Mountaineering boots
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Mountaineering boots are a type of footwear designed for technical mountaineering.
Mountaineering boots can either be leather or plastic. The latter are generally of a "double plastic" construction consisting of a hard outer plastic shell, and a soft insulated inner boot which can be removed from the outer boot for drying.
They are designed for use with crampons, insulated, and stiff. The stiffness provides the necessary ankle support for such activities as ice climbing, mixed climbing, and crevasse traverse and rescue. They are not completely stiff like ski boots as they need some degree of flexibility for activities such as hiking and snowshoeing. In comparison to standard hiking boots they are stiffer, taller, insulated for more extreme cold conditions, and are crampon-compatible which hiking boots generally are not. Semi-rigid backpacking boots exist which are hiking boots designed for extended backpacking trips or for rough terrain and may include some of the features of mountaineering boots, such as high uppers and crampon compatibility, while not being stiff enough for front pointing. Mountaineering boots of any kind including plastic are also good choices for snowshoeing and can be used as work boots for some outdoor jobs in cold, snowy conditions such as ski lift operators and snowcat drivers, but plastic boots are not useful for general backpacking.
Other features of mountaineering boots include: a stiff shank, Vibram or similar soles for traction, and a minimal number of seams to prevent water from leaking in. Double plastic boots are generally waterproof. Mountaineering boots may be worn with gaiters to keep snow and scree out, and for expeditions in extreme cold conditions can be worn with "supergaiters" which fit over most of the boot and provide extra insulation.
