Exum Mountain Guides wanted a fully supported hiking boot they could use to get from the mountain base well up into the vertical. The trick was finding a beefy approach shoe that performed like a hiking boot down low, but could stick and smear on the big scramble and rock faces up high. Most approach shoes are like climbing sneakers, they aren't made to support a guy wearing a big pack. Exum ended up going to Scarpa for some help and the Dharma Pro was born.
Scarpa makes some great mountaineering footwear; you may have a pair of their popular Kailash hiking boots from your last deployment. Exum is the county's oldest climbing instruction organization and even has a military program called XMS3.
Scarpa's upcoming Dharma Pro takes the approach shoe concept a step further by adding sticky dot climbing rubber under the forefoot and giving it a mid-top for more support and protection. The shoe itself is a modified version of their Zen approach shoe. Scarpa replaces the hiking tread with sticky dot climbing rubber and ads extra height to help keep scree out of the boot when moving through talus. The fully board lasted construction in the Dharma Pro is straight out of the old school rock climbing playbook.
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Board lasted means there's stiff platform that the upper is sewn into from beneath. This sits atop the midsole and gives the shoe a lot of torsional rigidity and underfoot support. Practically speaking, this means when you put your big toe on an edge, the whole length of the shoe becomes a platform to support your foot. This is in contrast to a slip lasted construction, which feels like a slipper --offering great feel, but little support.
This brings us to the why-should-I-care portion. Northern Afghanistan. At least on paper, this shoe looks like a great patrol boot. It's light, but has support. It's got a fully realized hiking boot heel complete with a breaking tread for the trail. The climbing shoe stiffness and stickyness are ideal for getting up the mountaingoat-steeps when you're already off balance from carrying weapons and gear. Lastly, the Dharma Pro is a non Gore-Tex shoe, which means the thing will not get clammy in the heat.
On the downside, it's still using an EVA midsole which is lighter and more cushiony than a PU midsole. So, its not going to last under load as long as a true hiking boot. Also, consider the effect of using board lasted construction in a hiking boot. Scarpa's board is made form cellulose fiber and polyurethane resin which will flex, but without wearing one it's hard to know if it will feel too stiff and end up as a ground slapper on the flats.
Scarpa NA is importing the Dharma Pro as a limited run to go on sale in January for $169 MSRP. If you want to give them a shot, get in line now at the retailers listed below. Scarpa also revamped their website last week and added an ecommerce feature so you can shop from their site, but I'm guessing these shoes will all end up out at retailers.
moreFrom Scarpa's spec sheet:
- Durable leather construction
- Mid-top height provides good support without restriction
- Sticky dot rubber forefoot for solid climbing performance
- Cushy heel and defined braking area for stability and traction up and down
- Upper: Suede
- Lining: Vellutina
- Plate: P-Flex
- Midsole: Dual-Density Molded EVA
- Outsole: Vibram® Spyder/Dot combo
- Last: BH
- Sizes: 36 – 47, 48 (half sizes)
- Weight: 454g; 16oz (1/2 pair size 42)
- Color: Smoke/Fog
- Product Code: 72555/350
Available from:
Oregon Mountain Community, Portland, Oregon
Tent and Trails, New York
The Mountaineer, New York
Neptune Mountaineering, Boulder, CO
Bent Gate Mountaineering, Golden, CO
Mountaingear.com
Zappos.com
