UKC

Howdy,

I've booked for the Matterhorn next year (Aug 2019) and think my Phantom Guides might be a little clumpy. Anybody have experience of the Scarpa Ribelle Lite OD and their use for the Matterhorn? I think it's the Rebel lite GTX replacement.

My feet fit Scarpa's so I'll keep within the brand.

Thanks

J.

https://www.bergzeit.de/magazin/scarpa-ribelle-tech-od-und-ribelle-lite-od-...

This review in German is full of praise for the boots. Only small failing - snow can work its way in around the shaft, so you need external gaiters. Otherwise they seem pretty much perfect at dealing with anything you'll find on the Matterhorn.

My German is pretty poor. Are they the same boots? Did they buy the neoprene lace cover thing separately as the Scarpa UK website shows the boots without it? When you click on the link in the first picture you get the Bergzeit page for the Ribelle Tech OD, not the lite, which will set you back a further £125.

Saw a guide using these on the Arbengrat, a mostly rock route on the Obergabelhorn this summer. They looked a bit better for scrambling and rock climbing than normal B3s to me, though haven't used them 

The first review's of the Lite OD, the boots in the photo with the lace cover are the Tech which are reviewed further down. He says the Lite OD's are good for rock, crampon work and also for the walk in.

No guarantee that the new last will fit* but from what I've seen, they'd definitely be up to the job.

*I bought them to replace my Rebels, had a proper boot fitting but returned them and imported a pair of Rebel Lite mkII; I prefer the NAG last and the flexibility around the ankle of the Rebels. Ultimately I just didn't get on with the Ribelles but they definitely walk better (obviously didn't get a chance to climb in them).

P.S. if anybody can find a pair of Rebel GTX mkII in a 47, let me know, love those boots

I have them, but they are brand new and I've only used them once. I used them on a glacier hike with crampons. Here are some of my impressions so far:

They are quite light weight. They feel medium+ stiff (less stiff than for example La Sportiva Trango, but much stiffer than regular hiking boots). Medium ankle support. Not bulky at all. Comfortable to wear for an entire day, and so far, no need to break them in. Also, very comfortable to walk in! I see myself choosing these boots for almost every activity in the mountains. I've ususally chosen low cut gore-tex shoes for nearly everything because I hate bulky boots, but the Scarpa Ribelle Lite feels light with a tight fit, and I want to wear them. They worked well with crampons, but I don't really have anything to compare to. I seemed to be the happiest and driest at the end of the day, but I was also the only one wearing gaiters. (the weather was really bad)

The German review says that if you are USED TO wearing shoes with built in gaiters, you should probably put on short gaiters. Like any other shoe/boot without gaiters, the snow will work its way down if you wear them in deep snow. 

All in all, very happy with them, and can't wait to wear them more. I'll try to remember to report back in two weeks time when I've gotten the chance to use them more. 

Great review, thank you very much!

In Europe you can get the Ribelle OD (not the lite) which has slightly beefier suede outer for not much extra weight.  I played around with these a bit in a store and think they would be a better compromise than the lite version for most scrambly mountaineering stuff.  Maybe a bit warmer for stuff like the Matterhorn too (although still quite light, so would depend greatly on conditions).  But you have to find some.... I was surprised not to find some back in the UK.  I'm quite interested in them.

I was on the Matterhorn a few months ago in Charmoz which I found a little clumpy. The guys in Ribelle's spoke kindly of them and said even at the summit they were warm enough. I'll definitely be looking into a pair before heading back out next summer.

I have that model of the boots and have used them a fair amount this year, including on the Matterhorn in September and the Mont Blanc massif in July. They were perfect for both, with and without crampons. I could definitely tell that they're fairly bendy when front pointing, but then I'm used to Nepal extremes and phantom techs, and they're not really designed for doing lots of front pointing anyway... light and comfortable and I like the durability of leather uppers.

If you mean rebel ultra gtx, I'm selling a pair on ebay in 47...