La Sportiva Women's Nepal EVO GTX

They are absolutely bomber mountaineering boots and I recommend them to any serious mountaineer BUUUUT holy hell do these suckers hurt—so much that on my last climb I joked that hacking off my feet with my ice ax and descending on bloody stumps would be less painful. Wearing them feels like miniature shark attacks (one for each foot).

They are ultra stiff, full-shank boots so I wasn't expecting them to ever be comfortable, but after using them nearly year-round for three years I thought they'd be broken in by now. Instead they leave me hobbled for days after a climb.

Unfortunately, there are few options for women's four-season boots and these fit me better than the others, which is why I keep wearing them. From now on, I'll wear approach boots/shoes and only put on the EVOs once I rope up or I'll just leave them at home and wear summer mountaineering boots instead.

5-stars for bomberness (that's a word, right?); 1-star for comfort.

Beefy, insulated, and puncture/abrasion resistant boot with silicone impregnated waterproof leather plus a Gore-Tex liner...so yeah, totally bomber.

Lace-lock system makes lacing highly customizable and ensures there is no heel slip. You can tighten the bottom and top parts of the boot independently—super cool!

Full-shank for steep routes and for ice climbing where front-pointing is necessary. Also good when leading a mountaineering route and have to step-kick for an extended period.

Removable tongue insert for a customized fit.

Stretchy gaiter keeps out snow and debris while also adding warmth.

Great ankle support and a flexible part between the top and bottom of the boot adds bend at the ankle so they are easier to walk in.

Really good sticky sole and edge for scrambling and rock climbing, and has La Sportiva's "impact brake system", where the lugs of the soles are slanted in oposite directions to minimize slipping.

The only real drawback is that they are pretty heavy. So, overall, they are frigging awesome mountaineering boots!

But like I stated above, comfort is a serious issue for me. I think my feet are a bit wide, not wide enough to wear wide shoes, just wide enough to make wearing these boots a traumatic experience. If you have normal feet, you should probably be good. If you only have sorta normal feet, then I recommend you consider the fit carefully; otherwise, you may find that you have the overwhelming urge to jump headfirst in a crevasse to end your suffering.