Chaussure Acrux LT GTX

I purchased a pair of these boots specifically for a week long trip of alpine rock climbing and walking on glaciers/steep snow in the North Cascades. At first, I was bummed that there is not a women's specific version of this boot. I am typically a US Women's 7.5 in a street shoe and fit perfect in US Women's 7.5 for Arc'teryx approach shoes (Konseal, Acrux, Arakys). My foot has a slightly wider last (I like 102mm last for my ski boots so my foot is on the wider side). I purchased this boot in a US Men's 7/US Women's 8 size since there was not a half-size option in the smaller sizes of this boot. I figured I'd be wearing slightly thicker socks being on snow and could use the extra room and tie my boots tighter if needed. I took these boots on a single long day hike in advance to make sure they didn't destroy my feet. I think it could be valuable to offer better small sizing options for people with smaller feet than myself as I am fairly average for foot size but I know many female climbers who would not fit in this boot with current sizing offerings. They fit perfect out of the box for my foot! I wore slightly thicker mid-cushion merino wool socks and saw no hot spots or problems with the boots slipping or rubbing. On my week trip, I walked through many streams with full submersion of the boot for brief moments and my feet stayed 100% dry and did not have any water leaking into my socks. They dried quickly on the outside and I pulled insoles out at night to allow my sweat to evaporate from the boots. The lacing system stays put and is easy to tuck into your pant leg over the boot. These boots fit very well with crampons on, and they also have a shockingly great ability to edge on small holds on alpine rock. I was able to climb carefully and delicately with the boots, especially after a few days of getting used to the edging and learning to trust the boot/rubber. I was super impressed with the climbing capabilities of this boot and was able to make up to 5.10 moves with these boots on with full confidence and edge control (and even some mixed climbing on rock with crampons on!). Super happy with these boots. I don't walk on glaciers much but I will add these to the rotation for easier alpine climbs because of the well rounded capabilities of the boot on snow and rock. Thanks for making such incredible products, Arc team!