First test
A replacement for a classic La Sportiva boot
S ome boots become tried and trusted friends that you learn will deliver the performance you need when you need it most, high on a frozen, snow-caked, rocky mountain a few thousand feet above a valley floor. One such boot is La Sportiva’s Trango S Evo, which has been a mountaineering workhorse since 2004 when tackling mountain scrambles, via ferrata routes and winter ascents here in the UK as well as during summer ascents of the European Alps. But all that is about to change as La Sportiva is replacing its mainstay of mountaineering with a new boot, the Trango Tower. This could be a tense transition for mountaineers if the new kid on the rock cannot successfully take on its master’s mantle.
But before you begin to shake in your shoes, the new model is very much based on its predecessor, with the benefit of a stiffer midsole and improved grip from a new sole, which should make its performance on rock even better.
The updated sole is the Vibram Cube, which has already been very successfully introduced in La Sportiva’s Cube range of boots, with its deep and widely spaced lugs providing superb grip on scree and other soft ground without easily clogging, while the smooth climbing zone under the toe adds precision and grip when tackling narrow edges during a scramble over rock. There is a good heel breast too for that all-important security when descending.
Sole stiffness has been nudged up a little from the Trango S Evo – which was a B1, 3-4 season boot – to a B2, 4-season boot category. This means the Trango Tower is better suited to climbing over tougher ground and use on snow and glaciers. It also means that a long walk-in through a valley below the snowline will be slightly less comfortable. When climbing over longer rocky routes like the Cuillin Ridge on Skye, or crossing glaciers or snow slopes during mixed rock, ice and snow routes, this is going to feel great; but for shorter scrambles with less snow or ice, its predecessor was arguably a better option due to having a little more flex. The ankle cuff still flexes nicely forward, though, thanks to its uncluttered design – so this means the boot remains comfortable even on less challenging terrain.
The rest of the boot is broadly similar to the Trango S Evo, with a nice rubber rand protecting a synthetic upper with lacing that extends to the toe for a neat fit. There is not too much stitching exposed, so durability should be better than its predecessor; and as the sole lugs are deeper this too should retain its grip for longer.
Only time will tell if the La Sportiva Trango Tower will win over all the fans of the Trango S Evo, as its new stiffer sole does make it more suitable for mountaineering but less suitable for easier terrain. If we look at this as a standalone product, however, it’s superb as an allround 4-season mountaineering boot that would be at home on more challenging terrain here in the UK as well as among the European Alps.