UKC

We're just back from the annual summer gear-fest that is the OutDoor trade show. As Europe sweltered in the heat the world's outdoor industry gathered in Munich to network, drink beer and showcase their shiny new stuff. For us it's a great opportunity to catch up with brands both big and small, and check out some of the products that'll be hitting the shops in the near future. Here is a roundup of the most eye-catching new climbing shoes and mountain footwear:

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In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Can I say on behalf of all vegans, thankyou Scarpa for getting your vegan range going! Hoping the Vapour V goes the same way. 

Not sure about waiting a whole year to get my hands on them though... Who's back do I have to scratch at UKC to become chief vegan correspondent and get some models to test? 

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

*yawn*

Bet you're fun at parties. 

In reply to TheClimbingWallCritic:

Dude, what's your problem?

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Just wondering how many more times you could mention the fact your vegan in one post.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Would have liked to hear more about the new Boreal Ballet, but that was a pretty useless review.

In reply to Rob Parsons:

No doubt we'll get a pair in for review as/when they arrive next year, but in the meanwhile watch this space...

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Yes, it was an interesting to see that this development went beyond just a single product and onto each and every release for 2020. What we should have asked (but didn't) was whether this is something we can expect to see as standard. I'll see if I can find this out the next time I bump into Nathan...

In reply to TheClimbingWallCritic:

I'm not sure your comment is really worth engaging with, but just wanted to say that anyone with the username 'TheClimbingWallCritic' is highly unlikely to be the life and soul of the party

Not that I've ever met the guy, but purplemonkeyelephant at least sounds he has the potential to be a laugh - if a little psychedelic...

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

So Boreal still have nothing to replace the Drom approach shoe? But we now have an 80s style rock shoe, great.

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Hi Rob, do you know if Tenaya still make the Masai or are they phasing it out? It looks like stocks aren't being replenished in France, which is a bummer as I was thinking they might be a great replacement to my Pinks for mountain routes with lots of cracks of all sizes. Mind you, I'm quite intrigued by the Ballet... Also looking at the Maestro and the TC Pro.

Thank you and the rest of the team for the great work.

In reply to Adrien:

Masai is still in the range with no plans to remove. There is stock in the UK!!

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

I have nothing against vegans and eat rather little meat, but I think these vegan branded shoes are more about marketing. I doubt many choose their equipment based on the use of leather. 

In effect they have found a way to sell the replacement of expensive split leather with cheap plastic fibres as something positive. I doubt that it has replacing a natural (How biodegradable is leather anyhow?) material that's pretty much a side effect of meat consumption with a petroleum based material has a positice eco balance. Not unless they replace the leather with a plant based material.

In reply to Marmolata: I suspect you'd be surprised at how many ask for such.

To Rob Greenwood:: I'm looking forward to seeing some veloce as a training shoe.  I'm also curious as to how Scarpa separate the vapor lace up from the maestro... Lots of overlap?

As an aside I've seen several people in ballets recently - fashion?

In reply to Marmolata:

Pretty much every high end shoe has some synthetic component be it midsole, laces, lining, upper - hell basically every piece of climbing equipment is plastic. Slings, ropes, cam triggers, harnesses, gym holds etc. To be honest I would prefer all of these things to be made of natural materials, but until it can be I would rather not use leather simply for the fact no animal had to die for it (not to mention the environmental cost of livestock and the chemicals involved in stabilising leather). Unless you object to all the other plastic in climbing, I can't imagine why it's so odd for me to want a purely synthetic shoe. 

In reply to Euan McKendrick:

Huh, it's weird, the largest climbing shop in France (Au Vieux Campeur) has only had Masais in 45 1/2 for at least 6 months, hence my question. Even Barrabes France don't stock them, even though it's a Spanish shop. Ah well, there's no rush.

In reply to Marmolata:

A company using marketing to drive sales... whatever next. 

Beef cows and leather cows generally aren't the same so its unlikely that the leather used is a byproduct of the food industry. 

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

With a two or three exceptions (I kinda want to try the Ballet's tbh) they're all soft shoes! Give me something I can stand around in for a hour whilst I fiddle one more piece of gear into a nest that already consists of half my rack.

In reply to Tigger:

If they ever come out, 5.10 are releasing some stiff high tops (Grandstone). Starting to doubt it though as they were supposed to be released in April in the U.S. and can't see any sign of them. 

In reply to Tigger:

I spoke to Nathan about this when we were on the Scarpa stand, because much like you I want a shoe with a bit of support.

I think he admitted that they'd gone a bit OTT, but as you can probably tell from the videos Nathan is an OTT kind of guy - hence it's not all a bad thing as it has led to a whole range of new/futuristic climbing shoes. Given the growth in both indoor and competition climbing it's hardly a surprise that this has been their focus, as it means they're ahead of the curve.

That said, he admitted that where he's based in Arco he can't actually use 99% of the new shoes because of how soft they are. Much like here in the UK, you need something with a bit of support to stand on the small holds that prevail throughout the area.

In terms of where this leaves us, I suspect we've got a few supportive shoes coming our way soon (of which the Vapour Lace is the first).

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

They aren't new but for stiffer shoes, there's the Mago, Instinct VS and Boostic (if you can still find them in your size).

Have you heard anything on the grapevine about whether there are any plans to update the Boostic? 

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Question - why can you be a vegan and travel worldwide using planes to get to destinations you want to climb? Every part of this process disrupts the environment and the nature that resides in it. Just wondering, thank you! Even if Scarpa did/didn't use leather for their shoes - they are still shipped/flown to your residing country which goes back to the point above. I'm just curious. 

In reply to JumanSayegh:

1. Do you actually know whether purplemonkeyelephant flies all over the world?

2. Environmental concerns aren't the only reasons people choose veganism.

3. There's no point letting perfection get in the way of progress. A positive step for the environment is still positive, even if there are other areas for improvement.

In reply to JumanSayegh:

What Luke90 said.

Especially point 3. Why is peoples initial reaction when someone is trying to improve themselves to try and find some hypocrisy within that person? "Yeah but if you were on a desert island starving to death and there was only you and a chicken would you eat that chicken?" - if I had a £ for every time I had that question. And most often from people that don't give a s**t about the ethics of anything. 

"Vegan" is just a label, I don't really feel proud of it or care about it or even want it, but it's a means to an end with food/clothing etc. It doesn't mean I'm perfect, I'm always working on myself and trying to take a cerebral approach to all areas of my life and the impact it has on the planet in all forms. But jesus christ, sometimes a guy just needs some new climbing shoes! 

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Fingers crossed, I did take a shot at the Boostics you mentioned a while ago and really get along with them, they fit me far better than Instinct and have been superb on thin slabs. Maybe not quite a stiff as the Miura VS but for me a better shoe all round.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

No mention of Black Diamond rock shoes, have the up graded any of their range As they have been out around 2 years now, and they don't seam to be pushing them into the shops.

Keith s

In reply to thepodge:

Are you sure? My understanding is that the vast majority of (cow) leather is from dairy or meat cows.  It could be argued it is a byproduct however it is more akin to a subsidy as the leather is a profitable source of income in itself.  

https://www.viva.org.uk/leather-report