The Shoe
The Scarpa Techno is designed to be a comfortable, all-around performer that will excel on long, multi-pitch traditional climbs as well as long days at the crag. The Techno sports a heel lock system that eliminates the need for a slingshot heel rand, cutting down on pressure on the heel and the Achilles’ tendons. This climbing shoe has a four millimeter Vibram XS sole and heel wrap. The upper of the shoe is leather and suede and is unlined, and the low-profile last helps this rock shoe wiggle into cracks. The Techno retails for $129.
My Experience
I sized the Techno more loosely than any shoe I had ever bought. I wanted a shoe that would be comfortable all day, even if it was a day with 3000 feet of climbing in it. I wanted my toes to be completely straight in the Techno, so that they would be as comfortable as possible when I jammed my feet into cracks. I was a little worried about a loss in performance, but I was willing to deal with that in order to have a pair of really comfortable shoes that I would not have to remove between pitches on long routes.
I should not have worried about that, because the Techno performed very well for me. Whether smearing, edging, jamming, or heel hooking, the Techno did a great job.
Ironically, the only major problem I had with the Techno was comfort. The shoe is designed to be comfortable, and I sized it to be comfortable. To be fair, the heel cup of the shoe is indeed comfortable, and the lack of pressure on my Achilles tendon was lovely. My toes were also cozy, and there were no hot spots where the shoe rubbed me badly. My problem was that the arches of my feet would suffer great pain and cramp up every time I wore my pair. I wore the Techno in the gym, on granite, and on sandstone. I used the shoe on boulder problems, slab routes, cracks, and overhangs. Every single time I ended up with intense pain in my arches after about ten minutes. I tried stretching my arches, I tried massaging them, and I tried taking the shoes on and off, but every time it hurt. I thought that eventually my feet would adapt to the climbing shoes or the climbing shoes would get broken in and stop tormenting me, but it never happened. I wore the Techno on at least twenty different occasions, and sometimes I forced myself to wear them for up to an hour, but the pain never went away. I know one other climber who had this problem with Scarpa shoes, but the other pair of Scarpas I owned never hurt my arches.
The only other problem I had with the Techno was a minor bit of de-lamination on one shoe. There was only a small place where the sole was separating form the shoe, but it was still disappointing for a shoe with the cost of the Techno, which comes from a company with a reputation for high quality products.
Bottom Line
If the Techno fits your foot comfortably and does not cause you intense pain, then it is a good climbing shoe and I would recommend it. I’m not sure how to figure out if it will hurt you unless you can find a place that will let you climb in it for a half hour before you make your purchasing decision.
To read a review of other climbing shoes well-suited for climbing long, traditional routes, please look here and here. If you are new to climbing and want to figure out what rock shoes you should buy, then click here and here. For reviews of other climbing shoes, go look at this, this, this, this, this, and this.
