La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX Review

La Sportiva has been making boots with the Nepal name for a long time, and the Cube GTX is the latest in this venerable line. Newer technologies, designs, and materials have allowed the competition to surpass this boot in many ways, but it remains a solid choice for steep ice and general mountaineering.

Performance Comparison

Climbing

Let's just get it out of the way right now: this boot is a front-pointing machine. It was born to climb steep ice. Tighten the firm upper part of the boot and prepare to send pillars of frozen water from New England to the Northwest. No other boot kept our calves from flaming out while we were battling the pump in our locked-off arm like this one.

However, this boot was not our first choice for techy mixed climbing or climbing rock without crampons. The upper part of the boot, oh-so-supportive when front pointing, restricts ankle movement for other types of climbing. This kept its total climbing performance score low.

Weight

The Nepal Cube GTX is one of the heaviest boots in our test, weighing in at 2lb 2.7oz (983g). Remember that this is the weight of one boot (half of a pair). We think that the substantial outsole is certainly a big part of this weight, but it probably offers increased durability.

The stout leather upper adds some weight too, but our testers suspect this is probably the characteristic that gives this boot its unrivaled calf support on steep ice.

Weather Resistance

The Nepal Cube GTX is a very water-resistant boot. The tongue bellows extend almost to the very top of the boot and keep water and snow out of the front. In the back, the cuff dives a bit, and though the small cuff gaiter keeps snow away, it is not waterproof. This boot's "water line" is about 7.5 inches, impressive for a single boot.

Warmth

The Nepal Cube hovers around the middle of the pack for warmth. The tall, supportive cuff means that insulation runs farther up your leg. The thick mid and outsoles provide some good insulation from cold surfaces underfoot.

Sportiva uses a carbon honeycomb structure for the shank, and we suspect this makes this version of the Nepal warmer than its predecessors. The removable tongue padding provides some extra insulation. The warmest boots in our review are probably less suited to shoulder season excursions in warmer weather.

Hiking

We weren't big fans of hiking in this boot. Again, the supportive upper was less of an asset and more of a liability, and the weight definitely felt a little clunky when trying to beat other parties to the base of the ice on frozen trails in the Canadian Rockies.

Lacing

Our testers liked the simple and solid lacing system on the Nepal Cube. The removable tongue padding takes a bit of fiddling at first, then stays put until you sell the boots to a friend who wants to get into ice climbing, ten years from now. Any person who has ever laced up a boot can get these to work right out of the box. Only shorter boots with shorter laces are faster to put on or remove.

Should You Buy the La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX?

The Nepal Cube GTX is the best of a long line of mountain boots. Our testing team thinks of this boot like the Toyota Tacoma of mountain boots; it's not the fastest or lightest or the highest tech, but it's trusty, durable, and will get you where you need to go. If it fits your foot, this is a good quiver-of-one boot. For those who can never wait for summer to be over, and find yourselves watching Steve House solo Repentance and Remission on YouTube over and over and over, this is your boot.

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