I am climbing Mt. Rainier July 24th, 2017 and was wondering if my boots will work. I am considering using my Salomon ALP MTN GTXs with Smartwool PhD Heavy socks. I know they work well with my Black Diamond crampons, I'm just wondering if they will be warm enough.

Thoughts?

Late July is just about the hottest time of the year in Washington. Last few years Seattle has seen temperatures in the 90's all month long. I imagine that the issue with these boots is not will they be warm enough, but will they be enough of a boot. This quote is from a customer review: "they work great as long as you didn't need to kick steps into the snow. " That concerns me. I know that Rainier has been climbed by absolute novices wearing tennis shoes (and a clothes line for a rope), but my personal preference for boots for Rainier have at least a 3/4 length shank and a lot of ankle support. You will very likely need to kick steps, use French technique, and even perhaps even front point. It sounds like these boots would not cut the mustard.

The other issue is keeping them dry. This year has been a higher snow year than previous years. You could end up hiking through a lot of wet snow. Don't think that the Gore-Tex does anything for boots, it is a stupid joke and does little to nothing to keep your feet dry. The customer review should be a clue: "My happiness with them waned when they first encountered wet grass. It took no time for them to soak through. My feet were completely soaked in 5 minutes". That also concerns me. While they may be warm enough, if they get wet, your feet will get wet, and there will be no warm feet.

I'd definitely recommend a 3/4 shank boot