User Review: La Sportiva Men's Karakorum

A year or two ago I bought some La Sportiva Onix GTX hiking boots. They fit great and were very comfortable. Unfortunately, they recently developed tears in the uppers. There was one tear on each boot, both in the same location. I am normally very easy on my gear, and have never torn uppers before.

I called La Sportiva and spoke with someone regarding their warranty policy. They said the warranty is good for one year. I explained how they tore, and that I didn’t really think they should have. They asked me to email them photos, which I did.

I then got a call from La Sportiva. They said the boots should not have torn and they would issue me full retail credit for the boots. I would then be able to put that credit toward any boot in the La Sportiva line. YES! That is awesome! I was super excited they would honor a boot out of their formal warranty period based on HOW it was defective.

A bit later I went to the REI Flagship store in Denver, as they have the largest selection of La Sportiva boots around. Now, it’s important to understand I have a tough time finding boots that fit me well. So I tried on every La Sportiva boot they carried.

Two of them fit me well, but one of them had a thin upper material right where my Onix boots tore. Therefore, I was hesitant to go with that model. Additionally, they didn’t offer much lateral protection from rocks, etc. So I had basically narrowed it down to one boot- the Karakoram.

The credit for the torn Onix boots was $145. The Karakorams were $270. Spending $270 on boots is a tough pill for me to swallow, but if they were the only ones that would work, well….that’s was I was going to get. After all, I didn’t want the $145 credit to go to waste.

I called La Sportiva and told them which boot that I wanted, but that I didn’t want to get them for another month or two, as we have some expenses coming up that I am saving for. I asked if it would be alright if I call him in a couple months, pay the difference and have them ship the Karakorams to me. They hesitated briefly and said, “You know what? Don’t worry about it. We’ll cover it.”

WHAT? You’re going to send me the boots and I don’t have to pay the difference? EXCELLENT! They said the boots would be sent out today or tomorrow. Wow! Talk about top-shelf service. This is a company that I will continue to do business with for a long, long time. Now I can keep my plans to go on a big hike in three weeks with a buddy.