Are Galibier boots still made?

You Are Here:

Home >> Gear >> Are Galibier boots still made?

View the entire 300-plus collection of must-have gear items tailor-made for your adventurous lifestyle. PLUS: A special section on womens gear.

Today's Question
I'm looking for the lightest breatheable bivy sack out there, any suggestions? answer

What is the best way to carry water on a hike? answer

Today's Question
What's a good women's analog watch for under $200? answer

What equipment should a new mountain biker buy? answer

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries

April 27, 2002

Are Galibier boots still made?

Are Galibier boots still made? If so, where can you get them?

— No Name Given

Got your own gear question?

Yeah, they're still being made, but you won't find any in North America, and you'll have to do some scouting to even find them in France. Galibier was a pretty well regarded footwear maker in the 1970s and 1980s -- I owned two pairs of them -- and was a manufacturer that helped pioneer the idea of a rubber rand around the welt, sealing the area where the sole was stitched to the upper. They were good boots for that day and age. Also heavy and insanely stiff (I'm referring to the steel-shanked Super Guide model).

But distribution problems in the U.S. and the relentless drive of Italian boot makers pretty well pushed Galibier off the stage by the early 1990s. The last time I saw any for sale at all was well before that, in fact, when the Mountain Equipment Co-Op in Canada still carried them. The fact is, Galibier just didn't keep up with modern footwear design. Any number of good boots today could easily replace my Super Guides as a high-end leather mountaineering boot, with much more comfort. Among them: Asolo's Annapurna ($280); La Sportiva's Makalu ($245); Montrail's Mazama ($265); Boreal Bulnes ($215) or Salomon's SM Expert ($250). All are great for general mountaineering with or without crampons and off-trail trekking with big loads. They're not day hikers, but then neither were my Galibiers.

RECENT QUESTIONS

I'm looking for the lightest breatheable bivy sack out there, any suggestions?

What is the best way to carry water on a hike?

Are there any high-def cameras that can zoom into a six-foot square—from 60,000 feet?

What’s the best pair of winter running shoes?

What shoes provide light-and-fast performance and support?

GEAR GUY FEATURES

Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy.

Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let�s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it�s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear.

The Gear Guy reports from the 2005 Outdoor Retailer summer trade fair, with his rundown of ten products to watch in 2006, plus the inside scoop on what shook down at the bi-annual gearapalooza.

MORE GEAR

The Outside Gear Blog

2005 Buyer's Guide

State of the Art: 2005 Bikes

Many of the items reviewed by the Gear Guy can be found at REI.com. Click here to find the internet's biggest selection of outdoor gear and apparel.