Scarpa - New For 2010
New walking and mountaineering boots coming your way soon from Scarpa.
Posted: 21 July 2009
by Jon
More from the OutDoor Show at Friedrichshafen with a quick look at new walking and mountaineering
boots due out in 2010
from top footwear brand Scarpa.
We doubt that many OUTDOORSmagic members are going to be using models
from the elite hig tech Phantom
range, but Scarpa has been busy revising it with three completely
updated models aimed at top mountaineers or anyone who wants a very
light but still very capable boot.
All three models are lighter, better cushioned and also, in the modern
idiom, give much better ankle mobility for dexterous climbing moves.
The £480 Phantom Guide is a winter boot with
integrated waterproof gaiter and zip plus a Primaloft liner. The Ultra
is more of a summer alpine boot while the Phantom 6000 is a high
altitude double boot good up to around 7,000 metres....
Guide and consultant, Brian Hall emphasises that the Phantoms won't
last as long as traditional leather and plastic mountaineering boots,
but the sort of climber who uses them is after maximum performance
regardless of cost, which for the 6000 is £500.
New Mont Blanc
The Mont Blanc
is set to replace the aging Cumbre as an all-round mountaineering boot.
It's built on the same basic chassis as the Phantom series and again
offers greater ankle mobility, better cushioning and more dexterity all
round. And the price is an eye-watering £350 as
component prices like Vibram sole units rise.
The boot is B3 rated, so
can take fully rigid crampons and lighter and brighter than its
predecessor.
New Kailash GTX Walking
Boot
More relevant for most of us though, is the new Kailash
boot which is essentially a leather version of the popular ZG65, a boot
that's very popular in Europe. It's very light, uses a mix of suede and
fabric and has Gore-Tex liner and Vibram sole unit. Available in men's
and women's versions, it's set to cost £145. Looks very neat
in the flesh and should make a good all-round lightweight below the
snowline walking boot.
Alpine X
Last but not least there are new additions to the Alpine X
range of trail shoes in the form of the Epic and Pursuit shoes. They're
lightweight approach shoes built on what Scarpa calls a 'runnable
chassis', which really means suitable for occasional running rather
than being a full-on running shoe.
The Epic - above - feels properly light and looks streamlined while the
Pursuit GTX - below - is slightly heavier and more cushioned.
All the above will be hitting the shops early in 2010. For more
information on Scarpa see www.scarpa.co.uk
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