REASONS TO BUY
A dream on steep ice
Durable
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy
Not the most nimble
La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX Review
This boot slays steep ice, but carries a high weight penalty
Credit: La Sportiva
RELATED: Best Mountaineering Boots
Our Verdict
La Sportiva's Nepal line has set the standard for single leather mountain boots for many years. The La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX's stout leather construction offers durability and excellent calf support for climbing steep ice. However, that comes at a cost; these are some of the heaviest boots in our review. Other models are significantly lighter while offering better all-around climbing performance. Nevertheless, the durability and moderate warmth make this a decent boot choice.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Mountaineering Boot |  Best Bang for the Buck | |||
| Price | $486.69 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $700 List | $849 List | $859 List $898.95 at Backcountry | $475 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | The benefit you get from this heavy boot is ice climbing performance and durability | This simple, lightweight boot is the one for tackling difficult mountaineering routes | This boot is warm, climbs well, and is easy to put on and adjust thanks to the external Boa system | This is a lightweight, warm super-gaiter boot that climbs well | A good choice for the year-round mountaineer looking for a do-it-all boot |
| Rating Categories | La Sportiva Nepal C... | Asolo Eiger XT GV Evo | La Sportiva G5 Evo | Scarpa Phantom Tech | La Sportiva Trango... |
| Climbing (25%) | |||||
| Weight (20%) | |||||
| Weather Resistance (20%) | |||||
| Warmth (15%) | |||||
| Hiking (10%) | |||||
| Lacing (10%) | |||||
| Specs | La Sportiva Nepal C... | Asolo Eiger XT GV Evo | La Sportiva G5 Evo | Scarpa Phantom Tech | La Sportiva Trango... |
| Style | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single |
| Weight | 2lb 2.7oz (983g) | 1lb 10.8oz (760g) | 1lb 15oz (875g) | 1lb 12.6oz (810g) | 1lb 13.6oz (835g) |
| Sizes Available | 37-48 EU | 40-47.5 EU | 38-48 EU | 38-48 EU | 38-48 EU |
| Upper | 3.2mm silicone impregnated leather with abrasion resistant fabric | High tenacity nylon with Schoeller Soft Shell | Stretch Cordura with reflective aluminum lining | PU Tek + S-Tech Fabric | Nylon 6.6 with Honey-Comb Guard and FlexTec 3 |
| Waterproof Lining | Gore-Tex Insulated Comfort | Gore-Tex Insulated Comfort | Gore-Tex Infinium | HDry waterproof direct lamination membrane | Gore-Tex Performance Comfort |
| Shank | Carbon Tech honeycomb insulation | Carbon Fiber | 3mm Honeycomb Tech insulating carbon | Carbon Fiber + EVA + Aerogel | 9mm Insulated IBI-Thermo |
| Midsole | 3 mm Polyurethane | Dual color microporous midsole | 2mm polyurethane | 2D EVA-MP | 6-7mm TPU/ Dual-density micropore EVA |
| Sole Rubber | Vibram Matterhorn | Vibram Litebase with Mont compound | Vibram Matterhorn | Vibram Precision Tech Roll / Mont | Vibram "One" |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
La Sportiva has been making boots with the Nepal name for a long time, and the Cube GTX is the latest in this venerable line. Newer technologies, designs, and materials have allowed the competition to surpass this boot in many ways, but it remains a solid choice for steep ice and general mountaineering.
Performance Comparison
The Nepal Cube GTX on its home turf, ice.
Credit: Andy Stephen
Climbing
Let's just get it out of the way right now: this boot is a front-pointing machine. It was born to climb steep ice. Tighten the firm upper part of the boot and prepare to send pillars of frozen water from New England to the Northwest. No other boot kept our calves from flaming out while we were battling the pump in our locked-off arm like this one.
Crampon fit. Grivel on the left, Petzl on the right. Note that the Grivel bail is a smaller accessory model.
Credit: Ian McEleney
However, this boot was not our first choice for techy mixed climbing or climbing rock without crampons. The upper part of the boot, oh-so-supportive when front pointing, restricts ankle movement for other types of climbing. This kept its total climbing performance score low.
This isn't our favorite boot for mixed climbing, but it's not bad.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Weight
The Nepal Cube GTX is one of the heaviest boots in our test, weighing in at 2lb 2.7oz (983g). Remember that this is the weight of one boot (half of a pair). We think that the substantial outsole is certainly a big part of this weight, but it probably offers increased durability.
Weighing the Nepal Cube.
Credit: Ian McEleney
The stout leather upper adds some weight too, but our testers suspect this is probably the characteristic that gives this boot its unrivaled calf support on steep ice.
Weather Resistance
The Nepal Cube GTX is a very water-resistant boot. The tongue bellows extend almost to the very top of the boot and keep water and snow out of the front. In the back, the cuff dives a bit, and though the small cuff gaiter keeps snow away, it is not waterproof. This boot's “water line” is about 7.5 inches, impressive for a single boot.
This boot has a nice high waterline, well above the 6 inches shown here.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Warmth
The Nepal Cube hovers around the middle of the pack for warmth. The tall, supportive cuff means that insulation runs farther up your leg. The thick mid and outsoles provide some good insulation from cold surfaces underfoot.
The Nepal kept our feet warm during cold days on the ice.
Credit: Andy Stephen
Sportiva uses a carbon honeycomb structure for the shank, and we suspect this makes this version of the Nepal warmer than its predecessors. The removable tongue padding provides some extra insulation. The warmest boots in our review are probably less suited to shoulder season excursions in warmer weather.
Hiking
We weren't big fans of hiking in this boot. Again, the supportive upper was less of an asset and more of a liability, and the weight definitely felt a little clunky when trying to beat other parties to the base of the ice on frozen trails in the Canadian Rockies.
This boot has a simple lacing system.
Credit: Andy Stephen
Lacing
Our testers liked the simple and solid lacing system on the Nepal Cube. The removable tongue padding takes a bit of fiddling at first, then stays put until you sell the boots to a friend who wants to get into ice climbing, ten years from now. Any person who has ever laced up a boot can get these to work right out of the box. Only shorter boots with shorter laces are faster to put on or remove.
Steep ice is what this boot was built to climb.
Credit: Ian McEleney
Should You Buy the La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX?
The Nepal Cube GTX is the best of a long line of mountain boots. Our testing team thinks of this boot like the Toyota Tacoma of mountain boots; it's not the fastest or lightest or the highest tech, but it's trusty, durable, and will get you where you need to go. If it fits your foot, this is a good quiver-of-one boot. For those who can never wait for summer to be over, and find yourselves watching Steve House solo Repentance and Remission on YouTube over and over and over, this is your boot.
What Other Mountaineering Boots Should You Consider?
With the durability of this boot comes a bit more weight. The Arc'teryx Acrux AR weighs a bit less but offers more warmth and weather protection. Climbers who want something that weighs and costs less with more balanced climbing performance should check out the La Sportiva Trango Tower Extreme GTX.
—
Ian McEleney
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