I have the Lady Makalus, and I am very disappointed! I have tried many times to break these in, but they break my heels instead! I've tried Superfeet, heel inserts, all sock permutations, but no luck. I'm ready to give up and try Montrails!

Bought these in 2001 and took them on an ISM course in Switzerland plus an ascent of Mt Blanc, with some rockclimbing thrown in and some ice climbing as well. Indestructable, comfortable (yes, yes, required some breaking in) and useful across all terrain other than well-worn tracks and (maybe) vertical ice. Nice weight to them for climbing, although the beating in the snow tends to freeze the toes a little and make them a little damp.

I bought the boots to do some difficult approaching in Europe - Scandinavia, Great Britain and the Alps. They proved to be excellent. Their stiffness combined with just enough flexibility makes them a perfect companion not only for approaching (actually they proved to be a little over the top), but also for heavy trekking with lots of pounds on the back. I''ve also done some ice-climbing in Norway with them - here you want to wax up to nose to protect to leather from being totally damaged. But in all other conditions they are some of the best I''ve had.

My Maks are about 5 yrs old and have a full leather innard, not the cambrelle of the current model. My Maks also lack the newer lacking system. That said... The Makalus aren''t boots, they''re valued partners and friends. They''ll take you places you never believed you could go, and help you accomplish things you never thought were possible. The Mak is too much boot for trail hiking and not enough boot for vertical ice or high altitude climbing. But they''re superb for middle mountains and heavy backpacking. I''ve used them in the Dolomites, the Alps, the Cascades, Rainier. With sufficient insulating socks, they work well in early / later parts of winter, too. They took a while to break in, but it was well worth the effort. They''re supportive and rugged without feeling as though they''re made of concrete. As they''ve aged, the sole has, as one might expect, begun to flex more than when they were new. Initially I could use a fully automatic crampon on the Makalus. I switched to full strap crampons when my Grivel 2-Fs began popping off while doing French technique (you''ll note that I changed the crampons that I was using, rather than changing the boots I was wearing). The original silicone impregnated leather was extremely waterproof / water resistance. The past couple of years it has been readily apparent that the original leather treatment has broken down; a morning on a glacier and the toes of the boots would be wetted through -- and they take a L-O-N-G time to dry out. And that was AFTER a good treatment of NikWax. I''m back to using Sno-Seal - probably the wrong product for Nubuck - but it''s done the job. The boots are once again virtually waterproof. I was tempted to purchase a new pair of Makalus - the improvements in the lacing system are great. But, with the waterproofing "problem" resolved, it''s hard to justify the expense. There are a lot of good boots on the market. Choose the one that fits the best. If that''s the Makalu, I''d say you''re fortunate; it''s a great product that will be with you for years.

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Asolo, Raichle

Excellent, used for tramping and mountaineering.Breaking in took about 4 days and now they fit perfect.

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There boots made my mountaineering trip a nightmare! I bought these boots for a 32-day NOLS mountaineering expedition. I tried to break them in before I left putting 30 miles on them. The shoes killed my feet everyday of my trip. Open sores on the sides and top my both feet along with major heel cuts and toe laserations. I put 150 miles on the boots and they never got more comfortable. These boots came higihly recomended and i bought them on reputation. They are a good boot for climbing and have nice places to put crampons. But overall the shoes were uncomfortable about tore up my feet. I sent the boots back to the company and they sent me a new pair. I DONT WANT THESE SHOES AGAIN. My suggestion, if you have wider feet.. invest in another boot!

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They hurt my feet. Every time I use them I get blisters and lose toenails. They are not new, I have used them more than 30 times and they still give me trouble.

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These boots are great for mountaineering and heavy, off-trail hiking. I've used them all over the U.S. northwest and have had absolutely no problems. They are great for multi-day climbing excursions but for extended expedition use they are a bit light. Outside of that, this is an outstanding boot.

Customer Service

I have never had any problmes with LaSportiva. On top of the Makalu, I have owned a couple of pairs of their rock shoes and the company has always been very helpful and quick with repairs.

Great boots, just take a long time to break in. The lacing system is great and crampons are a cinch.

I spent the winter storm of 2000 in these boots atop mount yonah in ga and stayed completly dry.
I did not slide around at all. Love these bots