La Sportiva Spantik SKU #7217918(View on Zappos.com Classic)

Best double boot in the world! This boot is warm as a plastic double, but feels better than a lot of single leather boots. Great for technical climbs, decent ankle flex and minimal heel lift. Buy them! Well worth the steep price...which isn't all that steep considering what you're getting.

The new bench mark? In 1979 the white Koflach became available in North America. They were used to make the 2nd ascent of Slipstream among other classic N.A. ice climbs. It was "THE" state of the art in a cold weather technical boot. Others brands soon followed. There were small improvements but nothing that compared to the Koflach's original jump in technology over the then current leather dbl boots. No surprise that La Sportiva has made the next big leap in cold weather technical boots. They have been pushing the envelope for a few years in mtn boots. The new (this is the third winter season they have been available) Spantik is light, stiff, comfortable and with enough ankle support to get you up 1000 meters of steep, hard, alpine ice with a pack on your back, effortlessly. No more super gaitors or over boots on Denali. No more sore shins, fried calves or sore feet. And more importantly no more cold feet if you do your part. The boot's volume is big but nothing as huge as the over sized Asolo. The Spantik will climb as well or better than some of the warmer single boots. You don't need a lot of sock to maintain the warmth. Feel through the boot is excellent. It is the Holy Grail, at the moment, in high mountain/cold weather technical boots. The down side? Had to be one right? Silly asking price to start with. But there is a lot of technology packed into this boot. In 1979 the Koflach was $200 so I guess in 2007 dollars, $650 is almost "reasonable". Well "almost" anyway. Durability? The lace and hook system are fragile. I broke an eyelet lacing the inner boot first time out of the box in my living room. It made the boot almost unusable. Things aren't going to get better from there. You'll want to carry spare laces for inner and outer. Ditch the lace's keeper on the outer boot and add a "puller" that is less fumble free and will stay on the lace. Be prepared to figure out an alternative closing system for the boot if you break an external eyelet ...which I suspect you will at some point. You aren't going to find French technique in these boots any more than you did in 10 year old Koflach’s. They are stiff, front, back and side ways...but I suspect they'd dbl as a back country ski boot easy enough. :) I added a spare pair of custom foam inners with no laces the second day of ownership. Should make the boot even warmer, certainly improved the fit, and makes entry and exit a lot easier. Also added another $175 to the cost of the boot. With tax that is a $900 climbing boot!!? Gotta admit that a few alpine possibilities came to mind today after getting the inner boot and lacing system squared away. This boot will add to your confidence on any cold weather venture. They'll make the ice fields seem like a winter wonderland when the wind kicks up and the sun is gone. The Spantik will make a few more summit days on Denali possible. So I guess I have already justified my $650. All of a sudden the Spantik seems like a good buy sitting here at the keyboard thinking of the next trip north of the border.