Thoughts on boostic 2021?

Cocoapuffs 1000wrote:

Has anyone compared the heel fit of the new Boostic and Booster?  I have the new Booster and the heel has gotten deeper and the rubber softer - it feels like a flat tire when I heel hook.

To answer my own question, yes the Boostic has a super deep heel like the Booster.  Lots of dead space for me, but not quite as obvious with the stiffer construction.

Having climbed in the new boostics a lot latley, I love it.  But the shoe is different.  The new boostic is the best techy limestone shoe I have ever tried.  I spent a few weeks climbing in them in Suirana and it was legendary - plenty stiff but still nimble enough to climb on overhanging features and smear.  I also tried the old boostic in Suirana and it was crappy - yes they can edge like a monster, but good luck using any other kind of foothold.  The new boostic is basically a Muira VS on steroids - its more precise, lighter, and just as stiff.  For me this is welcome news because the muira vs is my go-to shoe.

That being said, for granite, the shoe just isn't as good any more.  If you want to stand on the gnarliest little dime edge or crystal, there simply isn't as much support.  So, they basically took a top end vertical granite shoe and converted it into a top end vertical limestone shoe.  I can see why they did it too - Scarpa is European after all, and they will sell more pairs of this new version given its superior limestone performance, and the relative lack of granite in Europe. 

The sad thing though is that there are already plenty of good vertical limestone shoes, but the old boostic was alone in its granite performance.   The TC pro has the precision of an oven mitt, and the Katana lace is also less stiff and less precise.  I haven't tried the new Katana Laces yet, but it seems like the men's version is basically unchanged, while the women's version is much softer (because the world really needs another soft climbing shoe...)  So, for the granite gnar, I hope you folks stocked up on the old version and have a good resoler - I know I did!

I'll reiterate what Turd Burglar and a lot of others have said.  Honestly a really good shoe.  Incredibly precise and still confidence inspiring on small feet but a very different shoe than the OG boostic. Feels like an elite sport climbing shoe but only once I downsized pretty significantly.  The edge is still very powerful but it doesn't have the full sole for the total shoe stiffness the old boostics had.  All in all, a great shoe but I can't really think of a scenario where I would pick it over the OG boostics or my magos or instincts.  (I haven't done much limestone climbing so Turd Burglar above might differ in that assessment).  They don't feel like cheating as much as the old boostics did

These climb like a Five Ten shoe now with the redesign. Good performance all around for a few months, then they are sloppy and soft due to being cheap and poorly made. The old Boostics were tanks and lasted much longer.

The heels on the new Boostics are also a bit of loose floppy mess when they get a bit of use. Not a fan. I love the old Solutions and Old Boostics. 

For my foot, the new Boostic is the best and most comfortable all around sport climbing shoe I've worn. I've been using them for about a year, and using them as my main sport climbing shoe since this past September. My experience echoes TB's above. They are an amazing technical limestone shoe, and for this application I think they are a meaningful improvement over the old Boostic (which I also love and still use); they smear super well, are great on small, positive features, and mold well into jam-like features. I also think they work well on on granite or any other rock type. I think that unless you're moving slowly on tiny positive footholds for a long time, the new ones are an improvement.

In general, I tend to reach for the old Boostic only if I know I'll have to stand on small footholds to rest for a while, or if a route has mostly positive but tiny footholds. They are stiffer and my feet and calves get less tired standing around on little holds for sustained periods of time. I often prefer the new ones for most of the actual climbing on these routes, but will take being able to rest longer in some cases. 

I have not had an issue with the shoe becoming floppy and soft over time, they still work great and feel good to me after months of regular use, and I completely disagree with the characterization of the shoe as feeling cheap and poorly made. I do agree that they definitely won't last through as many resoles as the old ones though; the upper materials are much thinner and are synthetics that certainly won't hold up like the thick leather on the old model, which is a bummer

I absolutely love my old boostics for routes w/ small feet. Skimming this thread, it doesn't sound like the new boostic is a legit replacement. When my old pair bites the dust (hopefully after several resoles) what's our running list of possible replacements? I've seen comments suggesting:

-evolv oracle

-evolv shaman lace (both split soles, are they really supportive enough?)

-unparallel uprise Pro (is it really stiff enough?)

-others?

Longtime Boostic user here. The old Boostic was used to climb most of my dream big wall routes.
I agree with the assessment that the new Boostic is a much better single pitch slightly overhung terrain shoe, but is simply not useful for big wall routes or super tech vert granite. My resoled old Boostics are used for that job every time.
For reference, I size the new Boostic 1 full number below my smallest redpoint size in my old Boostic. They start out super tight but break it nicely. The new shoe is significantly wider and more forgiving in the forefoot, and really needs to be sized that tight for edging performance. It does edge well, but is much more fatiguing on the calves.

Max Wallnerwrote:

I absolutely love my old boostics for routes w/ small feet. Skimming this thread, it doesn't sound like the new boostic is a legit replacement. When my old pair bites the dust (hopefully after several resoles) what's our running list of possible replacements? I've seen comments suggesting:

-evolv oracle

-evolv shaman lace (both split soles, are they really supportive enough?)

-unparallel uprise Pro (is it really stiff enough?)

-others?

I don't think there is a replacement.   These shoes are choss and you wont catch me without vibram rubber in the meowntians.  I think  

New Boostics - Not as good, but still better than other options?

Katana Lace - Stiffest performance La Sportiva shoe

TC Pro - great if you want a shoe you can also hike to the crag in.  

Max Wallnerwrote:

I absolutely love my old boostics for routes w/ small feet. Skimming this thread, it doesn't sound like the new boostic is a legit replacement. When my old pair bites the dust (hopefully after several resoles) what's our running list of possible replacements? I've seen comments suggesting:

-evolv oracle

-evolv shaman lace (both split soles, are they really supportive enough?)

-unparallel uprise Pro (is it really stiff enough?)

-others?

Ive got the Shaman Lace and its definitely stiffer and more supportive than the 2021 Boostic. Its also more downturned and wider in the toe area for my second toe. Street shoe size is quite comfy, I think I could wear them for 3 pitches but I would probably size up for an all day fit. The biggest downside is that they are quite heavy/warm with the leather/suede type material they use in it. I imagine feet would be sweating and stinking really bad wearing them around for extended periods. The materials and construction seemed a step below the Boostic. 

Figured I'd come in and update if anyone cares haha.  I've been climbing in the 2021 Boostics for over a year now and I take back what I said above.  They have completely relegated my instincts to gym/board climbing shoes.  I physically can't go back.  They make the Instincts feel soooooo clunky.  These shoes are scalpels.  They have a much lower toe profile than the instincts and the old boostics which makes pockets easier and foot swaps a lot smoother.  Stiffer than instincts and only slightly less stiff than the old boostics.  As someone who climbed quite a bit in the old boostics it hurts me to say (but I believe it) I think they are even better on small feet than the old ones were (as far as single pitch sport and bouldering goes).  Obviously they are going to be much worse than the old boostics on long granite multiptiches and the like as they do not have the full foot support.  I did have to downsize vs. the old boostics to get the performance but once you find the sizing they are kind of crazy.  And still comfortable. My old boostics are 43 (I could probably go a little smaller) and my new boostics are 42.  I just recently got a pair of 41.5 in the new and haven't climbed in them yet but they still feel great.  I'm fully converted.  I've climbed limestone sport, sandstone sport, and granite/gneiss bouldering from slab to slightly overhanging in them and when you want to stand on something small, I haven't found anything better. I understand they don't fill the same niche as they used to, but this is an elite shoe.  One day I hope to be good enough to use them to their full potential

Caleb Mattsonwrote:

Figured I'd come in and update if anyone cares haha.  I've been climbing in the 2021 Boostics for over a year now and I take back what I said above.  They have completely relegated my instincts to gym/board climbing shoes.  I physically can't go back.  They make the Instincts feel soooooo clunky.  These shoes are scalpels.  They have a much lower toe profile than the instincts and the old boostics which makes pockets easier and foot swaps a lot smoother.  Stiffer than instincts and only slightly less stiff than the old boostics.  As someone who climbed quite a bit in the old boostics it hurts me to say (but I believe it) I think they are even better on small feet than the old ones were (as far as single pitch sport and bouldering goes).  Obviously they are going to be much worse than the old boostics on long granite multiptiches and the like as they do not have the full foot support.  I did have to downsize vs. the old boostics to get the performance but once you find the sizing they are kind of crazy.  And still comfortable. My old boostics are 43 (I could probably go a little smaller) and my new boostics are 42.  I just recently got a pair of 41.5 in the new and haven't climbed in them yet but they still feel great.  I'm fully converted.  I've climbed limestone sport, sandstone sport, and granite/gneiss bouldering from slab to slightly overhanging in them and when you want to stand on something small, I haven't found anything better. I understand they don't fill the same niche as they used to, but this is an elite shoe.  One day I hope to be good enough to use them to their full potential

Could you give some recommendations on sizing vs Instincts since you have experience with both?

J Crawfordwrote:

Could you give some recommendations on sizing vs Instincts since you have experience with both?

All the new scarpas are a half size down from old sizing.  Since they're all a softer version of the old styles,  you have to size them down.  

New magos are like that, new boosters and boostics.  

I wear a 41 across the board now in all their shoes...though all I do now is scour the internet for old style boostics and magos.  

J Crawfordwrote:

Could you give some recommendations on sizing vs Instincts since you have experience with both?

My sizing experience is different than DB Cee describes. I wore a 41 in the old Boostic and wear a 41 in the new model and in the new Mago (performance fit for me). I tried a 40.5 in the new Boostic model, and while it wasn't painful or too tight, I didn't find an appreciable performance difference and the heel actually fit worse in the tighter size. I wear a 40.5 in the Instinct line. 

Obviously, the shape of your foot and the shape of the various lasts makes a big difference, so if you can of course, try them on.

Just as a reply to the sizing questions these are my current shoes and sizing….my street shoe is a UK 9, EU 43

scarpa boostic, uk 7.5 eu 41.5

la sportiva genius uk 7 , eu 40.5

las sportiva solution, uk 7, eu 40.5

scarpa chimera, uk 8 , eu 42

evolve phantom, uk 9, eu 43

5.10 blancos, uk 9, eu 43

i find the boostic is great at matching on small edges, but at this size it’s not my all day trad shoe..

My reference points:  New Booster same size as old Booster S (41).  New Boostic I am wearing half a size bigger - 41.5.  I feel like I might be able to go up to 42 for the Boostic but I haven't had a chance to try them on.  Again, Scarpa why do you not include these shoes in your gym demos?  Very frustrating.

Same size for Instincts and Boostics for both me and my climbing partner.  I wear a 42.5 in both and I think he wears 41 in both.  I also wear the same size in the Drago

I decided to order a pair of new boostics in size41, same size as my instinct VS. The instinct 41 is a comfy fit for me, toes are mostly flat but just snug enough for all my gym climbing. 

The new boostic in 41 feels tighter but manageable; my toes are properly curled, the entire forefoot is squeezed by the shoe, feels like it will work well for hard outdoor edging. I can see why some people recommend 1/2 size bigger than their instinct size, but this will work for me. 

The heel is very deep, there is a bit of dead space in there for me but I don't care. This will hopefully be my hard granite face climbing shoe and it's all about the forefoot/toes for me. The shoe is comfy, I'm excited to try it on rock. 

Update for Oct 2024 - It looks like the New Boostic is no longer listed on Scarpa's US website.  It still seems to be available in Europe.  I wonder if it is being discontinued with the Old Boostic coming out next year.  Personally I'm disappointed if the shoe is going away, especially after going through so much trouble to figure out the fit.  I emailed Scarpa asking if this was the case, but so far I haven't gotten a response.

I have a pair of 2021 Boostics in EU41 with a fresh (their first) resole that I would be willing to part ways with if people are interested. send me a PM.

Also have a brand new pair of the OG's for sale in 41: https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/126989713/fs-og-boostics-41-nwt

The new (old) boostics are available on some of the European websites now

https://bananafingers.com/scarpa-boostic-r