Hi,
I'm planning a trip to Denali next season and I'm wondering if the combination of Koflach Degre with the Purple Haze will be enough to keep my feet warm? Maybe some of you who have done Denali can help me.
Thank you.

Personally I don't think that boot is up to the task for Denali. I've seen too many of them fail to perform on much lower peaks. This is based on people who used them and ended up with numb feet having to then turn around instead of summiting. Don't invest that much time and money into this mountain only to short change yourself from the start at a shot for the summit.

One idea, rent some gear instead of buying it from say Whittaker and use that money to buy good boots. I rented my -40 bag from them for a fraction of what it would cost me to own one. Cheers!

attimount wrote:Hi,
I'm planning a trip to Denali next season and I'm wondering if the combination of Koflach Degre with the Purple Haze will be enough to keep my feet warm? Maybe some of you who have done Denali can help me.
Thank you.

Maybe, maybe not. What did you wear on Aconcagua? I assume you climbed partly at night to go from Nido, so it should have been cold?

I wore old Asolo AFS101 plastics on Denali in May 2000 and only used the 40Below overboots on summit day. Up to 17K camp my feet were fine just in the boots. But they were nice and comfortable, well worn, with lots of room - not tight or stiff with two pairs of socks. How are your Koflachs?

On Aconcagua I climbed from Nido to the summit in 8hrs, wearing LaSportiva Nuptses and my feet were a little chilly in the early hours, but not too bad. Of course Denali is a colder mountain, but you're lower for longer so can move faster = keep warmer.

In recent years more and more commercially guided clients are using the high end Millet Everest and LaSportiva Olympus Mons boots, because their guides recommend them as a safeguard/ass-cover, and because many of them are hoping to Everest some time after. But they are not necessary. People climbed Denali just fine for years without such boots.

If you live in Calgary you should know a thing or two about cold. Keep hydrated, keep dry, keep well-fed and fuelled, keep moving, warm your boots before you put them on, don't climb high in stupid weather. etc etc ...

D

I will try this combination here in the Rockies this winter for sure we will have -30'C, otherwise I will have to buy or rent some better boots.

On Aconcagua and also on Elbrus I used the same boots, and my feet get cold at about Independencia, and get realy cold just after Pastuhov in a infernal weather.

But they are good for ice

You could swap the liner for an Intuition liner, they should be plenty warm with over boots then.

I would also recommend that you upgrade to the Intuition Liners as well. Not olny will they make the boots better for the colder temps but they will lighten your boots as well. I've climbed Aconcagua several times with Koflach Vertical shells and Intuition liners without overboots and have only had cold feet on the Polish Direct very early in the morning before the sun came up. I've also climbed Denali in early May with two friends who wore Scarpa Invernos with the Intuition liners and Purple Haze overboots (on summit day) and neither complained of cold feet. You can order the Intuition liners directly from Rob and Crystal in Vancouver.

Good luck on your climb.

ExcitibleBoy wrote:You could swap the liner for an Intuition liner, they should be plenty warm with over boots then.

I used Koflach Degres with Intuition liners on Denali. In fact, I left my overboots at camp and didn't use them on the summit day (May 30). My toes did get cold once I hit Denali pass and were in pain most of the day, but it never got the numb stage. I believe the temperature was typical for that time of the year.

ExcitibleBoy wrote:You could swap the liner for an Intuition liner, they should be plenty warm with over boots then.

2nd that, that was my Denali setup, except Arctis Expes with intuitions and overboots (only worn on summit day).

Snowslogger wrote:

ExcitibleBoy wrote:You could swap the liner for an Intuition liner, they should be plenty warm with over boots then.

2nd that, that was my Denali setup, except Arctis Expes with intuitions and overboots (only worn on summit day).

I have Raynaud's Syndrome (a circulatory condition that affects the fingers and toes) and did ok in June on Denali with the Koflach Arctis Expes, Denali Intuition liners, and the 40 Below overboots, with neoprene socks under thick wool socks and insoles inside the liners. The Intuition liners make all the difference. If you already have the Koflach Degree boots, you might consider getting the liners and having them fitted while wearing two pairs of wool socks, if not neoprene (and your insoles of choice).

The expensive overboot-over-double-boots like the Olympus Mons were too hot, per my teammates, on the lower half of the mountain.

It appears to be much colder on Denali in May than in June or later -- that could change everything.