HIGH ALTITUDE BOOTS HAVE BEEN THROUGH AN AMAZING PROCESS OF EVOLUTION. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A BIG THING BUT THE RISE OF INDUSTRIAL 8000m CLIMBING HAS SEEN THINGS REALLY TAKE OFF WITH A LOT MORE MONEY IN THE MIX THAN EVER BEFORE. BOOTS ARE THE PIN UP FOR THE SPORT, WITH THEIR Dr DREAD ICON AN UNSPOKEN CLICHE NEXT TO THE DOWN SUIT AND VE25 TENT, AND THE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE SCARPA, LA SPORTIVA, LOWA, THE NORTH FACE, KAILAS etc FACTIONS RIVALS WHAT YOU SEE IN MOTOR RACING.
TO OUR MIND, SCARPA IS THE HEAD OF THE CURVE.
IN AN ERA OF MASS GIMMICKRY IT’S NOT WHAT YOU STUFF IN IT’S WHAT YOU REFINE OUT THAT MATTERS WHEN YOU GET BEYOND THE THRESHOLD OF CASUAL USE. FOR A BRAIN STARVED OF OXYGEN CARRYING A PACK WITH BARELY ENOUGH SUPPLIES, SIMPLICITY MATTERS HUGELY WHEN DOING THINGS LIKE GEARING UP IN THE CONFINES OF A TINY TENT, PORTALEGE OR CHOPPED BIVY. A MAZE OF LACES, DIALS, CABLES, STRAPS & ZIPS IS FINE IN A TENT VILLAGE, BUT ON AN ALPINE ASCENT IT’S A PROBLEM WHEN YOU NEED TO JUST GET OUT THE DOOR. SCARPA HAS ADDRESSED THAT. BACK WHEN THE NORTH FACE MADE IT’S FORAY INTO HIGH ALTITUDE BOOTS (STILL OUR FAVOURITE TILL THE NEW SCARPAS CAME ALONG) THE IDEA WAS ABOUT STRAIGHTFORWARD, ROBUST, FUNCTIONAL USE WITH THE FEWEST MOVING PARTS. AND SCARPA KEPT THAT TRADITION WITH THEIR PHANTOM BOOTS. AFTER THE 8000 HD UPGRADE THOSE WHO CARED AWAITED THE 6000 VERSION AND HERE IT IS, AS GOOD AS MOST HOPED IT WOULD BE.
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8000m INTELLIGENCE IN A 6000m BOOT
THE NORTH FACE WAS THE FIRST TO REALLY DO THIS WITH THE VERTO EXTREMES – SCALE DOWN AN 8000m BOOT RATHER THAN SCALE UP AN ICE CLIMBING ONE – AND IT WORKED. ALL THE BITS OF AN 8000m DESIGN TWEAKED TO BE MORE STREAMLINED AND SOME OF THE INSULATION DIALLED BACK A BIT. THE GENERAL DESIGN IS THE SAME WITH THE WAY THE FOOT IS HELD, BUT THERE’S A BIT MORE PRECISION TO THE RANGE OF MOTION AND TOE-FOCUS, SOMETIMES MORE ROCKER, FOR MORE DEXTROUS FOOTWORK AROUND THE THRESHOLD OF CLIMBING LIMITS. THAT THE TWO CATEGORIES OF BOOT INCH EVER CLOSER IS OBSERVABLE, WITH 6000m BOOTS NOW BEING MORE LIKE 7500m BOOTS BECAUSE OF IT.
WHAT MATTERS
SCARPA HAS REWORKED THE MAIN SHELL BOOT UNIQUELY IN A DIRECTION ALL IT’S OWN. WHERE OTHER BRANDS HAVE LEFT THEIR SHELLS AS JUST THAT – INSULATING SHELLS, SCARPA HAS TURNED THE OUTER BOOT TOWARDS SOMETHING CLOSER TO A DEDICATED ICE OR MIXED BOOT (A REWORK OF THE ‘NOT JUST UPSCALING AN ICE BOOT’ IDEA) BY FORMING IT TO FIT MORE ORGANICLY WITH A WRAP AROUND EXO-SKELETON, THEN INSULATING IT WITH A SHELL ON TOP OF THAT TO FORM ALMOST A 1.5 LAYER. IN SOME WAYS IT FEELS LIKE A BEEFED UP FRUIT BOOT, HAVING LESS OF THE BOXY SHELL-LIKE QUALITY OF OTHER SIMILAR DESIGNS.
BULK IS NOTICEABLY REDUCED AROUND THE ANKLE BY THE USE OF NEW SYNTHETIC INSULATION STYLES AND A STREAMLINING OF THE CLOSURE SYSTEM – WHERE IN MOST CASES THE CLOSURE IS THE SIGNATURE OF THE SHOW WITH BOAS AND HARDWARE EVERYWHERE, SCARPS HAS DETUNED IT TO ALMOST TRAIL RUNNER SIMPLICITY WITH SLIDE-LOCK LACE PULL WITH SOME CLEVER LACING AND A STRAP THAT CLAMPS THE ANKLE INDEPENDANTLY INTO PLACE WITH MINIMAL PROFILE. THE LACING IS EASILY TWEAKED TO ALLOW FLEX AND/OR ANKLE PRESSURE FOR WALKING, PLODDING OR HARD CLIMBING. ALL ADDED UP, THIS IS ICE BOOT STREAMLINING IN A HIGH ALT UNIT AND WILL BE WELCOMED BY ANYONE WITH A BACKGROUND IN THESE THINGS.
THE SOLE UNIT ON THE OUTER IS IN LINE WITH THE GENERAL EVOLUTION HERE, USING COMPOSITES AND MATERIALS AN ASTRONAUT WOULD BE IMPRESSED WITH. CARBON ISN’T NEW BUT SANDWICHED WITH AEROGEL AND EVOLITE FORMS AN INSULATING MASS THAT MAKES THE SHELLS INTERFACE WITH THE GROUND AND CRAMPONS NEARLY TOTAL AND MUCH LESS PERMEABLE THAN BOOTS WHO SEPARATE THIS INTO MOVEABLE LAYERS
PERHAPS THE MAIN THING SCARPA HAS DONE IS REWORK THE INNER/SHELL INTERFACE IN A WAY THEIR OWN. WHERE SPORTIVA TOOK THINGS WAY OUT IN ONE DIRECTION WITH FLIMSY, LESS INSULATING INNERS TOO RELIANT ON A RIGID SHELL (A MISTAKE IN OUR OPINION), SCARPA HAS PAIRED THE MORE ORGANIC SHELL TO A HIGH QUALITY INNER THAT OPTIMIZES ON THE NEWEST INSULATION. THERE’S NO CHEAPO NEOPRENE SOCKS HERE, WHAT YOU HAVE IS A HYBRID INNER THAT FUSES SCARPA’S PREVIOUS 8000m INNER BOOT WITH A KNITTED, LOW BULK UPPER AND MAKES SOMETHING NEW (ALLUSIONS TO THE ARCTERYX ACRUX AR ARE SUPERFICIAL ONLY). SCARPA ALWAYS HAS BEEN AT THE FRONT OF INNER BOOTS (ASIDE TNF WHEN THEY WERE IN THE GAME) AND THIS IS A FORWARD MOVE. THE WOVEN UPPER IS PRIMALOFT BLACK AND FEELS LIKE A THICK MEDICAL COMPRESSION SOCK AND DOES AWAY TOTALLY WITH THE BULK OF INNER BOOT LACING AND EVEN WRAP AROUND SYSTEMS. THERE’S ENOUGH MASS THERE TO INSULATE WELL (ESPECIALLY WHEN COMBINED WITH A GOOD SOCK) AND THE REDUCED RIGIDITY IS MADE UP FOR WITH THE SHELLS UPPER AND LACING TO HAVE ONLY A MARGINAL EFFECT ON ANKLE SUPPORT YET IS FAR EASIER TO WALK IN.
THE REAL BEAUTY OF THE INNER IS IN THE LOWER FOOT SECTION WHERE LAYERS OF PRIMALOFT AND SOMETHING CALLED O-THERM FORM A COMFORTABLE CRADLE OF INSULATION FAR, FAR, BEYOND ANYTHING NEOPRENE WILL EVER DO AND IS STILL ROBUST ENOUGH TO WALK AROUND IN. SCARPA HAS KEPT HALF OF THE INSULATION IN THE INNER, MAKING THEM MORE FUNCTIONAL DURING THE HOURS IN CAMP, AND KEEPING THE FOOT-BOOT INTERFACE MORE STREAMLINED BY ALLOWING A SIMPLER SYSTEM OF THIN SOCK-INNER-OUTER THAT BREATHES AND DRIES BETTER.
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WHAT DOESN’T
AT THIS LEVEL WE DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT WEIGHT – ALL THESE BOOTS ARE NICE AND LIGHT AND MOST ‘WEIGHT SAVINGS’ ARE AT THE EXPENSE OF DURABILITY OF IMPORTANT PARTS LIKE CRAMPON WELTS, OUTER SOLE RUBBER AND GAITER DURABILITY. THESE BOOTS GET IT RIGHT.
SOME HAVE BEEN OBSESSED WITH SCARPA’S ODD ZIP DESIGNS OVER THE LAST DECADE, SOMETHING WHICH WE HAVE NEVER FOUND TO BE MORE THAN A SUPERFICIAL MATTER RANKING ABOUT #10 ON A LIST OF WHAT WE THINK MATTERS. THE ‘NEW’ ZIP IS ADMITTEDLY NICER, A RETURN TO NORMAL REALLY WHICH INCLUDES ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES WHICH IS IT DOESNT QUITE OPEN LOW ENOUGH TO BE A WOW RESULT. OH WELL.
FEATURES LIKE VELCRO STRAPS, YANK LOOPS AND OUTER SOLES HAVE ALL EVOLVED AS THEY SHOULD, TO BE MORE ERGONOMIC. MAYBE WE SHOULD BE MORE EXCITED BY THESE BUT REALLY IT’S BASIC DEVELOPMENT BY THE WORK EXPERIENCE KID AND THESE NO REASON TO GET IT WRONG. THAT SCARPA HAVEN’T SAVED 10g ON FLIMSY WELTS THAT ARE TOO SMALL OR CRACK SHOULDN’T NEED TO BE APPLAUDED IN A BOOT THAT WILL COST AS MUCH AS THESE WILL.
A NICE THOUGHT IS A RECCE LOCATER BUILT INTO THE ANKLE, AND PROBABLY A SIGN OF WHERE THINGS ARE GOING AS THESE SORT OF BOOTS GET SO MUCH USE IN THE ALPS AND ALASKA NOW.
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SO HOW DO THEY CLIMB?
IF YOU STILL ASPIRE TO THE EARLY 2000’s DREAM OF ‘A DOUBLE THAT CLIMBS LIKE A SINGLE’ THEN YOU WILL LIKE THESE AS THEY REALLY DO FEEL LIKE THAT, FOR BETTER OR WORSE. THEY DEFINITELY DON’T HAVE THE USUAL ELEMENT OF CRANKING THE ANKLE INTO PLACE WITH A BULKY CUFF WHICH MAY CONCERN SOME WHO WANT THAT. THEY DON’T FLOP AROUND AT ALL, AND THE ADVANTAGES OF LESS ANKLE COMPRESSION GO A LONG WAY IN COMFORT (REMEMBER ALL THOSE HOURS TRYING TO GER A PRESSURE SPOT OFF YOU SCRAWNY ANKLE BONES?), BUT IT’S NOTICEABLE ON UPHILL PLODS, POST HOLING AND JUGGING WHERE ANKLES LOCKED LIKE SKI BOOTS HAVE AN ADVANTAGE.
ON TECHNICAL STUFF THEY SHINE AND ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AHEAD OF THE PREVIOUS VERSION AND A QUANTUM LEAP ON SOMETHING LIKE THE SPANTIKS. A THIN SOCK, THE FUNCTION OF THE INNER AND THE FRUIT BOOT-ISH OUTER MAKE FOR A LEVEL OF FOOT PLACEMENT ARGUABLY BETTER THAN EVEN A ‘SUPER’ SINGLE LIKE THE PHANTOM TECH OR THE G5. AT THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE – THOSE WANTING A DOUBLE WHERE A SINGLE WAS GOING BEFORE FOR ie BETTER BIVYS – THESE WILL FIT THAT THOUGH ARE OBVIOUSLY HEAVIER.
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN FOOT AND BOOT IS THE BEST WE’VE FELT DUE TO THE INNER AND OUTER HAVING A DEGREE OF FRICTION AND RIGIDITY THAT LOCKS THEM TOGETHER REALLY NICELY AND ALLOWS ALMOST NO DEAD SPACE TO GET COLD OR SKATE ABOUT.
WILL THEY GO TOWARDS 8000m? WE THINK SO, THOUGH MAYBE NOT AS WELL ON HEAVY & SLOW TRIPS AS THEY WILL ON ALPINE STYLE ONES WHERE YOU WON’T BE HANGING AROUND TENTS SO MUCH. WARMTH-WISE THEY MIGHT DO IT ON PEAKS THAT HAVE RELATIVELY SWIFT SUMMIT DAYS WHERE YOU KEEP MOVING, BUT FOR ANYTHING AROUND THE MID-7000’S – WITH APPROPRIATE FOOT MANAGEMENT – THEY SHOULD DO BASED ON WHAT WE’VE GOT OUT OF SIMILAR BOOTS.
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ARE THEY A REVOLUTION?
LET’S SAY YES, BECAUSE THEY HAVE MOVED SIGNIFICANTLY FORWARD BY THE PROCESS OF STREAMLING RATHER THAN ADDING MORE BITS. THEY HAVE ACHEIVED BETTER PERFORMANCE ACROSS SEVERAL VECTORS BY BEING SMARTER NOT COOLER.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE WAY FEET GO INTO BOOTS THAT HAS SPRUNG FROM NEW MATERIALS, NEW DEMANDS AND NEW INTERFACES WITH OTHER GEAR, CAN BE FELT HERE AT A FUNDAMENTAL CLIMBING LEVEL. THE NEW TAKE ON THE OUTER BOOT HAS THESE CLIMBING IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN FOR A DOUBLE BOOT WHICH WILL HAVE AN EFFECT AT THE SHARP END, AND OF ALL THE INNERS AROUND THESE BY FAR DRY THE FASTEST AND HAVE THE LEAST MOVEMENT.
