Described by Scarpa as a 'hybrid hiking and mountaineering boot' the Zodiac Tech is an especially versatile and light-ish B1 boot that's well suited to general year-round UK mountaineering, hillwalking and summer alpinism. For a crampon-compatible all rounder the Zodiac Tech is lightweight, nimble, and surprisingly waterproof. The uppers of my pair are still in great shape after several months of hard use, and the Gore-Tex lining is still going strong. My conclusion? At £290 they seem expensive but given they're over £150 cheaper than similar boots I've used, and unlike those boots are actually waterproof, it seems like great value for money.

In use

The crossover from winter to summer walking makes this a good option for UK users who might want to buy only one boot to do it all, from Munro bagging to easy winter ridges. They'd be ideal for scrambling, for those who prefer the added support of a boot over an approach shoe. And while they're a bit heavy and bulky for summer approach shoe duty in the UK, they're just the thing for high Alpine crags where the crampon compatibility often comes in handy. You could use them for via ferrata too - perhaps especially early in the season when some crampon compatibility might be handy.

Over a summer of guiding in the Alps I've worn them on, among other routes, the Hornli Ridge on the Matterhorn, the Alphubel Rotgrat, and the Breithorn Traverse. I've also carried them up the North Ridge of the Piz Badile to be worn on the approach and descent.

Fit and sizing

This boot is available in both men's and women's (lower volume) versions. There's also a low-cut shoe, the Zodiac GTX, that shares some characteristics (though it lacks the ankle support and crampon-compatible sole).

Overall I'd consider this a fairly wide-fitting boot, but fit with footwear is always a tricky one, and no boot will be any good if it doesn't fit you personally. We'd always recommend that folk (especially those new to wearing big boots) head to a specialist independent shop, with plenty of time to spare, and try them on. I didn't have this luxury and guessed size 44 as that often works for me with mountaineering boots. I could probably have got a 43.5 if I'd wanted a more performance fit, but imagine I'd have ended up with sore toes on long walks.

Upper

The uppers of the Zodiac Tech are In Perwanger suede plus a bit of hard-wearing textile, with a decent protective rand and a Gore-Tex lining. So far they seem durable and my only complaint is that the Anthracite colour looks rather boring. The Gore-Tex lining has proved very effective so far (they don't always seem to be on boots, in my experience), and despite spending a fair amount of time on soggy glaciers I am yet to get wet feet in the Zodiac Techs.

Although the ankle cuff looks low, in practice it doesn't feel low, both in terms of protection and flexibility. The tongue and cuff have a funny, slightly sticky feeling liner, which holds one's foot well, and is very comfy. It would be great if they had a rock shoe style clip loop on the back, so I could clip them to my harness whilst rock climbing.

Warmth

Whilst I haven't yet had cold feet wearing the Zodiac Techs, they're not a warm boot and you'd get very cold feet wearing them Scottish winter climbing, or climbing Mont Blanc by the Gouter Route. Bashing up easy winter gullies or ridges might be OK in fine weather, so long as you kept moving, and likewise winter hillwalking; but they are not built for sustained standing around in sub-zero conditions, making them doubtful for a winter belay. I guess the ideal remit is summer in the Alps.

Weight and durability

Weighing just 1360g per pair in size 42, according to Scarpa, these are light by the standards of a crampon-compatible leather boot, especially when you consider how durable they feel. As Scarpa boots, it'll come as no surprise that they are very well made. After having been used a lot for most of an alpine summer my pair are showing little to no signs of wear on the upper, and just some superficial scuffing on the sole.

Sole

The Zodiac tech has a Vibram sole, with a decent tread for use on both grass and snow, and a flat climbing zone at the toe. In my experience the soles edge well, are sticky on rock, grippy on gravel and grass, and seem quite durable. As a B1 boot they've got enough stiffness to provide some foot support when you're kicking steps into snow, but not for sustained front pointing. This is a mountaineering boot, not a full on technical winter climbing boot.

Because they have a ledge at the heel I have used both semi automatic and strap on crampons with the Zodiac Tech. They fit the Petzl Vasak, Grivel G12 and Grivel Monte Rosa perfectly. They're about as bendy a boot as I'd want to wear with crampons, though!

Value

The Zodiac Tech retails at £290, which compared to Scarpa's Ribelle Tech at £450 seems really very good value. This will be especially so if they last as well as I think they will.

Summary

For this sort of all-round B1 boot the Scarpa Zodiac Tech is lightweight, durable and good value for money. Although they are not the warmest boots on the market, they are plenty warm enough for the activities they are designed for, chiefly summer in the Alps and winter walking in the UK. The only thing I have against them is they don't have a karabiner clip loop, but I accept that might be a slightly niche use. Oh and the colour isn't quite as flamboyant as I'd like. If you're looking for a new boot for the Mittleggi on the Eiger, Hornli on the Matterhorn, Cuillin Ridge Traverse, Tower Ridge, or just a stack of scrambling in Cwm Idwal, then look no further.

Scarpa's blurb says they are 'chosen by guides' and in my case this is literally true; when I wear my pair out I imagine I'll just replace them like with like - and you probably can't give a better endorsement than that.