This past summer I had a pair of the Salewa Ravens, and they were very comfortable but they fell apart in 150-200 miles. I am looking for another pair of mountaineering boots that will be more durable. Something in the same category as the Raven (lightweight single boot), must be semi-auto crampon compatible and be waterproof. I have been looking at the Scarpa Wrangell GTX...anybody have any experience with those? Thanks.

I have purchased 2 LasSportiva items this year. They were both of great fit, although the last thing I would describe them as, would be durable. On my Oly Mons, the sole has already worn away after only 6 weeks and that was with crampons most of the time. I also had some raptor trail runners. The sole is already parting from the shoe. I was very disappointed with the durability of LaSportiva footwear this year. I hope the 2012 Trangos are of better quality.

the Olympus Mons are made in Italy.

radson: I read on Cold Thistle that someone had the same problem on their Spantiks and ended up having the old sole removed and replaced with a Nepal EVO sole, at their own cost.

a friend swore by the Trangos until he got a soaker and the boot pretty much fell apart within a few months.

can't speak from experience, my general mountaineering boots are Scarpa and they've been very solid (Cerro Torre and Cumbre for ice)

I own the Trango S and Extreme. Both have lasted for at least five years of hard use. The Trango S absolutely has no sole left and things are falling apart but it still has a few trips left. I have been abusing it on long treks hoping that it would die so I can get a new pair but it wouldn't. I don't question the LS boots durability.

I am quite pleased with my "Red Trangos" thus far, though the jury is still out on the long-term durability.

I purchased a pair of the LS Boulder approach shoe and they fell apart within a few days. Less than 50 miles of scrambling and climbing on them.
Maybe they are of Chinese manufacture as Rick speaks to above?

Oly Mons isn't made to be durable. It is made to climb on snow and ice at 7000m+ altitude, still be warm enough and lwt. It does all that. And intentionally has a very soft rubber sole. If you are going to hike gravel beds and boulder fields with them they will wear out in short order. Known fact on that one.

Lisa it was a cracked crampon toe cap on the Spantik @ Cold Thistle not a sole wear problem. Pictures are pretty specific.

Fabric boots aren't going to last like a leather boot would. I've read Andrew's comments several times now on the 'net. But then I have a pair of Salewa Raven's (which I like a lot) and have a hard time believing they wore out, let alone "fell apart" in 200 miles unless you were hookie bobbing behind a 4x4.

My leather Nepal Tops are basically unkillable. I'm just waiting for the sole to get worn down to nothing.

Hi, here are some pictures of my ravens, and I put about 100 miles in them since then. Mostly the sole wore out, but the fabric fell apart as well. Here is the link on backcountry, and my review with pictures http://www.backcountry.com/salewa-raven-combi-gtx-boot-mens
I think that leather instead of synthetic may be the trend I am seeing here.

Andrew I saw your pictures. Not a boot I would call "falling apart". Bent laces hooks and rand separation isn't all that uncommon on any boot leather or fabric. Use them hard and with little care and you'll tear any boot apart. Tearing the lugs off any Vibram sole generally takes some real effort. That is the same exact Vibram sole used on the majority of the La Sportiva Trango Series, and most of the better LWT Scarpas including the newest Maveric, Rebel, Phantom Ultra an Phantom 6000. It is called the Vibram® Mulaz. It was designed to be soft and sticky not last for ever. Never seen anyone tear a lug off that sole before. So I doubt it is the sole or boots fault. By your pictures I certainly wouldn't consider your Ravens "falling apart". Well used yes, and by the look of them a lot more life left in them as well if you bother to take care of them a bit.

The Salewa Raven is an exceptional boot in its catagory imo. Better than most actually. Comparing the LS Trango S Evo, the new North Face Verto and the Scarpa Maverick as examples of similar boots. I think you have unfairly given the Raven short shrift here and else where on the 'net. YMMV...just my opinion.

Andrew Rankine wrote:Hi, here are some pictures of my ravens, and I put about 100 miles in them since then. Mostly the sole wore out, but the fabric fell apart as well. Here is the link on backcountry, and my review with pictures http://www.backcountry.com/salewa-raven-combi-gtx-boot-mens
I think that leather instead of synthetic may be the trend I am seeing here.

Well, regardless of the damage being a defect or 'user inflicted' Backcountry will stand by you on them. At least, they did with me on my LS Boulder X that got trashed.

Thanks, point made on the hooks. Just not seen the problem on mine. But they aren't my rock hopping choice in boots either. More a warm weather alpine rock and snow boot. Beefier and warmer i think that the Trango S. Be interested in how you used yours before ditching them?



And likely worth noting the "gold standard" of this catagory, the Trango S, doesn't have as many or any as low as the Raven's. Only the two on the upper cuff. Which are hell for stout by design from what I have seen. The third is a lock lace that I would think should be really hard to destroy. I intentionally don't "back pack" so that endorsement means nothing to me.

Yeah, I took those pictures the day after putting 24 miles in them on Moldoveanu (Fagaras Mountains in Romania). I planned to be doing some more technical stuff in the Tatras and some routes on Zugspitze, but ended up doing more trekking/via ferrata/snow travel/scrambling in them (the three UK highpoints, Romania, different routes in Tatras and on Zugspitze). I could only take one pair of boots to Europe, so I figured a boot that could do everything would be the trick. They are a bit worse with a few more miles in them, so I'll keep better care of boots from now on as well. I did notice that there seems to be a lot of toe wear compared with other areas of the sole, and I wonder if that is something to do with my stride more than the boot.

I will say that I was very pleased by how comfortable the boot was, and I did not have a single blister after 24 miles in a pair of boots like this. I am thinking about the leather Salewa Condor with Teton Sole because they were comfortable.