I went on a tour last year with a guy that used them. He had the risers up most of the time in tour mode. I think otherwise youd run the risk of getting blisters on your heel? I tried some similar high cuff mountaineering boots once and hated it, no support for heelside turns, and toeside led to quick calf burn. The Lhotse might be better though, I dont know. While they would be good for climbing obviously, i think your riding might suffer a bit.

allthough he seemed to have fun……

I picked up a pair of the Nuptses last year instead of getting some AT boots. I only put one day in on them but the general impressions were that they were very stiff. Not in the ankle, put the soles don’t bend at all. I didn’t think I would notice it much when the boots are in strapped down in the bindings, but I did.

The cuff height was not as high as I hoped and I didn’t get enough leverage in the heavier spring snow. In terms of actual boot height they are as tall as my regular boots, but that’s because of the super tall heel that kinda skews where cuff the comes up to on your calf. I am trying to scheme up a fix to stiffen and pad the cuff in addition to raising the cuff height before I take them out again.

They are also quite a bit longer then my normal boots and I had some toe drag because I forgot to set up the bindings to account for that.

Kick stepping in them was super easy and awesome. My feet also stayed dry in the spring slush.

Definitely some advantages, but not perfect.