Scarpa has unleashed its new replacement for the Pro-Ascent and indirectly, the original and much missed Mescalito in the
form of the Cristallo, a lightweight boot aimed at technical
scrambling and via ferrata use.
The new boot - which we previewed
last year - is part of Scarpa's Mountain range and, is also touted as
being useable for 'hill, mountain and glacier walking'. It uses
Scarpa's technical FT last, which gives a close, precise feel and fit
for scrambling, but not at the expense of all-day comfort.
Colour scheme is, erm, bright. It looks very like one of those old
fruit salad chews to us... The women's version gets a more discrete
blue-ish theme.
There's a stiff Pro Fibre midsole to give enough support for
edging and crampon use, a Gore-Tex lining and a chunky rubber rand to
provide protection for the suede and synthetic upper.
The low-profile sole unit is capped with a Vibram Mulaz sole unit
complete with sticky 'climbing zone' at the forefoot, which should
give excellent grip on rock. The boot's also B1 crampon rated for
alpine and glacier use.
And here's the women's version in a slightly less garish colour
scheme...
Weight for a pair of size 42 is quoted at a very decent 1300
grammes per pair and there's also a women's specific model with fit
adapted for the female foot. Weight 1120 grammes for a size 38.
The Cristallo retails for £149.99 and you can find
more information at www.scarpa.co.uk.
Dave Andrews
