The man to talk to is Lee Kinney at the Custom Foot. He's on Broadway here in Denver, a block or so south of Yale. He used to work out of the Mountain Miser, but when they closed he opened his own shop. I have not had the chance to see his new shop, but I've heard that he's selling boots now and if so I would expect he'd have Scarpa and Garmont and maybe Crispi. If he's not selling boots, he will certainly have very valuable insight and he's worth shooting the breeze with. Otherwise, a couple of the remaining outdoor shops worth their weight are Bent Gate (out in Golden) and Neptune (up in Boulder). It's always worth a stop at Wilderness Exchange downtown. They are not really a full line stocking dealer, but get seconds and closeouts that are cheaper than full retail. On new boots, unless you known which model and size, this is probably not an option, tho. In any case, Lee's been fitting boots for 20 years at least and is the only person I trust for the boot fit itself. As far as REI, I'd avoid taking much of anything they tell you as the gospel, but they do have boots and it's a place you can browse. I avoid spending much money there since I'd rather spend my pay checks with the local guys when I can. Obviously I'm in the minority as evidenced by the closing of the Miser.upcruiser said:
:iagreeDaveInDenver said:
I use my mountaineering boots for all around hiking in the winter and my favorite was a set of Kolfach Viva plastics boots. Sadly I lost them to theft a few years ago and have been making due with my Merrell Liberty Ridge leathers until the day I can justify a new pair of plastic boots. None-the-less my Merrells are plenty rigid and easily comparable in ankle support to my 6" cuff work boots (Wolverine 1442). I would suggest something like a LaSportiva Makalu, which is a single leather mountaineering boot. This would be a nice heavy duty winter boot that's good enough for mild technical ice, should you want to try that.devinsixtyseven said:
