The distant mountains call us into her arms. However, when we appreciate the beauty of the mountains and experience the feelings of transcending ourselves, we also have to face the forces of nature. To protect ourselves and achieve our goals is the mission of professional mountaineering equipment. When we trek on a snowy field, walk on ice-covered rocks, and climb on a steep ice wall, we rely most on our courage, skill and a pair of warm and comfortable Alpine boots. International School Uniforms,School Uniform Different Design,Primary School Uniform Compression Wear,Hi Vis Workwear,Regular Workwea Co., Ltd. , http://www.nswears.com
Modern mountaineering originates in the European Alps and has been developing for more than 200 years. The history of hiking shoes is as old as mountaineering. The initial hiking shoes are no different from the heavy leather boots that are commonly worn, but only as people climb higher. The more difficult it is to climb, the more it is concerned with the improvement and improvement of its equipment. Later, the development of the mountaineering expedition and conquest was very strong, even extended to the political level. By the 1950s, people began to compete for the peak of 8000 meters in the Himalayas. Due to the extremely harsh high altitudes, people developed a mountaineering style siege by a large group of soldiers. This style requires the climbers to live in a cold environment for a long time. Therefore, all equipment is designed for extreme warmth and durability. The double plastic boots developed under this background. In recent decades, mountaineering activities have gradually become closer to "sports." Mountaineers no longer aim only at the top, and the spirit of self-improvement and continuous improvement has infiltrated more and more mountaineering activities. The development of mountaineering technology, the advancement of new materials and new technologies have made Alpine boots change with each passing day. No matter what kind of hiking boots, they all have some common features and functions. At the same time, their differences make them have a distinct personality.
All the Moutaineering Boots aim at the protection and climbing functions, focusing on the performance of “climb†instead of “walking,†so the Alpine Boots are harder and warmer than the hiking/Treking Boots. .
The protection features include keeping warm and protecting the feet from sports injuries. The most important thing for warming is waterproofing, which can cause frostbite. Protection includes protection of the toes, arches, ankles, etc.: The protection of the toes is reflected in the fact that the front of the mountain boots is relatively rigid, providing a safe space for the toes, ensuring unobstructed blood circulation at the extremities and avoiding complex terrain. Injury or rock bruises; Some have a rubber band on the forefoot to better protect the toes and the boots themselves; to protect the arch, the insoles of the boots are made of light, soft and elastic materials that can absorb the complexities The vibrations of the terrain; all high boots are high, the upper can provide adequate support for the ankles, to avoid stomping, and the high-top shoes can help fix the foot and calf when climbing the front teeth of the crampons. Relative position to reduce calf fatigue.
The climbing function is embodied in the fact that the mountain boots have very hard soles (almost indeformable), can provide enough support, and can be matched with the ice climbing ice grabs; in addition, when climbing very small rock edges, hard The soles are also very useful, as long as you use the toe position to stabilize your foothold, you can stand up like a crampon's front teeth climbing the ice wall. In order to allow the sole to have a sufficient degree of rigidity, it is common to embed hard supporting skeletons, such as steel bars or carbon fibers, in the sole.
In addition to these characteristics, highly specialized mountain boots have developed different directions for different uses. The most significant difference between high mountain boots is the material, which is mainly divided into plastic boots and leather boots. There are also a few styles that use composite materials. The difference in materials determines the difference in their scope of application. In terms of use, it is generally divided into two categories: rapid mountaineering and expeditionary exploration.
Due to long expeditionary expeditions and slow climbing schedules, boots are required to have better waterproof and warmth. Double-layer plastic boots are more prominent in this regard. Plastic boots are naturally waterproof and heat-insulating. Inner boots are generally made of sponge foam or chemical fiber insulation. Some older models also use wool or blended materials. Different materials have different thermal insulation properties. The most outstanding one is the closed-cell foam. The air in the cavity of the air chamber does not circulate, which minimizes the heat dissipation caused by air convection. In addition, the plastic boots have a unique advantage. After entering the tent, they can wear inner boots. At night, they can also put the inner boots into their sleeping bags, so as to keep the inner boots warm and dry, comfortable to wear and very convenient to use. The disadvantage of double-layered plastic boots is that they are bloated and bulky. Wearing under the snow line looks a little weird, and it is not convenient to carry and transport. In addition, the outer shell of the plastic boots is relatively hard, and it is not as sensitive as the leather boots on the technically difficult route.
In contrast, the history of the cortical mountain boots is almost as old as that of alpinism. The best leather boots are almost all concentrated in the traditional European footwear countries around the Alps, such as Italy and Spain; in addition, in recent years, Some American products are processed at factories in China or Southeast Asia, but their quality and influence are still hard to compare with those of European brands.
Although the history of leather boots is long, but with the development of mountaineering and the advancement of science and technology, leather boots are also given a whole new concept. In general, leather boots look more beautiful, like exquisite work of art or avant-garde "Yapi" clothing; boots are softer than plastic boots, so they can get a better "feel", more suitable for technical requirements are high The line; other boots light weight, shape is also more "slim", which makes it a prominent advantage in the snow under the hiking, and even out of the door to wear it. In order to obtain good performance, the production process of leather boots is more and more complicated, making its price high. Leather boots are generally single-layer, waterproof and warmth is the biggest problem that leather boots need to solve. In order to waterproof and keep warm, leather boots use a lot of means: First, the outer surface of the leather are used waterproof technology, such as cortical immersion silicone oil, or coated water repellent, etc., this can greatly reduce the skin surface water absorption; Second, most The waterproof and breathable material lining is also wrapped in the boots. The most famous material is Gore-Tex. In addition, there are Sympetex (also a PTFE-PTFE film) and other materials. In addition, the interior uses a variety of warmth. Fiber, such as the well-known 3M Thinsulate material, for warmth. Leather boots can be widely used in the general winter or short-term fast climbing activities.
There are also a few models of leather boots that are double-layered, such as the Boreal G1. These double-leather boots are designed to retain the sensitive characteristics of leather boots and enhance warm comfort, but due to the short launch time, the specific properties are still to be test. There are also a few boots that use the latest composite materials, such as Kevlar (the famous "ballistic") fiber uppers, which are soft and tough, wear resistant and easy to maintain, but these composite boots The price is also more expensive.
Understand the basic knowledge of mountain boots, for our own mountaineering activities, we can purposefully choose and use their own equipment. In addition, Alpine boots also need different degrees of maintenance to ensure that they can fully perform in the mountains.
Almost all Alpine shoe manufacturers have a complete product line. Different styles have different weights, materials, and scopes of application. The climber can choose the right style according to his own needs and at the same time ensure that his own funds are used rationally.
Male and female styles: From the point of view of the foot type, even if the size (length) is the same, the difference between the male and female feet is relatively large. Ms. General's foot arch is relatively high, the foot is thinner, the thickness of the foot is smaller, and the position of the ankle joint is also slightly higher, so many brands of mountain boots are also subdivided into male and female models for the same style. Women's shoes have a smaller number. If some men can't find the right shoes because of their small feet, you may want to try women's shoes. There may be unexpected surprises.
The selection of high mountain boots is mainly concerned with the size and size, too small to affect the blood circulation of the foot, leading to frostbite; too large to affect the use, slugging when walking, not with the foot, not stepping on the uphill or climbing with the front teeth, Legs are easy to fatigue, but also easy to grind the blisters. Because of the hard boots of the plastic boots, the deformation during walking is very small. In order to make the feet feel uncomfortable, the size of the boots will leave some margin when designing, which is the same size of the plastic boots as the boots. main reason. Therefore, the choice of plastic boots is mainly to pay attention not to buy large leather shoes should be small. In general, put on thick socks and put on the inner boots. The top of the toes goes to the front and it is appropriate to leave a little space on the heel. Because of taking a long walk, the feet will be swollen and swollen, or if the socks are particularly cold, add more socks, leaving a margin in advance. In addition, the matching of inner and outer boots is also a problem that should be considered: the outer plastic boots are made by injection molding process, in order to reduce the number of molds and reduce
Production costs, the number of outer boots is limited, the average manufacturer will produce all sizes of boots, but often 4 sizes of inner boots (2 full, 2 half) correspond to a size of outer boots, Therefore, the matching of the inner and outer boots does not have to be completely tight. If you are pursuing special technical performance, you might even consider using small boots with slightly larger boots (though it would be twice as expensive). Plastic boots are generally quite wide and can be adapted to most people's feet, but they should try more when choosing: after putting on the boots, stand on a downward slope, or lift the heel. Back 20kg backpack. The appropriate boots wrap the feet as a whole, and the buckets on the front of the ankle provide additional support without any particularly stress points. Mainly feel the front and side of the toes, as well as the position of the foot back is squeezed, people with a relatively wide foot should pay special attention to the condition of the little toe, if it is inappropriate should be replaced, do not deal with, or to the mountains and regret it Now.
Because the plastic boots will not be deformed, so do not need to run in; of course, the new shoes still have to adapt to a period of time, you can take a bit of tape to prepare for urgent needs. Generally required to protect the tape are several possible stress points, such as the front and back of the ankle (the Achilles tendon), the inside of the big toe and the outside of the little toe, and the forefoot of the sole.
Compared to plastic boots, leather boots are lighter and more beautiful. If the shoes are suitable and worn-in, the leather boots are also very comfortable, but there are more problems to be aware of when choosing boots. In terms of size, because the boots can be worn out, you can choose to compare the shoes with the feet, but do not buy small. There are also more shoe types for leather boots. Many shoes have the same size and narrow width to suit different users. The same method used to go back downhill to test the degree of match shoes. Newly bought leather boots are harder and just start to wear some awkward feeling. Some high-quality hard-skin boots must go through tens of hundreds of kilometers to fully run in with the owner's feet. The cortex will soften in warm and humid conditions (if it is not frozen at low temperature), so do not wear shoes in the cold winter or during mountaineering. This will eat a lot of pain; it should be fully run in at ordinary times. . Some foreign users deliberately soaked the boots and walked out. It is said that they can speed up running, but this will be faster aging.
Plastic boots basically do not need special care, and when you come back, you can wipe the boots clean. If it is a foam or chemical fiber material boots, you can also use water to clean. After years of use, the inner boots insulation layer will be gradually compressed, the shoes will feel gradually larger, and the warmth will also deteriorate. At this time, the inner boots can be used continuously.
The maintenance of leather boots will be troublesome. The dampness of the cortex will accelerate the aging, so it is not recommended to clean it regularly; if it is really dirty, it can be brushed with water, then dried, and not exposed to sunlight. Regular use of some special shoe wax or water repellent for maintenance, they are generally some high-molecular polymers, can form a dense waterproof breathable omentum in the surface of the cortex, maintaining the waterproof properties of the upper, such as the most famous Nikwax products (the current domestic outdoor stores are also sold), but must not use ordinary shoe polish, they will seriously affect the permeability of leather boots.
Although a variety of measures have been taken, the boots will still be hard frozen under prolonged use. There are two main reasons inside and outside: First, the waterproof treatment of the outer surface of the boots is lost due to prolonged use, so that the melted snow water soaks the skin. The more important reason is that the climber's feet sweat and the moisture accumulates in the Inside the shoe, it hardens the shoes under low temperature conditions. The hard frozen boots not only make people feel cold, but the hard uppers oppress the feet, affect the blood circulation, more likely to cause frostbite, or grind the blisters. When used for many days in cold conditions, the boots should be placed in a waterproof bag and put into a tent or even a sleeping bag at night. Ice-cold shoes can be heated with a chemical heating bag to keep them warm. This kind of heating bag can be reused. After the heat is released, it can be reconstituted with hot water and it will not leave garbage. It is not recommended to use fire because it is not easy to control, and all shoes should be kept away from high temperatures to avoid degumming.
The choice of socks is also very important, and in some cases, it is related to the characteristics of the boots themselves. A common view is that the more socks are warmer, this is actually wrong. The warmth depends on the air in the fiber material. If the socks are worn too much, the fiber material will be over-compressed and the air will be squeezed out, which will reduce the warming effect and affect the blood circulation. The correct way is to wear 1-2 layers of socks according to the actual situation, the inner layer can use soft, thin wicking material, and the outer layer with warm dense warm socks. Both wool and chemical fiber materials have good insulation properties under wet conditions, and common cotton thick sports socks are definitely not suitable for use in mountaineering activities. Warm layer socks should have at most two layers. If the feeling is not enough, other measures should be taken into consideration, such as using full-snow jackets or changing to warmer styles.
The dampness of the shoes's warmth will reduce the warmth, while the running and climbing will always make the feet sweat, so the perspiration and breathability is also very important for the high-altitude boots. Leather boots have a certain amount of air permeability, and some plastic boots have wicking holes in the boots, which can discharge moisture between the inner and outer boots (this type of boots can see condensation or knots on the outer side of the boot after a day's treking. Cream, but as long as it wipes dry on it;) The aforementioned closed-cell foam is the most airtight. The problem of moisture in the warm floor is very serious in the long-term mountaineering activities. In addition to replacing the dry socks, there is a solution that is to use completely gas-tight vapor-repellent socks. This kind of steam socks must be worn against the skin. Wearing a warm layer and high-altitude boots on the outside, although the inside of the steam socks will become wet, the warm socks and boots can be kept dry. When the camp is finished, the steam-permeable socks should be air-dried. That's it.
In ice and ice climbing, crampons and high mountain boots and learning sets are three-in-one, and their good cooperation can guarantee your safe and rapid climbing. With crampons: crampons from the fixed way there are card type, tied type and the front of the card after the three types of binding, if the use of crampons, you must use the mountain boots with a slot; the other hand, whether there is a high mountain boots card Slots can be used with crampons; in addition, the crampons that are attached before the cards must have a rear slot. Carticated crampons are now the most popular, so almost all high mountain boots have both front and rear slots. Tied crampons seem to have the widest range of applications, so many beginners are happy to tie them to their various shoes. In fact, if the bundles are not properly bundled, the soft uppers can easily cause foot circulation problems. According to personal experience, I think the crampons on the front tie card are the most convenient. Because in the case of cold and stiff fingers and gloves, adjusting the front wire of the full-card crampons will be very laborious, and the cards before the tie will not have this problem.
From another point of view, the problem of the matching of mountain boots and crampons is the structure of the crampons. The crampons are structurally divided into hard, semi-rigid, and soft types. Both hard and semi-rigid crampons have a fixed frame. When the front tooth kicks ice or walks, the bending force of the sole of the foot is absorbed by the sole, and the hard sole supports the crampons so that the deformation of the cramp is minimized; Soft soles bend the crampons continuously, which will accelerate metal fatigue and affect the performance and life of the crampons. Soft crampons (such as petzl Charlet's ecrin) have movable joints in the middle, so they can be used on slightly soft soles and even on some hiking shoes.
Another partner of the Alpine Boots is the snow cover. The role of the snow cover includes preventing snow from entering the shoe on the upper, keeping the feet and lower legs warm, and preventing the use of crampons to damage the shoes and pants. Ordinary snow jackets are generally hung on the laces through metal hooks, and then use the rubber straps to get better from the soles of the soles of the soles. In addition to preventing the snow from filling in the buckets, it also covers most of the uppers and further the environment. Segregation; snow Jacket is generally divided into two parts, the lower part of the use of durable materials to resist the "abuse" of shoes and crampons, while the upper part is usually light waterproof breathable material to keep the calf perspiration. In addition to our common half-snow traps, there is a full snow cover (also known as SuperGaiter) that is designed for extremely cold conditions. It completely covers the entire shoe and has a warm layer inside, further improving the insulation effect. This equipment is often seen on the Himalayan 8000-meter climb. Individual brands also have styles that integrate snow boots and boots, such as LaSportiva OlympusMon and Millet Everest.
Lacing system: Tying a shoelace every day is a bitter punishment in the cold winter or mountains. Many mountain boots nowadays have some special lace systems. Most of them can automatically lock the laces and adjust the fit of the shoes to a certain extent, which improves the ease of use of the boots. You can pay attention when selecting. For example, some of LaSportiva's high-end models of high-altitude boots have a pair of metal buckles on the upper part of the foot. When the shoelace is tightened, the pair of metal buckles can be firmly clamped and locked, thus adjusting the ankles and calves. When the area is tight, you don't have to worry about the looseness of the lace on the foot. Many other Alpine boots also have similar designs. In addition, there are some basic tips for tying shoelaces. For example, when climbing a steep ice wall, the ankles and upper shoelaces should be tighter than when walking. This helps to improve the support of the calf and reduce the calf. Fatigue; In cold conditions, do not overly tighten the laces on the uppers.
Insole: Each person's foot is different, even if it is a good boot, can not guarantee 100% fit with the owner's foot, so long walk or climb will bring foot fatigue. Reasonable use of insoles can effectively solve this problem. Insole can adjust the size of the shoes to half a yard, you can also adjust the fat of the shoes. It is recommended to use special insole for synthetic materials. They are non-absorbent, warm type, and some have elastic shock absorption. Insole should not be too thick, otherwise it will change the natural shape of the arch and affect normal walking.
Use: For high altitude mountaineering, except for a few mountain peaks in Yunnan and Sichuan, most of the other snow mountains, especially the peaks of Xinjiang and Tibet, are relatively high and cold: 6,000 meters of snow-capped mountains along the roads of Tibet can be seen everywhere. One is the highest peak in Europe and the United States. In addition, our climbing tradition and climbing level determine the slow siege in most of our situations. Therefore, the application of leather boots is very limited, and plastic boots are more suitable choices. According to your needs, you can consider Koflach Arc "Exp or Para, Scarpa Vega, or Asolo Evoluzione. Arc" Exp and Vega are standard eight-kilometre equipment that can be used on ordinary high-altitude mountains. . In addition to these two brands, other high-altitude boots currently available in the country, as well as LaSportiva, have corresponding products. For general winter activities, high-level rapid mountain climbing, or skillful ice climbing activities, the medium and low-end products in their product lines can be selected. Many boots are also competent enough. In the case of relatively cold conditions, they can be used as compensation measures. Use full snow cover.
With the development of amateur mountaineering activities in China, the outdoor sports market continues to expand in size, and there are more and more high-altitude boot products available on the domestic market. The most prestigious brands in the field of plastic boots are Koflach in Austria and LaSportiva in Italy. In addition, Italy's Scarpa and Asolo all produce two kinds of boots at the same time to meet different user needs. While domestic businesses are vigorously promoting the sales of these world-renowned brands, they should also strive to improve the level of supporting services, such as the repair of auxiliary accessories and the sale of special maintenance products (shoe wax, etc.).
Compared to the older generation of climbers using the "dog shoes" in the 1950s and 1960s, today's choice is indeed much more abundant. Good equipment provides opportunities for higher climbing achievements, but climbing is always closely related to its own potential impulses. It is also closely linked to potential objective dangers. A safe climb is always the first issue we should consider. .
July 18, 2018