UKC

UKC's Rob Greenwood and Alan James take a joint look at the new Scarpa Boostic, and reach quite different verdicts. Is it an improvement on the previous version? It depends who you ask.

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In reply to UKC Gear:

Size 46 please =(

In reply to UKC Gear:

It's not just you. The only stiff technical shoe that fits my foot is the Otaki with XS Edge. Perfect for Malham. I've heard the Instincts described as stiff, but I would say they're soft. The new Vapour Lace is somewhere in between the two.

Never tried the Boostic but I'll try some on when I get chance. The price is a bit off putting though.

In reply to UKC Gear:

Good review Rob, can you give any guidance on where these sit relative to the Instinct VS in terms of fit and stiffness? 

In reply to UKC Gear:

The discussion on build quality + resole potential is very interesting as I always use Scarpa shoes. However my few experiences of climbing shoe resoling has been uniformly terrible (think floppy shoes with none of the original stiffness or edging ability). 

Where do folk go for a decent climbing shoe resole??

With thanks, Peter

In reply to RBK:

I meant to include this in the review, as I had a feeling it was going to come up, but then the review was already quite long and once you start comparing it to other shoes, where do you stop?! That said, more than happy to answer it here, as it's probably a more natural place for it to be posted anyway.

The Boostic/Instinct differ in several ways and I'll cover each in turn:

Assymetry

This is potentially the most obvious point of difference, insofar as when you put them side by side the contrast between the two is hard not to notice, with the Instinct being pretty much straight compared to the radical levels of asymmetry in the Boostic. 

Toe Profile

The Instinct features a centralised toe profile, whereas the Boostic's very much focusses on putting power through the big toe. 

Support

The new Boostic is definitely a stiffer and more supportive shoe than the Instinct, partly because of its full length sole (the Instinct, in comparison, features a split sole which helps to provide more sensitivity). However, it's neither as stiff or as supportive as its predecessor...sadly...

Sizing

I went a half size up from what I wear in the Instinct to what I wear in the Boostic, which felt about right. 

Hope that's of help!

In reply to peterp:

I've had positive experiences with Llanberis Resoles.

In recent years Scarpa have started their own re-soling service, which I've heard good things about. Here's a link to more info: https://www.scarpa.co.uk/resole-service/

In reply to UKC Gear:

I really think Scarpa produces just soft shoes, it's just a matter how soft you like them. And no, I don't think the Maestro are serious contender for hard edging climbing. Having said that, I noticed that in the Peak and Yorkshire there are far more Scarpa users than Sportiva users, so maybe people do like soft shoes and the stiff "crowd" are a rare species in decline? 

In reply to UKC Gear:

Good review as always. I gravitate towards Scarpa for fit, quality, plus sheer bewilderment of choice if you include all brands, so it's good to hear more. I'm a natural skinflint so rarely pay full price and resole as a green/tightwad ...but there's always a slight risk doing that. £45-£50 vs discounted new feels like an ok trade off. Scarpa's 70 quid offering seems a bit steep. I'm sure they do a sterling job of course.

@peterp - I actually have a newer pair of Vapours side by side with a resole from Cheshire. I struggle to tell them apart in feel, more demanding people might find different but they're good for me (they're my comfy shoes).

In reply to steveriley:

A new vapour vs a resoled old style vapour?  I'm beginning to think the pair I bought recently went wrong in production.  They're totally different shoes with the new ones stretching out quite dramatically.

In reply to Johnhi:

Sorry no, two pairs of the previous yellowy green model.

In reply to UKC Gear:

Thanks for the review guys, very informative, I think I'll be sending my old ones in for a resole (might try Scarpa).

So where does that leave us for stiff shoes options?

Miura VS
Katana Lace
UP Lace?
Kataki?
Maestro - even in size EU36 my GF says these go soft
TC Pro - maybe not as versatile as the old Boostic?

How would you say the new Boostics compares in the support department?

In reply to Tigger:

Get yourself a nice pair of Boreal ballet, still board lasted I believe, can't get much stiffer than that 

Plus they look old school legendary

In reply to misterb:

I have pondered, good enough for the Indan Face iirc?

In reply to UKC Gear:

Having worn a pair for 2 months now here are some thoughts:

They are much more big toe focused than the Instinct range and as a consequence fit me far better. If you've got a long second toe you're probably better off in the Instinct, but for those of us with a big big-toe the Boostics are a better fit.

Yes, they are stiff, but amazingly sensitive given the stiffness. The Instinct VS feel stiffer to me but they are numb underfoot. I'm happy to trade the last 5% of stiffness for a great deal more sensitivity.

Size wise, I went up 0.5 Euro from the Instinct VS and they feel perfect. Very snug but not uncomfortable. They are still 1.5 Euro down on my usual shoe, but I do fit small and don't do trad so I'm not looking for all day comfort. I suspect if you went closer to shoe size you might lose some performance but still have a fantastic hard trad shoe.

Overall, they are the shoe the Boosters should have been.

Andy F

In reply to Tigger:

It would be interesting to hear from the people who used to climb hard in this style of shoe as to their merits, not sure whether TC pros are board lasted and haven't used them myself but they seem to get favourable reviews 

I bet they both would be great on the slate edges 

In reply to misterb:

My GF literally just picked up a new pair of Maestro's, they have tweaked the design sonthat they are now lined, which may stop them bagging out so much. 

I do wonder what the 'pros' use tbh, I wonder if they can get away woth softer shoes because they're head pointing and probably also have stronger feet?

I'm sure at my level Boreal Jokers could be used, but something more precise always feels more confidence inspiring, the closer to a stiff glove type fit the better (AKA the old Boostics).

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Not anymore thanks to brexit...

In reply to joe.91:

How does Brexit affect Scarpa resoles?

In reply to Tigger: because its a piece of work therefore the shoe has to be exported to Europe and reimported..

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Thanks for this - the Llanberis outfit look good, as do Scarpa themselves. I'll give one of them a whirl and see what the result is like... 

In reply to misterb:

FYI they are skip lasted now.

In reply to UKC Gear:

I'm glad I bought a new pair a few months.. I always liked the stiffness and used them only on limestone style sport where i needed precise and stiff edging - normally on harder routes.

I've been using the instinct for a softer all round shoe and the 2 shoes complemented each other nicely.. if the boostics are now closer to the instinct it makes you wonder why they did that ?