Gear- Footwear

In the interest of making sure I accessorize, I'm bringing along four different sets of footwear for this trip. It's not so much about how you climb, it's all about how good you look while doing it, right?

In all seriousness, footwear is one of those critical items that will make or break a team as they push higher and higher. As a result, as we continue upwards we will be donning more rugged footwear along the way. Below is a brief outline of the equipment used at different stages of this effort:


For the trek to Base Camp from Lukla: Trail Runner/ Low Rise Hiking Boots
For movement from Base Camp to Camp 1 and Camp 2: Asolo Expert GV GTX Gore-Tex Mountaineering Boots

Camp 3 and higher: Scarpa Inverno + Intuition Liners + 40 Below Neoprene Overboots
To keep firmly affixed to the slopes, I have two sets of crampons- one as a main, one as a backup set in case the main break. I also have an assortment of miscellaneous nuts and bolts to use as a repair kit if need be. The mains are Grivel G-12 New-Matic crampons and the backup set are my tried and true Black Diamond Contact Strap crampons. Both come equipped with anti-balling plates and support straps.

Plus for the squishier side and when I'm looking for some overt comfort, I have some uber warm Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Low down booties that I'll be able to use when trucking around camp. I have used these booties on Rainier and in other cold environments and they work like a charm.