New Scarpa Manta M4 - First Look

Scarpa Manta M4 Tech First Look

Price: £165.00

Weight: 1950 grammes pair size 43)

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.

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.

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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.

The new Manta M4 - the main differences are the 360-degree ankle section which if significantly more flexible than before

 

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.

The older version - still a good boot, but with less ankle comfort annd mobility note too the bulkier lacing hardware...

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.

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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.

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Verdict

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 :-)

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Scarpa web site

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