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Scarpa Manta M4 Tech First
Look
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Price:
£165.00
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Weight: 1950 grammes pair size
43)
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Features 3mm
reversed crosta leather uppers with Lorica flex zone,
Cambrelle lining, Proflex mid-sole, Vibram M4-Tech sole,
sizes 40-48, RS last, B2 crampon compatibility.
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Great build quality and heritage, new, more mobile heel.
You pay for what you get.
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The Concept Scarpa has been meddling with the nation's
favourite winter mountain boot. Over the years, the Manta has
garnered numerous magazine awards and, with various upgrades, become
more serious, more effective and more expensive. Last year's
incarnation was a great all rounder for both winter mountain walking
and crampon use on steep ground and the odd easy winter route.
The latest version, out for this winter, takes last year's popular
M4 Manta and tweaks its. The lower section is pretty much as before
even down to the blue, reversed Crosta leather, but the ankle borrows
from Scarpa's technical climbing boots with a new 360 design and
higher cut claimed to give both more comfort and support and greater
mobility. The result, say Scarpa, is a B2 compatible boot, that
should be good for Scottish snow routes up to grade 3. B2, by the
way, is a crampon compatibility rating and means that the boot should
take an articulated crampon with a C2 or C1 grade. It won't take a
fully automatic crampon though.
Features The latest Manta follows Scarpa's classic path of
using top quality hide with a Cambrelle lining rather than any sort
of waterproof / breathable leather. We've found the silicone-treated
leather very water resistant in the past, so we're not complaining.
You also get a reliable Vibram M4 sole for grip and a last - shape -
designed around mountaineering use.
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The new Manta M4 - the
main differences are the 360-degree ankle section which
if significantly more flexible than before
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The biggest change though is the 360 degree ankle design. It's
based on more technical boots like the Freney and uses a high but
very flexible ankle section constructed from flex resistant
artificial leather, Lorica. The whole section from the new panel up
to the top of the cuff is much softer than the old version and well
padded too.
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The older version - still
a good boot, but with less ankle comfort annd mobility
note too the bulkier lacing hardware...
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Also new is a lighter, 'mini-speedlace' system which contributes to a
modest 20 grammes per boot weight saving on last year's model,
despite the higher ankle.
In Action We can't tell you much about crampon use yet - it's
only November after all - but in the interests of investigative
journalism, we went for a quick walk wearing one 2004 Manta and one
new, 2005 one. Initial feel, not surprisingly, is very similar, with
the same fit on the lower foot.
It doesn't take long to notice though that the ankle section on
the new boot while higher, is much more flexible and noticably more
comfortable. In the past we've found that the stiff ankle section of
boots like the Manta can rub painfully against our protruding ankle
bone over the course of a day, but the new boot is far more
forgiving.
On uneven ground, that means you can flex your ankles more
naturally making the boot less splint like and walking more natural.
With crampons, where good flat-footed technique puts an emphasis on
ankle flexibility, teh advantage should be significant.
Otherwise we'd expect performance to be similar to earlier
versions, with good water resistance and breathability and excellent
longterm durability from the high build quality.
We'll bring you a full assessment later this winter, but
intial impressions are that the new, 360-degree ankle really does
offer a significant increase in mobility and comfort and should make
good crampon technique easier thanks to the greater flexibility.
Scarpa seems to have taken an already impressive winter boot and
made it even better for this winter. Don't despair if you already own
a pair of Mantas, the old version is still a very capable boot, it's
just that the new one is appreciably improved.
Finally, bear in mind that however good a boot is, it's only worth
buying if it fits your particular foot shape. We'd always suggest
that you try a range of boots from different brands with the help of
an experienced boot fitter and choose the ones that suit your foot.
That may seem like basic common sense, but we're constantly
astonished by the number of e-mails we get from walkers who've bought
a boot on the basis of a gear test only to find that it really
doesn't suit them. Lecture over :-)
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our
gear
forum.
