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The Zen blends the comfort of an approach shoe with the support of a light hiking boot. This is ideal for hikers who like to venture off trail. The athletic last makes it comfy on approach, and the outsole features a honeycomb tread pattern in the center for grip with lugged treads on the outside for traction. This hybrid outsole maximizes traction and durability but also supports more technical scrambling. All-leather uppers mean durability for the alpine or word traveler.
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Features
* Roll over any of the highlighted features above to see more detailed information about that feature.
EVA cushioning for all-day-long adventures
Molded Vibram® Spyder® sole is designed for approach versatility
Rubber toe rand for added protection
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Sizing
SCARPA Sizing Chart
Measure your foot with a ruler, using cm or inches; convert to Euro or US using this chart. If you need mondo sizing, please refer to the SCARPA chart on this page/tab.
We recommend you purchase two sizes, the size you think you are plus one .5 size bigger for fit testing at home. As long as the products are in like new condition and the packaging is 100% intact, we will credit you for the returned product.
General fitting rules depend on the product's intended use... follow the appropriate guidelines below for best results.
Trail/mountain/approach/lifestyle products:
- The bigger/heavier/more supportive the product, the more you may want to upsize .5 - 1full size. Lighter, softer, more supple shoes can be sized closer to your measured size.
- Note: SCARPA Plastic mountain boots all use UK sizing; UK converts easily: 1 full size smaller than US men's size, 2 sizes smaller than US women's size.
- Try on with appropriate socks for your usage. The bigger the boot, the more appropriate a bigger sock (sounds crazy, huh?)
- If you use orthotics or already have aftermarket footbeds, measure against the standard footbed in boot. Fit into boot for sizing/fitting the boot.
- Best to try on at the end of the day when your feet are larger/swollen, than when your feet are fresh to ensure good fit after a long day.
- Lacing can play an incredibly important part of a good fit. Be sure to play with lacing when analyzing fit.
- Make sure your heel isn't slipping.
- Make sure your toes aren't hitting the end.
**Approach shoes may be sized smaller for performance purposes but beware... small shoes are really uncomfortable on the trail.
Rock climbing shoes
- From your measured size, you'll want to consider downsizing .5 - 2 full sizes. The flatter the shoe, the closer to your measured size; the more downturned/aggressive the shoe, the more you'll want to downsize.
- The best fit is comparative between sizes and only you will be able to judge that, though an experience climber could offer good insights to your fit.
- If it feels painful, it may break in... or it may not.
- Pain sucks as a rule of thumb though and makes climbing miserable.
- Only you can judge what's 'acceptable' discomfort.
- Good fitting rock shoes shouldn't necessarily be 'comfortable' by walking/running shoe standards.
- Look for looseness/bagginess in the toes and heel. Bagginess can mean 'slop' when climbing with feet perspiring, etc.
- Toes should completely fill the toebox.
- Heel should feel solid; like they won't pull off if heel hooking.
- Any foot movement in new shoes will mean sloppy fit when broken in.
Ski boots
- From your measured foot, convert to US size using the scale. Translate the US size to Mondo size using the SCARPA mondo scale (not 'true' mondo conversion)
- Shell fit: taking liner out of the shell and inserting foot, toes touching end of shell but completely flat.
- Should have 1.5 - 2 fingers of space behind heel and heel of shell (between 14mm - 20mm)
- Too little space = go up one shell
- Too much space = go down one shell
- If not sure... fit test BOTH shell sizes
- Put on a ski sock for gosh sake!
- Use and orthotic? Put it the boot (after taking out the standard footbed).
- Put foot in boot AND BUCKLE IT! You can not tell a boot fit without buckling it
- This will pull your heel back into the heel pocket, relieving cramped toe space
- Boots do pack out! A 'comfy' fit when new will mean slop later.
- Regardless, your toes should NOT be pressed against the end of the liner
- Get your Intuition liners molded! This provides THE BEST FIT available.
- Any minor pressure points or space will be eliminated by molding
- Find an experience SCARPA dealer for fitting/molding
- Boot fitting is an incredible service and generally requires a service fee of varying amounts... it's worth it though!
More good information fitting available here.
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Specs
- Upper: Suede
- Lining: Vellutina
- Plate: P-Flex
- Midsole: Dual-Density Molded EVA
- Outsole: Vibram® Spyder®
- Last: BH
- Sizes: 38 - 47, 48 (half sizes)
- Weight: 440g; 15oz (1/2 pair size 42)
- Color: Smoke/Fog, Light Grey
- Product Code: 72565/511
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Technologies
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Recent Reviews
Submit A Review
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Anonymous May 15, 2013
Ranking:
I bought my first pair of
these shoes almost six years
ago and I still have them.
They've survived everyday use,
climbing trips, alpine
scrambles, 5.10 cracks, and
now see use in my workshop. I
bought a second pair and they
are going strong as my
everyday do it all shoe. They
are super comfortable and wear
really really well!
I would recommend them to anyone!
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Anonymous Sep 17, 2012
Ranking:
I bought these shoes 3 years
ago. They have taken all sorts
of abuse and are still in
amazing shape. They are
incredibly comfortable and
highly functional; if
scrambling is involved, I grab
them for sure. These are a
very high quality piece of gear.
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Anonymous Sep 1, 2012
Ranking:
I was told these are the
preferred shoe/boot by Delta
Force operators by someone I
trust who was in Special Ops.
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Anonymous Oct 24, 2011
Ranking:
This is the shoe that I
compare all other approach
shoes with. I have worn them
for more than two years and
they are still in very
use-able condition. There are
no holes (not even wear spots
on the edge of the tongues!)
on the inside of the shoe and
the soles still have
sufficient traction. The only
thing I don't like about the
shoe is they don't breathe as
well as a trail runner, but
for 9 months of the year they
are perfect. I use them to do
any climbing approach for that
lasts longer than 20 minutes,
like Trout Creek. These shoes
are well worth the money.
Pros: Keep your feet close to
the ground (zero rolled ankles!)
Sticky rubber that lasts
Climbable (5.10-)
Most Durable shoe on the
market (that I've tried, the
Geko looks like the next best
thing, which I just bought my
wife)
Shoelace broke after only 26
months of wear
Cons:Not very breathable
(better than a lot of other
approach shoes thanks to the
mesh material tongue, where a
lot have leather)
Heavy for carrying on routes
with nasty descents
As you can read I love these
shoes and will buy another
pair if these ever wear out.
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Anonymous Aug 1, 2011
Ranking:
This is Rob Pizem. The Zen is
the best approach shoe that I
have worn. The Zen has a
strong base which allows you
to walk on uneven terrain and
not lose stability. The upper
is leather and will not fall
apart while bushwacking or
scraping it on boulders and
finally, it breaks in
immediately and it is totally
comfortable out of the box.
These things don't just last
one season like the other
brands. They last for seasons.
If you like this shoe and want
a water-proof version check
out the Mystic GTX. For those
mountain days with wet grasses
and afternoon rains your feet
will stay dry!