Not shying away from it, these boots are expensive. Not like ‘oh my you can’t spend that!’ kind of expensive, more the secure funding against a mortgage on your future child kind of expensive. £326.36 appears to be the cheapest that Google will present them to you for. So with that in mind let me justify them to you with a…
La Sportiva Batura Review
I’ve had these boots about 18 months now, they’ve travelled for two Patagonian seasons, climbed loads of routes in the Lakes and Scotland and ventured into a yet unproven discipline which will be covered later.
As a small window into the construction of this review I’ve truly been struggling to work out how to convince you that these boots are worth the money, it’s like a weeks gross wages after all! Question talking seems to have arisen as the only solution…
Do they make you look like you’ve got F1 cars on your feet? Yes.
Are they unbelieveably light for such a massive amount of protection? Oh yes.
Do they offer unrivaled warmth and waterproofing? I think so. My toes have never got cold at a belay, where Mason got frost nip in a lighter boot I merely had a little numbness. These suckers are hot and dry yet without any of the bulk that a double boot has.
Does the extra insulation limit their climbing ability? Not yet! Maybe at the upper limit of the mixed grade scale, and they are too huge for dry tooling, but for me, while climbing in real weather, there are always other factors. They hold the crampon, don’t flex and have a very adjustable and secure lacing system. They are also like having a
Are they comfortable? Like skate shoes. Getting used to the right lace tension takes a while, and you’ll need to have them a little tighter for a hard lead than a valley walk but I’ve never blistered in them. The terrible included footbeds did seem a little insulting when you pay all the money out but everyone has their favourites anyway so its not too bad I suppose.
Do they wear out fast? Not so far! 2 seasons trapsing about Paine and a load of routes all over Britain and they aren’t showing any problems. The Vibram sole is replaceable but it won’t need it any time soon and the rands are still in A1 condition. A quick waterproofing spray is probably due now but it’s barely noticable. Not loose threads, no blown eyelets, solid.
Do they snowboard well?
Sorry?
Do they snowboard well? OK, since you ask, I was very impressed last weekend when I got some very efficient turns out of my Baturas on a beat up old Burton Charger. The snow was icy, the sun was bright and I hadn’t ridden in 5 months but I got the snowboard round in what became pretty reasonable turns by the third run! You do need to have the boots done up pretty tight but I can’t believe how well they worked and I’m really very excited to get a split-board, climb hard with it on my back and then ride all the way to the car park, it’s going to be fantastic.
So there we have it, I have to say I’m unconvinced by my display herein, but I’ve already spent the money so I’m obliged to love them, and love them I do. I’m very excited for the next reason to put them on, because when I pull them onto my feet, I know its going to be a proper day out and that is great news.
P.S. I wear a 43 street shoe and I bought a 44.5.