Scarpa Tech Ascent Mid - First Look

Scarpa Ascent Tech Mid - First Look

Price: £89.99

Weight: 1264 grammes (pair size 43)

Features: Crosta suede leather upper, FS climbing last, Vibram Spinne sole with Megabyte rubber, toe length lacing system, Dry-Lex lining, sizes 36-48, Flex Lite mid-sole.

Grippy as a angry pit bull. Not as good at edging as Mescalito.

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The Concept Halfway between the more technical Pro Ascent, which is designed as direct replacement for the old Mescalito, and the lower cut Lite Ascent approach shoe, the Tech Ascent is a sticky-soled mid-cut boot built on Scarpa's climbing last and with rock boot style lacing and toe and heel rands.

The idea is to produce a boot that's comfy enough for walk-ins, but sticky enough to perform on harder scrambles and easy climbs, plus Via Ferrata and the like.

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Features You only have to look at the Ascent to spot its rock boot heritage and it's not only skin deep. The boot is constructed around the FS climbing last which fits snugly and puts the emphasis on the big toe for balance and control. You also get lacing right down to the toe for a snug, tailored fit and rock boot style heel and toe rands for jamming into cracks.

The new Vibram Spinne sole features a flat toe section for smearing grip and a selection of 'sucker-type' rings with a low heel section. The rubber is Scarpa's Megabite and, unlike the later version of the Mescalito, the entire sole unit is made from it.

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In Action We've only been using the boots for a couple of weeks, but initial impressions are very promising. The fit is close and comfy on the OM test foot and the lacing system lets you snug the uppers up nicely for more technical work. Fortunately that doesn't seem to compromise comfort and we found them fine for general walking as well, though the sole and mid-sole unit offers only limited padding underfoot.

The Megabyte rubber is as grippy as a very grippy thing on rock and unlike the later Mescalitos - now superceded - the entire sole unit uses the sticky rubber, not just the forefoot area. The Flex-Lite mid-sole is a lot less stiff than the the old Mescalito, which means that edging performance isn't in the same league, but it's much better for both smearing and walking comfort. Arguably with a boot which is likely to be used for scrambles with largeish holds and general mountain walking, this is more important.

Other plus points were that our feet didn't get overhot even in the recent scorching heatwave conditions and the mid-high cut gives a little more protection to protruding ankle bones than the lower-cut Lite Ascent.

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Initial Verdict

So far, so very good indeed. Comfortable, great grip on rock and hard surfaces, but limited on muddy ground - but hey, that's not what they're intended for - and better smearing performance than the Mescalito and the expense of some edging power though. Torsional rigidity is still acceptable though.

The FS last gives a close, precise feel aided by the 'down to the toe' lacing system and on top of everything else, you get Scarpa's usual bomber build quality and top-end feel. Just as well since at 90-odd quid, these are hardly cheap. If you want a boot that you can use for walk-ins followed by either graded scrambles, via ferrata or easy mountain routes, the Tech Ascents are on the ball. We like them.

If you're after something stiffer and more 'serious', take a look at the Pro Ascent, which has the more rigid Flex-Plus mid-sole unit and is cut higher again.

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Scarpa web site

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