SCARPA

“Slow and steady wins the race.”  SCARPA is the perfect example.

It all started in 1940. Italy had declared war on Great Britian and France when Luigi Parisotto, then 11 years old, started to work as an apprentice shoe-maker with the Italian artisans in the area of Montebelluno.  By the time he was 14 he had begun to collaborate with SCARPA (Societ Calzaturiera Asolana Ruinita Pedemontana Anonima), which was founded in 1938 by the English nobleman Rupert Edward Cecil Iveagh.

In 1951, Luigi and his brother Francesco created the San Giogio brand.  With the addition of Luigi’s relatives to the work force, San Giogio is producing 15 pairs of shoes per day.  With their high quality footwear, San Giorgio soon makes itself known.  Their shoes sell so well that by 1956 the Parisotto family aquires S.C.A.R.P.A., and in the first few years of production the company is churning out 50-60 pairs of shoes per day.  Word continued to spread, and S.C.A.R.P.A. shoes were being bought all over the northern regions of Italy.  The company recognized the need for quality recreational footwear, and became more specialised with a clear sports and alpine orientation.

SCARPA really took off in 1965, as they started to export to the US.  By the early seventies, two thirds of their products were being exported with 50 percent (60,000 pairs) being shipped to the US.  Other countries excited about SCARPA at this time included the UK, Japan and Germany.  In 2005 the company started up a new US branch in Boulder, Colorado, and SCARPA North America Inc. was born.

As far as innovation goes, SCARPA is king of the alpine world, especially Telemark.  They developed the first sports’ shoe made entirely from plastic.  The Rally was a technical innovation of huge importance and was recognised by the Ministry of Industry, receiving a number of accolades and prompting the start of a new era for Telemark.  The Grinta, later called the Vega, was the benchmark for plastic shoes for high altitudes.  It became the market leader for alpine/scientific activities and was used by the Italian military corps, the US Navy and Marines, and in France, Spain and India.

Scarpa rock climbing shoes have been around for some time, but besides their trad shoes, they haven’t really started to stand out until recently.  Combining their massive bank of knowledge and skill with some new and innovative designers, Scarpa has been putting out some incredible high-performance shoes over the last few years.  The agressive powerhouses like the Booster and the Rockette are quickly making a name for themselves in the hard sport climbing and bouldering scene, while high performance, all around shoes like the Vision can be seen on boulders, sport climbs, and trad routes around the world.

Scarpa’s sudden emergence as a high end rock climbing shoe company has been a long time coming, and we’re definitely psyched to see what they come out with next.