At some point in the ever-growing and increasingly specialised world of climbing shoes flat, comfortable shoes fell out of fashion and the focus of both climbers and manufacturers fell on down-turned extremely soft or extremely stiff shoes. The Scarpa Maestro is a welcome antidote to this: a pair of flat(ish) shoes which draw on the technological advances of Scarpa's most specialised models to give a great pair of all-rounders which perform extremely well whilst being a lot more comfortable than your average performance shoe.

A comfortable shoe is great for many things: long trad routes where you might be climbing for hours, multiple sport routes in the sun and relaxed bouldering circuits outdoors or at the wall. It's easy to get carried away by the latest developments in climbing shoe technology and think that your foot needs to be shaped like an eagle's claw simply to stand on an edge, but in reality a well-made pair of flat shoes is excellent for all but the steepest of routes. It's also sometimes nice to be able to walk around in your climbing shoes without giving yourself an injury, whether that's hopping around a boulder circuit on a nice evening or picking your way down the descent from a long route. The Scarpa Maestro ticks these boxes: they fit precisely to give good performance in the toe and heel without having any sore spots or forcing your foot into an unusual position.

Performance

Often the pay-off for a pair of comfortable shoes is their lack of performance. I first saw the Maestro at a trade show when one of the Scarpa reps explained to me all of the extremely specific and nuanced design that Scarpa have learned from creating their more aggressive shoes and implanted into the Maestro. The specifics were too technical for me, but whatever clever sewing and layering techniques they've used certainly work: the Maestro really does perform well. Whilst I would opt for a more specialised shoe to deal with a specific problem, such as very steep ground or a tricky heel hook, I have been wearing the Maestros a lot and have found that they're great for climbing right up to my limit, particularly for trad and sport.

I would describe the toe and front of the Maestro as medium-stiff: they're great for edging and, thanks to the softness of the midsole, excellent for smearing as you can really get a lot of weight over your toe. This makes the Maestro a great choice for climbing gritstone and sandstone routes. Whilst the softness of the midsole is great for smearing, it does mean that it can be difficult to get enough power through your toe on particularly small edges; if I was climbing on slate, for example, I would opt for a stiffer shoe. The heel is snug and has been great on the odd heel hook, although again if was bouldering a hard lip traverse I may opt for a more specialised shoe. Whilst I would put the Maestro firmly in the 'flat shoe' category, it is still ever so slightly down-turned. This gives the shoe slightly more power through the toe, however the Maestro is too flat to be much use on very overhanging ground. That's not really a bad thing, as flat shoes by their nature simply aren't suited to steepness, and the Maestro is designed to perform well in different ways.

The Maestro is an excellent all-rounder that allows you to climb right up to your limit - whether that be trad, sport or bouldering - by being suited to edging, smearing and heel hooking. That is what makes the Maestro a stand-out shoe for me: it really is excellent in its technical performance rather just being good; it's a viable alternative to the more aggressive shoes except in specific circumstances.

Comfort and Fit

My street shoe size is a UK 10; I've taken my Maestros in a 42.5, the same size I wear in the Scarpa Insinct VS, and they fit well. On me the fit is precise, and as they are lace-ups you can fine tune the fit slightly yourself. The shoe is asymmetrical and, thanks to the shape of the toe-box and sole you can feel that your weight is being encouraged towards your big toe.

One of the big plus points of a flat shoe is that it's comfortable to wear over a long period of time. The Mastero certainly excels in this regard: whilst the shoe fits extremely well and there is no baginess, I've found there are equally no hot spots or uncomfortable areas. They are also really comfortable when you're climbing - at least for a while. However, after a couple of months of use, the midsoles of my Maestros have become very soft and this means that they provide little support when standing on your toes. In addition, although the shoe is flat it does have quite high arches which puts additional pressure on the middle of your foot. As a result, my feet begin to ache on longer routes as my foot is effectively having to maintain tension rather than being supported by the sole of the shoe. This is a shame; as someone who's primarily a trad climber, I'd love to be able to have the Maestro as my go-to all rounder shoe for longer routes this summer. However, as I know that my feet will be uncomfortable on long routes, I'll save the Maestros for shorter ones.

According to Scarpa this shoe is designed for multi-pitch and big wall climbing - but I would beg to differ; it's simply not suportive enough for long days on your toes.

Materials

The uppers of the Maestro are a combination of microfibre and leather. The shoe hasn't stretched much apart from an initial bit of give, perhaps partly due to the high rand which covers the top of your toes. The Maestro features a full-length midsole and an 'Integral Power Connection' system to give both flexibility and support over prolonged use: I've found that the Maestros are more flexible than supportive. The sole is 4mm of Vibram XS Edge which is nice and sticky and hasn't shown any signs of wear over months of use.

I'm no expert in climbing shoe material and construction, but a quick look at the Maestro reveals some intricate stitching and construction which clearly help make the shoe technically proficient whilst being flat. It's certainly worth a watch of the video below where Nathan explains the construction of the Maestro. Brownie points for anyone who can remember everything he says!

Overall

Overall the Scarpa Maestro is an excellent all-rounder which gives more performance than you might expect from a flat shoe, and particularly from a jack of all trades. Whilst the Maestro is comfortable to wear initially, I have experienced some discomfort when wearing it for longer routes due to the softness and lack of support. If you're looking for a flat shoe that will enable you to edge, smear and heel hook effectively without wrecking your feet, I would highly recommend the Maestro; but if you prefer something stiffer in the midsole then you'll unfortunately have to look elsewhere.

Scarpa say:

The Maestro has a straight and slightly downturned shape with a medium-to-low angled toe box. It's designed for multi-pitch and big wall climbing.

A revolutionary shoe that offers stability for standing on small edges and yet has enough flex for smearing.

The secret of this shoe lies in its refined layers of technology. Starting with an intricately-stitched 3 panel Eco Leather upper with air holes for long term wear and comfort. A full-length Janus 1.1mm plastic insert and IPC-Tension active randing system gives integral support to the foot while under pressure on small holds and maintains flex for smearing while Combination lace system spreads pressure evenly across the forefoot.

Built on a master-crafted FY last, the Maestro has a straight and slightly downturned shape with a medium-to-low angled toe box that allows the Maestro to be fitted with a semi knuckled-up or flatter toe position depending on what you're after. All this sits on a 4mm Vibram XS Edge full length sole combined with 2mm XS Grip 2 heel underlay.

A combination of high tech materials and decades of experience has produced a shoe that excels in the vertical world.

• Price: £120
• Sizes: 39 - 50
• Rand: IPC-Tension
• Sole: Vibram XS EDGE 4.0mm & 2mm XS Grip
• Last: FY
• Upper: 2mm Suede + Microfibre
• Mid Sole: 1.1mm-1.4mm Talyn

For more info see scarpa.co.uk