ZODIAC TECH GTX MEN'S (SPRING 2023)

I purchased my Zodiac Tech GTX when they first came out several years ago. I've climbed all over US and British Columbia. The ultimate test for these boots was hiking all the way through Glazier National Park. We started on west side at Bowman Lake, hiked high elevation, just below Canadian border all the way to Going to Sun Road on east side of park. In June expect very adverse hiking conditions from high low elevation heat and roaring rivers too high elevations on slick steep glaciers. These boots are the answer for Glacier National Park! They dried rather quickly from sweat or elements. Very light weight and extremely supportive as our packs were 45 lbs for the round trip of 90 miles in 7 days. Soles gripped slippery rock quite well. Scarpa, please do not EVER discontinue this boot, it's absolutely perfect! DON'T change anything with it.

Personal note: some years ago, a dear friend of mine was killed here in Colorado doing a class 1-2 climb on Mt. Hope, despite having previously climbed all of Colorado's 14ers, many multiple times. I did a number of Class IV and V climbs with him. But yet, he died on a Class I-II when he slipped and fell. So I write this with that sobering reality on my mind whenever I climb. For safety, you must have excellent, reliable traction. The Zodiacs are not "hiking boots", friends. You use the Zodiacs for safety on *steep* bare rock and scree, where they simply excel in every respect. Don't expect them to be comfy hiking, that's not what they are made for. The traction on steep rock extremely impressive, they are great in jam cracks, and stability on scree is amazing. As to comfort: because the boots have very stiff soles, you may get some pounding on the weight-bearing bony areas of your foot. For me that was felt on the ball of my feet on the approach and descent hikes. This can be solved by moldable footbeds if you have a problem with it. I would also plan on using these boots on a number of smaller hikes before attempting a longer effort to get your feet adjusted to them including the cuffs. A note on sizing: I have a solid 12 US foot size, and the 46 are right for me. I think a 46.5 might be slightly more comfortable, but you would get some wobble inside the boot which defeats the purpose. Five stars, folks.

I found these when looking for a lwt approach boot. My intention was to use this one on class 4, easy 5th class, approaches to bigger objectives and long days. I have other Scarpa boots that are beefer and some more technical Scarpa boots that are, surprisingly, very similar in weight. And it is much easier to get in and out of. Out of the box I did an easy 10 miles on flat ground in these. My feet were still happy at the end of it. Next step was to fit a pair of hybrid crampons. This boot will be going to a lot of places I never initially expected this Spring. Fit is really good for my low volume size 46 foot. I actually like the Scarpa insoles enough that I am not using my custom orthotics. This boot is a pleasant surprise from a purchase I wasn't expecting much from. Scarpa has another home run for a lwt technical boot here.