Scarpa North America describe Scarpa Crux approach shoes as being suited to low fifth class terrain. And I've read that some guides use them for working on the Cuillin Ridge. My concern is how soft the sole is though (my brother wears Mammut approach shoes which have a much stiffer sole). Is anyone able to offer some insight please? I'd really like to use them to their full potential as they cost quite a bit. Thanks
I have a pair and like them. They’re nice shoes for wearing to the pub and crag. They’re quite light for carrying up routes on the back of your harness. Fell running shoes are better for this though, as they’re lighter, and grip better on grass.
You can rock climb in them, but I don’t really enjoy climbing in trainers. The sole is sticky, but they’re very soft. B1 scrambling boots are much better for easy climbing, as you can edge properly in them.
I think they’d be a poor choice for the Cuillin for a few reasons: you’d trash them very quickly, they’re so soft that your feet would be trashed afterwards, they don’t have any ankle support so you ankles would be trashed by scree.
La Sportiva Trango Towers (or similar) are a much better option, for scrambling footwear.
I've climbed in my Adidas Swift Solos quite a lot over the last few years, up to HVS. The sole is as bendy as a shatterproof ruler. Keeps you on your toes, literally! But they're brilliant and I wouldn't think twice about wearing them on a VDiff, especially for mountain days.. walk in, climb and walk out all in one shoe.
Edit - As Tom has pointed out, they offer no support though so I suppose you could injure yourself if you weren't careful. But I've gone over and been closer to injury more often in my B3s that I wear for 2 or 3 days a year than I have my approach shoes which I do most of the rest of it.
Thanks Tom. I bought them for scrambling really but if they could also get me up some novice grade climbs that would be great. The walk in and climb up Ordinary Route on Beinn Eighe triple buttress, a multipitch diff climb, if they could get me to that and up it- perfect!
Until now I've used Scarpa Marmolada Treks (B1) for hill-walking scrambling and grade 1 winter. However they do feel clumpy on me (I'm a slight-ish chap myself) so I would like to use these new shoes wherever possible.
Cheers
Thanks Philip. I guess it's a matter of retraining how to move over rough terrain to account for the lack of ankle support.
I would happily wear approach shoes for leading VDiff, but if that's close to your limit then you may prefer rock shoes. Though I'm struggling to think of any vdiffs where precise edging and good footwork are necessary, usually you're standing on ledges.
I'm fine leading V Diff though I'm very much a novice. I've lead a severe pitch but wouldn't say I was comfortable with it. I've lead 6a+ indoors up a 30m route (I'm much more experienced indoors) but outdoors I'm still finding my feet.
I used the Scarpa Crux on some local boulders yesterday. They smeared great but edged terribly and with my relative lack of outdoor climbing experience I'm a bit unsure where to take them.
Will be using them up curved ridge and along the aonach eagach as soon as we're allowed out to play again.
I use my Crux’s for lower level stuff, really like them. I’ve doe a few mountain walks in them and enjoyed the light weight and lack of fatigue.In the past I’ve used Inov8 315’s (?) for all sorts of things including Aonach Eagach and Curved Ridge, they were awesomely sure footed. Only time I regretted them was on finding 5cm of snow on the top 150m of the western Fannichs! (Long story)
But I think they’d be better than Crux’s for scrambling as they’re quite a bit lower set.
Horses for courses innit . You've got to figure out what you like.
For the likes of routes up to Diff/V-Diff where the climbing isn't sustained and only a few moves at a time I'd say they would be fine. I find the comfort of approach shoes over boots for long days to be a deciding factor in why I wear them, especially when the weather is warmer. What you lose on edging isn't overly critical given the terrain up to V-Diff doesn't really necessitate the need to stand around on tiny holds.
I use La Sportiva TX4's for the same job and they work well but I think they are a little stiffer than the Crux? I've got pals that have climbed the likes of the big ridges on the Ben and certain routes in the Cuillin up to Severe with the Crux no problems.
Your ankles will certainly get used to having less support the more time you spend in the shoes, I tend to turn my ankle more wearing boots than I do in my trainers.
> I bought them for scrambling really but if they could also get me up some novice grade climbs that would be great. The walk in and climb up Ordinary Route on Beinn Eighe triple buttress, a multipitch diff climb, if they could get me to that and up it- perfect!
Grade 3 scrambling is generally about diff. Quite often it's vdiff on terrible wet slimy rock in fact. (And then if you go off route, or the scramble is just a bit funny and not quite what the book says, you end crimping small holds, or using baggy jams and stuff and wishing you had chalk and a rack...).
Personally, I'd rather wear approach shoes for a multi-pitch diff, but really it depends on what you get used to. Sometimes, I'll have a pair of rockshoes with me and just put them on if it's getting a bit much in trainers - you could try that for a few routes and see if you ever end up changing into them?
Thinking about it VDiffs change so much between crags, I've happily worn either light boots of beefy approach shoes up things like Amphitheatre Buttress (VD) but plenty of VDiffs on grit that I think would be pretty scary for me with out rock shoes on.
Who else has the North East Buttress (VD) in summer? We did Raeburn's Arete first in rock shoes than changed back into boots to hike up the rest of NE Buttress (the majority of which I thought was lousy), but what's the Mantrap like in big boots or approach shoes? I took one look at it and put my rock shoes back on. And I still reckon it's about V2 even in your rock shoes!
Thanks for that Nathan. If my feet were narrower I would have bought a pair of La Sportiva - probably the boulder X as they look more serious and not too expensive. The Scarpa crux do fit great and feel great on me so I'm glad to know they can get up places such as where you mentioned your mates have used them. All good 🙂
Thanks Jon. That's a good suggestion to carry rock shoes the first few outings, just in case 👌😉
I’d say the Man Trap is probably Severe 4a but I’ve heard people quote it feeling VS if it’s at all damp. It’s certainly harder than any single move on Raeburn’s as I remember it, though it’s over very quickly.
I’ve only ever solo’d it in the dry with approach shoes and never had an issue but remember having to focus a bit more with a heavier bag after we did Long Division and continued up NE Buttress last summer.
> Thanks for that Nathan. If my feet were narrower I would have bought a pair of La Sportiva - probably the boulder X as they look more serious and not too expensive. The Scarpa crux do fit great and feel great on me so I'm glad to know they can get up places such as where you mentioned your mates have used them. All good 🙂
I did the Cuillin Ridge in Salewa Firetail mids. They were alright, but did get trashed, as the uppers are synthetic. And as others have said, you can turn your ankles in `mids'/soft boots as easily as in shoes. The guide I had in Syke wore Boulder X's (boots not shoes) and I've now got a pair and love them for scrambling/ridges etc. Can't see why you couldn't do the climbing sections on the Ridge in shoes you trust/like.
> I’d say the Man Trap is probably Severe 4a but I’ve heard people quote it feeling VS if it’s at all damp.
It is polished to a fine sheen isn't it? Obviously you can put a high nut in and stand in a sling or probably just clamber onto your mate Victorian-stylee if you needed, and it is very well protected - from what I remember the ledge below is probably big enough to stop you if you slipped off solo - but as an actual move I still reckon it's really hard! To keep to this thread's theme - I'm glad I had my rock shoes with me.
I had Sportiva Raptors that got trashed on the Cuillin so I got Cruxes which had tougher uppers and were perfect. Also used them on stuff like North Buttress on the Buachaille & Tower Ridge for a few years and they've held up fine, I use trail shoes for easier scrambles though so that saves wear on the Cruxes.
Anyone got any views on the Salomon X-Alp approach shoe? I bought a pair in a sale in Nevis Sports but have only worn them on gentle rolling terrain. Has anyone used them on mountain routes and if so how did they perform?
Thanks gman. I like the look of North Buttress on the buachaille. Still to tick off Broad Buttress as well though. The suede on these Scarpa Crux shoes feels pretty durable. I also have a pair of Adidas Terrex Swift Solo - the very lightweight version. Doubt they'd last long on the mentioned routes.
Mine seem to have lasted ages despite the alarmingly thin soles - this includes Cuillin traverses- cinch the laces tight for scrambling/climbing and they are fine.
Uppers will fall apart before the soles do.
That's brilliant, doz. I would really like to do the Cuillin Ridge (over 2 days with a bivvy on the ridge) but not in big boots. I was hoping someone would say they've done it in these shoes 😁👍
I generally reckon that, compared to my proper rock shoes, wearing my Guide Tennies costs me a grade, and wearing either my Zodiacs or R-Evo boots cost another grade. So a vdiff might 'feel' like a severe or HS if I'm wearing bigger boots. I think the effect is much more pronounced on gritstone, much less so on N Wales mountain routes.
So if your hardest lead to date is severe, don't get caught out! Keep a few grades in hand.
For what it's worth, I have done a fair amount of climbing in my Boulder X's, significantly harder than VDiff, they edge fine even on the slate. But you are right, they are not especially wide and I personally wear them slightly smaller than I would wear a normal trainer.
Thanks Jamie. Being out of action for so long I'll do some scrambles first. My fitness has suffered (key worker doing 6 days a week - I'm knackered).
I found Sportiva Ganda Guide (higher ankle version) very good in the Cuillin. I think they got top marks for climbing ability for approach shoes on Outdoorgearlab. However I think they've been discontinued, so probably hard to source, and I don't think there has been a similar style replacement (TX4 didn't seem similar).
I wore scarpa cruxes for the Cuillin Ridge and thought they worked really well. As you said they are very soft so not brilliant for small edges, but you don't get many of those on a VDiff.n Great for smearing and the rubber is really sticky. Was carry quite a heavy pack as bivvied half way through and didn't find lack of ankle support a problem at all.
I also often do low grade (up to VDiff) climbs in the Peak in them and they work really well for that too, soft so good for sqidging into jams and smearing on slopey holds.
> from what I remember the ledge below is probably big enough to stop you if you slipped off solo
Not sure I'd want to put that to the test!
There is a few pegs in-situ as well that make decent footholds, although I've never had to use them.
Done up to HVS in my 5:10 Guide Tennie's. They're very good for climbing in if you size them right, and I find every now and then I can do a route/boulder in them I can't do in normal shoes cause I can reach a tiny bit higher!