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The lightest climbing shoe Scarpa have ever produced brings ultralight, Olympic performance to your climbing.
As a climber that competed (albeit very tongue in cheek) in the UK’s first ever international climbing competition (fyi – I qualified for day two but was ejected by the 7c+ route and we were late as my mates old Skoda ran out of petrol). I have watched with amazement how a training activity we only did during the winter has become the behemoth that is indoor climbing and it’s logical end point an Olympic event.
This has encouraged plenty of innovation, particularly in climbing shoes. One of the first signs of this from Scarpa was the Furia Air in 2019 . A shoe that was designed specifically with indoor climbing in mind. The updated 2026 Scarpa Furia Air is Scarpa’s updated design in this area and continues the original concept with some welcome revisions.
If you have been using the older model then the updated version will offer improved tension when using the velcro strap, better rubber coverage for heel hooking whilst retaining the excellent sensitivity. A redesigned rand and tension system also claims to help the shoe retain it’s shape as the original versions tended to become baggy.
For those of you new to the Furia design, you will like the soft feel which lends itself so brilliantly to indoor climbing. The perforated microfibre upper has a double layer which helps keep the shoe comfortable next to the skin whilst maintaining breathability. It’s early days yet so I can’t comment on the smell (I had to keep my Veloce shoes in the shed as my partner refused to have them in the house!) but I’ll keep you updated. So far the smell has been fine, let’s hope it stays that way.
Although the Furia Air has a prominent downward profile (this is deliberate design to force power into the big toe area) which is common with performance shoes. This has begun to flatten out as I have used them. They have been super comfortable straight out of the box and my test size of UK 7.5 is a half size down from my approach shoe size. As I said earlier The original versions had a tendency to become baggy so people tended to go smaller. I’ve decided to stick to my usual size and trust that the new tension systems do their job and help retain the sizing. I am, however, expecting a little stretch which I have found normal in the more modern style of shoe. The redesigned strap also helps with the improved velcro. Shoes not tightening as they did? Then it’ll be the velcro that has become clogged up with dirt and chalk. A little maintenance with a stiff brush in the hooks and loops will often bring it back to life.
The generous toe rand and heel are encased in M50 rubber which offers good friction and enables precision toe and heel hooking. There is also an extra coating on the heel fabric which is an improvement on the original model. The sole is 3mm Vibram XS Grip 2, this is the rubber Scarpa uses on all its top shoes and offers excellent friction, especially on large volumes when indoor climbing. To be honest, these are the best indoor shoes I have worn since I tested the Veloce.
The sensitivity and friction on indoor holds is outstanding. I have read on some subReddit forums people slagging off the XS Grip rubber. My counter is… have you ever seen a World Championship or Olympic climber come off a climb because their feet slipped off the hold? Me neither, I find those who complain about rubbish friction should either have lived through trying to climb extreme gritstone slabs in my 1983 Glaibier Contact. People should make sure footholds are cleaned properly or improve their footwork (which is the more probable culprit). So, the friction on the rubber is fine for the vast majority of climbing most people are likely to encounter. I would say that the XS Grip is a soft compound so may not so durable for continuous outdoor use, especially on rock types such as gritstone or granite where XS Edge would be better. The rubber covers about a third of the sole unit which is, again, similar to the designs of all the top performance shoes Scarpa make. The XS Grip 2 combined with the M50 is a great combination for the amazing sensitivity you get through the shoe at both the toe and heel. They can be resoled by either the Scarpa resole program or certified Scarpa resolers.
The styling has also had a revamp for the new season. The blue and yellow has been replaced with red and white, perforations abound to help keep the weight down and the mesh sock is stretchy to help get the shoes on and off. Classic decals are still there such as the Scarpa logo on the heel, the black and blue heel tabs and the small made in Italy tab on the tongue. If you are a top end climber you will love these as they are designed for steep climbing that is footwork intensive; if you are an indoor climber you will love these for the friction, sensitivity and softness if you’re a beginner then these may be a little overkill but since when has that ever stopped a beginner wanting to look like a pro! Finally if you’re a Vivo Barefoot wearer you will also love these as they bring barefoot styling to the climbing gym.
The Scarpa Furia Air come in sizes EUR 36 to 45 in half sizes, one colour option and are unisex in fit.
The SRP is £160 and they can be bought directly from Scarpa UK and specialist retailers.
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