especially excellent if your approaches involve hiking up low-angle rock or doing a lot of talus hopping. They're really great for those long easy alpine-style rock climbs that switch between grade 3, 4, and 5 rock climbing. I've also heard they're popular with aid climbers (I can't comment on that). What I would NOT recommend these for is long hikes with a heavy pack. That's not what they're designed for.

They're kind of funny looking; but if that doesn't bother you, they are also great around town -- since they are so comfy.

Similar Products Used:

salomon exit, lowa tempest -- better at hiking, much worse on scrambling/climbing