Scarpa Booster Climbing Shoe - Vibram XS Grip

In my opinion I think there are much better shoes out there. I love Scarpa, but it seems like they were intentionally trying to make the heel cups on the Boosters 5 sizes too big... I still just don't get why the heels are so big! If you want to stick with Scarpa then I would suggest trying the Vapor Vs... But! again in my opinion, I am still in love with La Sportiva's Solutions.

Scarpa have done it again and created a beast of a shoe for anything steep. The Boosters boast an amazing last which will allow you to do your best in any roof. I wouldn't use these on slabs though...I had to purchase these 2 sizes higher than what I wear in La Sportiva.

Really aggressive shoes; great performance on steep rock. I struggle with finding shoes that don't leave dead space in the heels. These don't, so I love 'em!

One of the best shoes out there... as long as you don't mind sacrificing some comfort. Breaking them in is painful. The Vibram XS soles stick to just about anything, and the REALLY down-turned toe provides great power/control. Perfect for tough problems, just don't plan on wearing them all day. For more comfort check out the Vision V. I have them one full size lower than my street shoes (8.5 ---> 40)

after several months of use i feel these shoes are great on over hangs but not so good on anything else. it isn't what id like to have in a shoe maybe its just preference. i don't like these much for edging im noticing more and more my feet poppin off some of the smaller edges and the heel is quite baggy and even almost pulls the shoe off from heel hooks, for toe hooks they do good but as for me these shoes only do good in 2 things witch isn't enough to warrant me the paying 140$ also the pain after just the smallest use is unbearable the rubber on them seems to work quite nice kinda sticky and after all the use iv put on them the rubber is still in good shape, i will continue to use these for boulder problems but that's about it

They're alright. I like some of their other shoes better, but they are great on roof climbs.

I got them about a week ago and took them back with in the week.. one of the best shoes for the toeing in to anything and has a wide toe box which is nice if you have a wide foot like i do. The heel hook had a huge pocket and was very thin, making heel hooking hard and kind of painful. I wear size 10 street shoe and when down to a size 40 or 7 1/2 in them, but they still had the pocket in the heel.

all in all a pretty good shoe

Aggressive? yes and all the wonderful precision that goes with it, but since the 4mm rubber stops just below the ball of your foot, easy to open up and smear.

Comfortable!! Very snug tight fit, but good padding under the leather on the top of the shoe, so while responsive and tight, not pinching. even after a 4 pitch trad day my dogs weren't barking too bad.

As far as being technical, I prefer bouldering (though leading sport and trad is a blast also) and these crush.

Nothing bad to say, except I'm nervous on getting them re-soled do to the weird rubber configuration, but worth it to have such a comfortable, smearable super aggressive shoe.

The steeper the better, thats how steep. These shoes chew up roof routes and offer super powerful edging. The design of the shoe forces the toes into a bit of a pooch that can be tough to fit into tight spots but otherwise the shoe is flawless. Also check out the La Sportiva Solution if you like these...

The best sport shoe ive had in a long time. i climb at rifle and pump o rama felt like 12c after i strapped on the power of the boosters. THey also arn't too bad for smearing as some may suggest. Exotic headach on independence pass was no trouble for these shoes, smearing intended.

These shoes are radically down turned. If you need that/are in to that, then these may be awesome for you. I also thought the heels were pretty baggy, more so than the 5.10 Anazasi. But, this may be foot specific.

The craftsmanship on these shoes was superb. Great stiching on quality materials. That's pretty reasurring these days.

All in all, the Boosters seem great, but not my style.

Don't know if you can still get a pair. I got mine 1/2 price as they were end of line. I always have 5 or 6 pairs of rockshoes. I try every innovation and usually end up wearing my 5.10 Annasazis. The Boosters really shocked me, they wrapped themselves round my narrow feet and although they hurt a bit for three days, they fitted beautifully after that and definitely allowed me to climb a grade harder - Wow!

Don't let other reviews fool you, the heel works just fine. I was initially worried as the heel fit kind of funny, but after some use I would definitely say I like the heel better than my old la sportiva miura vc. The booster's heel is the most sensitive I've climbed with and it molded to my foot with more use. The rest is just as awesome, the shoe's design forces your toe into a position that really creates a powerful boost when you need it.

Break-in wasn't that bad. The first few days of climbing were tough but not terrible, unless you're not accustom to a down-turned design, then they might seem pretty rough.

Sized one size down from my regular street size, I got a size 42 and my street size is a 43. I've got a medium sized foot as it's not too wide or thin.

i love my boosters. they absolutely kill overhangs, with practice they can also be a great slab shoe, believe it or not. they make small foot hold big and big foot holds ledges. the heel feels a bit floppy but if you really trust heel hooks they work fine. it took a few weeks to break them in, which was torture, but after that the leather forms to your feet which makes them have a vacuum fit. im on my third pair now and will not buy another shoe until the booster is discontinued.

This shoe offers incredible control and precision on all manner of vertical and steep climbing. They have also smeared very well when called upon to do so, though I definitely won't be breaking them out for any slab climbs. These shoes are ridiculously sticky even during the break in phase, which, thankfully, doesn't take too long. On sizing: I have a slightly wider foot than normal, and while I wear a 10.5 in street shoes, the 42.5 in these make for a very nice fit (for further comparison, I wear 42 in the scarpa Vision V and 10 in evolv defy's and while the Scarpa heels fit me well, La Sportiva heel cups have always been either too high or just just too big and pouch-like for my foot). These are a great purchase (worth every penny) and if you're going aggro, these are the shoes to get.

Absolutely my favorite shoe I have owned, which include venoms and solutions. vibram xs rubber. great fit. although, go with your street shoe size. its not a normal sizing so just your street shoe size or a half size smaller.

I have only gotten a few chances so far to use my new boosters, but I really do love them. They are a great shoe for bouldering which is what I bought them for. There is nothing the boosters aren't good for when it comes to bouldering with them. BUT I must say that my heal doesn't fit perfectly into the heel pocket of the shoe because it is so deep, or maybe my heel is just a weird shape. Overall they are an awesome shoe. FYI my running shoe size is a 45 and I got the boosters in a 44.

The sizing is a little off from the older scarpa shoes and they take some time to break in. Try them on before you buy them. If you need a steep climbing shoe these do the trick. Get the scarpa vision v if your looking of a great all around shoe including the steep stuff.

The break-in process is almost unbearable, you'll constantly put them on and off,but after a week the material feels comfortable and the shoes stretch a bit. They are excellent on steep walls and roofs/caves. The rubber on the heel is thin so this allows greater sensitivity while heel hooking. The rubber patch on the toes hasn't worked well on plastic holds, but it felt solid outdoors. The downturn toebox allows you to apply maximum power to your toes and keeps you clinging onto the smallest footholds. The velcro fastener straps are really aggressive and lock your foot in place. I wear a 9.5 in La Sportiva Solutions, and a 10.5 in La Sportiva Muira, and in the the Scarpa Boosters I wear a 10(a 10.5 probably would have been better). My foot is a size 11. I recommend these as a secondary pair of shoes for those steep problems.

Just recieved these about two weeks ago and you get what you pay for. Very downturned and aggressive, I didn't find the break in to be that uncomfortable but others would disagree. The rubber is phenomanaly sticky and the toe is treaded just right for toe hooks. I find the heel a little loose. Its fine and should mold after more hard use though. I mostly climb indoors as there is very little real rock in Illinois. Should be taking a Devil's Lake trip soon and I will report back then! Overall very nice shoe, not comfortable, but helpful in sending tough boulder problems.

I love these shoes. They are like nothing else i have ever worn. they are uncomfortable for a little while but once they are broken it they are amazing. the sizing is definitely a little off from La Sportiva, because i tried on a 39.5 Testerossa and i couldn't fit my foot into a 39.5 Booster. This is definitely my all time favorite shoe

hard to break in, but once they fit you there's nothing left to wish for (might be due to a rather broad foot, too). the steeper, the better, the steeper! they are very precise and give good feedback. they also stick like glue, my feet are the last thing to come off since i have them. only good things to say about those, get a pair! downsized one (and a half-ish) size.

I rolled in the boosters for a year and a half but i ripped through them and had to settle for mad rock conflicts from my local climbing store and I miss my boosters dearly. After you climb in them nothing will ever be good enough again.

Perfect shoe for Arkansas bouldering which has a ton of steep roofs. I have found that these shoes toe-hook really well, but the material above the rand started to come apart after only a few weeks. The small rips have not gotten any bigger after six months, though, even after doing some really technical toe hooks. The heel is amazing, too... maybe the best feature. Heel hooks are very comfortable in this shoe. The straps are designed perfectly. you can adjust the fit of the shoe to meet the style of the problem.

Don't believe the people that say this shoe is only good for roofs or edging. I sent the trifecta on the millipede boulder on a hp 40 trip back in January with the boosters. The power is so good in these shoes that I just smeared the end of my big toe up all of the problems. So much power.

Sizing??? Many people suggested to not go a size down from my street, so I went a half size... They felt too comfortable. No pain at all compared to other downturned shoes I've tried. I've sport climbed in them a bit and have no trouble keeping them on unless the temps are below 40. Next pair I get will be a full size down from my street, for sure.

So... I definitely recommend these... Six months of solid use so far not alternating with other shoes and the rubber doesn't even look close to blowing out.

Shoe performs great. Probably better if you have a short/wide foot. I wear a 10.5 street shoe and got a 42. the shoe fits tight but the straps/ upper are too big to clamp my foot down any more. it would fit just as well without them.

usually my first climb of the day is super painful, i warm up using my heals on jugs to stand it. for some reason it feels better and better, and an hour in i can almost belay in them.

also, after a few climbs the exposed leather on the toe knuckle is showing wear as others have mentioned

A very slick looking shoe. I've used them in the gym and outdoors, in multi pitch climbs. I must say I regretted taking them on the longer climbs, simply because they are hell on your toes compared to the other shoes I have been through (Evolves and 5.10, none of them with aggressive toes) Still, I like bouldering in these shoes,

Like everyone says, these are very painful to break in and even when broken in, they're still not shoes you want to keep on for hours. When it comes to breaking in these shoes, I have to say wearing socks for the first couple weeks actually helps a lot...I can't explain why, but it just does. (I sized my Boosters 1.5 sizes down from my street shoes). Once broken in these shoes are crazy, incredibly powerfully and accurate.

Great shoes. Definitely not for anything flat. Great for hanging around in caves and may be decent for sport climbing.

the scarpa booster is an excellent shoe once broken in, which takes a while. It took me a couple weeks of pain. The pain was a result of a narrow toe box. The shoe conforms to your foot for a snug fit and will not pop off even when it isn't velcroed. My feet stick to everything. I highly recommend these shoes, also downsize one and a half sizes, these are very stretchy.

this is the first down-turned shoe i've worn and there isn't a problem with it yet... it sticks well with no problems good for heel hooks toe hooks and all that and the fit is a little weird but easy to get use to

The Scarpa Booster are overall an amazing shoe. I found the break in of the shoe to be near unbearable but after a week or so the shoe molded to my feet like cancer to a prostate. A "well fitted shoe" will provide suburb aggression on any overhang and a great platform for slab. The heals are solid, i love it. A con for this shoe i found was the material at the toe end is being eaten away from so much feature scraping. Little tape fixed that. Lov'em.

if you're looking for a new shoe don't hesitate to buy these. i own shoes from the testorosa to the moccosun and these kick all their butts. only con is that it doest smear as well as slippers.

Buy them! I had La Sportiva Mythos before in size 9 and I got my Booster's in 7 2/3. I wear a size 10.5 street shoe so they hurt the first week but then the pain goes away. Great for toe and heel hooking and never feel like the heel is slipping. Feel and look great. I have gotten considerably better and I am sure the shoes have much to do with it!