Forty Below K2 Superlight Overboots

The loss of my gear at Everest Camp 1 was a result of the tragic Nepal earthquake.  This has meant that I had to sadly buy a lot of replacement stuff.  Whoever finds my overboots at Camp 1 will be very luck indeed (along with my down jacket, down pants, 4x new high camp tents, my emergency oxygen bottles and mask).

One such piece were the overboots.  I owned a pair of 40 Below Purple Haze Guide (PHG) overboots that I was about to use for the first time on the Everest+Lhotse Expedition.  These ones are not advertised on their website but are made to cater for rentals and guides that hammer them a lot more.

The main difference between the PHG and the standard Purple Haze (PH) versions are that the neoprene used is a little burlier on the PHG, like what is used on the sole of the K2 Superlight (K2S) model.  The PHG also has a full length crampon patch -goes up higher on the ankle than what is found on the Fresh Tracks (FT) model.

This time around I decided to give the K2S a go...purely because it was cheaper and it would not compact the down in the down pants around the external gaiter area.  I would rather rely on the down for warmth than on neoprene from the PHG.

Things to note:

1) The K2S is more difficult to put on over a boot such as the La Sportiva Mons.  This is because of the velcro closure which tends to grab onto clothes and other stuff.  The PHG was simpler with an easy zipper closure.

2) Being made of two separate materials (neoprene around the foot and sewed to nylon upper gaiter) means you cannot pull on the upper part to slip it onto the boots.  If you did you would risk tearing and separating the two pieces.  This means you have to carefully fit it over your boots by only holding onto the neoprene section.

3) The crampon patch is both sewn and glued onto the neoprene.  This applies to all their models with crampon patch protection.

4) There is light rubber over neoprene on crampon contact areas to improve durability.

I intend to wear these at very high altitudes (for summiting) because my toes get very cold in many situations.  On an expedition I will give my digits the best chance for them not to fall off.

I ordered a red set of overboots (because red goes faster :-)) but I was sent the black set instead...Joel had run out of red ones for the season as some group purchased a stack of them.  I now have a black down jacket and pants, black overboots and black gloves.  So, if you see a black dot on the mountains then it could very well be me, and not a ninja.  I sadly will not be the typical hyper-coloured mountaineer :-( ...

If Joel reads this...make these in bright orange, purple, fluro green, even pink (or mix L/R)...I'd wear them :-)

Joel from 40 Below is very helpful and fast in query responses. 

I have yet to test these out but I am hopefully not too far away from my next expedition.  They are good quality and I anticipate that they should work well.  I'll update more when I use them in anger.