Mountaineering Boot Awards for 2013 announced by OutdoorGearLab.com

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - May 29, 2013 - PRLog -- CHEYENNE, WY—OutdoorGearLab.com revealed today the results of the 2013 Editors’ Choice Awards for the Mountaineering Boot category, listing this year’s best and best value. The reviewers chose the following finalists after extensive field testing in the Canadian Rockies, the Ruth Gorge, Alaska;  Ouray, Colorado; Provo Canyon, Utah; the Sierra Nevada, as well as the Chalten Massif in Patagonia. We took eight boots and put them to head-to-head tests to figure out what performed the best in the mountains in the following categories: weight, warmth, water resistance, durability, rock climbing ability, ice climbing ability, and hiking ability. We think some of the most important aspects of a mountaineering boot are that it is supportive enough to front-point in ice well, and is protective enough to keep your toes warm and dry. Even though all the boots we reviewed were of high quality, we did find that some models are better for certain applications than others. Each underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate these key performance metrics. View the complete  Mountaineering Boot Reviews - http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Mountaineering-Boot-Reviews

The winners are:
La Sportiva Batura 2.0 GTX - http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Mountaineering-Boot-Reviews... winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2013. According to Gear Editor Luke Lydiard, "It excels at ice, rock, and mixed while keeping you warm and dry. Even better, it weighs less than any of our other super-gaiter boots, and even less than some single boots. The Batura is a game changer for pushing the limits of light and fast alpinism in mountain ranges around the world."

La Sportiva Nepal Evo - http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Mountaineering-Boot-Reviews... winner of the Best Buy award for 2013. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Luke Lydiard, "This is constructed of burly leather and is lined with waterproof Gore-Tex. This is a rigid boot that will accept step-in crampons. The Nepal retails for $100 more than other popular single boots, but for the extra money you get a lot more boot: added durability from full leather, and reliability of metal lace loops. The Nepal is worth the extra $100 if you want the longest lasting boot you can find. For this reason we think that the Nepal is the ideal boot for guide services or school outdoor clubs looking to have a fleet of boots."

La Sportiva Spantik http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Mountaineering-Boot-Reviews/La-Sportiva-Spantik winner of the Top Pick award for 2013. This award is given to a product that excels at a specific application. According to Luke Lydiard, "This is an insulated double boot designed for cold weather mountaineering on peaks above 6000 meters, and is the boot of choice for cold weather mountaineering in the world's serious mountain ranges, such as Aconcogua and Denali. In the category of insulated double boot, the Spantik is the flagship and has become the most commonly used around the world."

OutdoorGearLab LLC, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is dedicated to generating the worlds best outdoor gear reviews. The company's website is a free resource for people who love the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, backpacking, and camping. The company performs side-by-side testing of outdoor gear and publishes the results in comparative reviews. Each product is scored across a range of weighted categories, competing products are ranked, and awards given to the top performing products.