Bestard Top Extreme Lite, by Ramón Portilla on Lenin Peak

28 October 2021

Lenin Peak with the Bestard Top Extreme Lite

Texts and photographs by Ramón Portilla and Javier Paz.

In August this summer a small group of friends travelled to Kyrgyzstan with the intention of climbing Lenin Peak, 7134 metres. On this expedition, both my climbing partner Javier Paz and I used the Bestard Top Extreme Lite.

The first part of the expedition we spent acclimatising in Ala Archa, an incredible mountain massif very close to Bishkek (the capital), where we climbed some four-thousanders, and then we moved to the Pamir area, where Lenin Peak is located. For me it was the second attempt on this mountain,

back in 2015 I was only two hundred metres from the summit

Once in Camp 1, my companions climbed the Yuhin Peak (5100 metres) without me, as I was not feeling very well. Then we tried to take advantage of the only window of more or less good weather that we had due to the dates, and all my companions left Camp 1 except for Rosa (my wife) and myself, as I was still not feeling too well. Eventually we ended up leaving a few hours later, but I arrived at Camp 2, at 5300 metres, very exhausted and only with the help of my companions. The following day the weather was horrible with almost one metre of snow, and we spent the whole day in the tent. On the 16th we climbed to Camp 3, at 6100 metres. Unfortunately I was still not recovering, so my companions left to attempt the summit while I stayed behind. Rosa was in perfect condition to climb, but she stayed with me… In the end only Javier Paz would reach the 7134 metres of the summit.

Both Javier and I used the Bestard Top Extreme Lite boots and they worked wonders for us, being without a doubt one of the lightest and warmest boots I have ever used

Javier Paz, the only in the team who summited, comments

“.. I needed to renew some of my gear, and bearing in mind the conditions of the Lenin Peak, with snow, glaciers, wind and cold, I decided I need to buy a reliable, no-nonsense high altitude boot. When I asked Ramón for advice he didn’t hesitate to recommend me the Bestard Top Extreme Lite, and, as it showed, he wasn’t wrong”.

The first visual impression of the Bestard Top Extreme Lite is of something very big and rigid, but once you grab it, it’s a surprisingly light boot. The sensation when trying them on in the shop was of a very comfortable boot, with an inner liner perfectly adapted to the foot

“As I had no time to use or break them in before the expedition, I had to try them out directly in the mountain. From the first day of use I felt as if I had been using them during a long time, both with and without crampons. The day of the summit attack, I wore them for quite many hours during the ascent and the descent, and the result was totally satisfactory. No discomfort or chafing whatsoever, and, most importantly, perfectly warm for the altitude and the cold temperatures of that day (the forecast at the summit was -18º with wind, thermal sensation of -30º), as at no time did I feel my feet cold.
To sum up: The Bestard Top Extreme Lite is a very recommendable boot for these kind of activities…”.- (Javier Paz).