Trail-testing the Scarpa Zen Pro in Victoria’s Alpine National Park

Scarpa Zen Pro – $249.95

Scarpa’s latest offering in the new Zen Pro aspires to provide the ‘feel of a running shoe with the sensitivity of an approach shoe’. By combining new midsole material, refined reinforcement structures and weighing 480 grams, I was keen to see if the shoe lived up to the brand’s description.

I took the opportunity to trial the shoes over the Australia Day long weekend, hiking around the Alpine National Park in Victoria. The plan was to hike up Mount Howett, overnighting on Mount Buggery – or Mount Speculation if we made good progress – before making for Bryce’s Gorge the following night.

My first impressions of the Zen Pro was good; they are a good looking and light multipurpose outdoor shoe, finished in a grey, suede-like material. They have a very sturdy sole and good toe protection. Ankle support seemed adequate for the ground we covered (mostly shallow inclines with a few steeper, rockier sections), but maybe not enough for a more testing trip.

Before leaving on our trip, I tried them on for a while to see how they felt. Thus far, indications were good – they slipped onto the foot nice and easy, and the lacing support felt very positive, holding my foot firmly in place.

There was, however, a strange feeling at the balls of my toes. It felt as though the inner sole is shaped upwards at the big and little toes, almost as if my toes were forced into a slight U-shape. This could be down to the shoes being a bit on the narrow side, but I don’t have wide feet, so if this is how Scarpa have designed the shoe, I suspect people with wider feet will have trouble wearing them comfortably.

I hoped that this would ease as the shoes wore in.

The first day’s hike consisted of an easy walk through snowgum forest, before getting out into the open and beginning the climb up to Mount Buggery.

All the while, I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling under my toes, even on very easy ground. On the plus side, they were incredibly grippy; I never once felt as if they were going to let me slip. Even as we moved onto some more technical, rocky terrain, climbing upward was quite positive.

Coming down the other side wasn’t as good and this is where the discomfort became quite distracting.

The shoes are very well made, and after a few days of tramping around in them, they haven’t really shown any signs of wear. We were lucky enough to have good weather for the weekend, with no rain, so I can’t really say how they would hold up in the wet, but there is no fraying of the laces caused by dirt or grit, and none of that grit made it into my foot.

As an approach shoe, better suited to seeking footholds in rocky crevices, the Zen Pro performs well, but this in itself can cause issues for those looking to mix in longer walking periods in their adventure.

I would recommend these shoes for people who aren’t looking to tackle trails that have steep ascents/descents. They cope admirably in these conditions, but became quite uncomfortable when climbing hilly terrain over extended periods.

Have you got a different take on this review? Provide your feedback on the Scarpa Zen Pro in the comments field below this article.