I got an email pointing out a mistake I made
identifying the "Phantom Ultra" as a "prototype Phantom 6000" in Jon Griffith's photo of
Steck on
le Droites. Thanks for the heads up Will!
Way beyond the sales hype. Jonathan Griffith's photo of Ueli Steck soloing the Ginat on Le Droites early in in the super lwt version of the Phantom single, the "Ultra". Weight is down around 1600g in weight per pair for a 42, where the Guide is 1800g and the 6000 is 2000g in that size.
This boot is not currently available in North American but is in Europe and England. The over all weight is getting down to an ounce or so of the more traditional, bench mark, fabric "silver bullet" boot, La
Sportiva's Trango Extreme
Evo Gortex. With a full boot gaiter and better insulation the Ultra offers much more protection in nasty, wet, cold conditions. And most importantly once wet, dries faster than the Trango in my experience. The Ultra, by the numbers is 3.5 oz
lighter in my size 45 and $30/40 LESS expensive than the Phantom Guide if you can find it. 3.5 ounces per boot in a size 45. Or another 7 ounces or 198g for the pair.Part of the weight savings is using the thinner and lighter sole/mid sole system also used on the Phantom 6000 and noted in that review earlier. Lacing inside the Ultra is the same system that is used in the Guide. Slightly different material on the
Ultra's inner boot for insulation and a different gaiter material for reinforcement and durability with crampons than the Guide. I get a better fit in my Ultra than my Phantom Guides. That could simply be the difference in specific boots though not boot models. The Ultra seems to dry faster as well. Again could be a subjective call but the inner boot materials are different between the two very similar
Scarpa Phantom boots.While making inquiries about these boots,
Scarpa NA and several retailers who stock the Ultra in England gave similar replies:"Re: The Ultra,Boot is less stiff and less warm than the Guide. Sole is very fragile. Sole is not as durable as the Guide. Only the Guide is available in 1/2 sizes." Me thinks they
protest too much. As neither "less stiff or less warm" is true from my experience. No retailer wants to carry such a specialised alpine climbing boot in a full size run which would sell directly against the Phantom Guide even if the Ultra is $40. less expensive. I might even swallow the "less durable" issue with the boot soles as they are a
lwt version also used on the Phantom 6000. Not a boot I'd use on a lot of rock but might well be a nice advantage to drop another half pound off your feet on alpine ice and mixed routes where you'd be wearing '
pons anyway.But the sole issue is important. The Ultra and the 6000 come with a new super low profile and I think sticky rubber sole. At least they seem as sticky as the La
Sportiva sticky rubber available on some of the
Trango series. Which is saying a lot. And it wears quickly. Has to be sticky the way I can walk boulder fields with them. The Vibram® Mulaz outsole, has an edging platform in the toe area and is the newest, super sticky, "Supertrek Rubber". The rear sole profile of these two boots is a vast improvement over the
Spantik sole where you can collapse the foam mid sole when you flip up your crampon lever locks if you get carried away on how tight you want your crampons. "No can do" on the Ultra or 6000. Well done
Scarpa! But the front of the sole is a super low profile toe area. I have yet to manage a perfect front crampon bail fit (and am using Petzl bails) to keep the crampon in one place. It isn't
dangerous mind you just annoying. But don't let anyone tell you it is a great fit, it isn't without some real effort. My '
pons end up off center from French technique and a decent gap on the inside of the toe bale.
If anyone has an answer to that let me know will you? And it is something the crampon manufactures will need to address sooner than later because the new low profile
Scarpa sole profile is a really good improvement over all I think. The lighter weight sole profile boots (Ultra and 6000) are much easier to walk in than even the Guide. Of the 3 boots by far the Ultra fits my feet the best and is the easiest to lace for a good fit. Even though all three boots use a similar lace
system and the Guide/Ultra system is exactly the same.
BTW, both the Ultraand 6000 boots I got this year came with
Primaloft anda
Outdry tag. There may be the reason they seem to dry faster and get less wet than my Guides but I am only guessing. Too limited on data to go any further. By the Spring of all three are suppose to be all lined with "
Outdry" at
Steck's suggestion, replacing the time proven
Gortex liner.
Here is Scarpa's 12/20 responseon a reader's6000 query:
"Many thanks for your email. The Phantom 6000 has never been manufactured with a goretex lining so there will be no change in the way that this is produced over the foreseeable future. Check out the product review:
http://www.scarpa.co.uk/Products/Product.asp?ProductId=125
The waterproof membrane that it refers to is Outdry."
Not a huge amount of added info but I use the
Mtn Hardware gloves that if believed are again
Steck's designs and lined with
Outdry all of last winter and was happy with them. Obviously someone knew a bit about climbing in the design process. I've not seen
Goretex in a glove system do as well.
OutDry seems to work exceptionally well. I have intentionally totally soaked
Mtn Hardware gloves and only got the leather palms wet (which take forever to dry) and my hands have stayed bone dry inside the glove. If the boots only do so well.The gaiter? Between the La
Sportiva Batura and the Phantom gaiter
surprisingly the La
Sportiva gaiter is better
imo. It breathes better and is easier to fit with pants tucked
inside. I found the Guides gaiter beginning to fully iced up internally and
begining to give me cold wet feet as the c mlted lower in the boot in th cold windy conditions (-7C and lower) in the Canadian
Icefields last week. Moisture from my perspiration wasn't getting out of the boot fast enough. In the same place and temps the
Batura was solid, warm and dry for the most part. Easy fix is just wear the pants over the boot (
Steck photo above) which keeps everything unfrozen and the boot breathing better. But I liked the
Batura's option of doing either pant in or out. That option removes material from the bottom of the leg. Less chit to snag a '
pon on.
Iced up inner gaiter on a Guide that is now soaking my sox.
I have not seen a lot of feedback on these boots and used them
just a bit myself so take my comments with a grain of salt here.This boot has been out a full year on climber's feet.
Scarpa's professionals I believe..at the very least some very good climbers, most all European and British bad asses. I try a lot of different boots and don't always climb in what I really like because of it. My feet are difficult to fit as well. But I actually buy my own boots so this isn't some hype I am spewing for a "gift". And in this case it took a buddy making a big effort to actually get me a pair from Europe because they were unavailable to me in any easy manner here.I have one pair of Guides and one pair of Ultras so the comparison may simply be between different boots not between different models. The Ultra seems to have a bigger toe box and a narrower heel fit. The inner boot materials are different. A closer and more
comfortable fit for me with the Ultra. Out of the box they walk well and climb well on steep water ice. More than enough ankle support for long
bouts of alpine ice. I hardly noted the boot on my foot which is a good indicator to me just how much better they fit than the Guide and the difference the new mid sole makes walking.I don't have a huge experience base in the guide or the Ultra...way too early for that but I do have enough boot experience to make these comments. I was having a huge case of buyer's remorse on the Ultra as even I can't justify $500 for a 7 oz difference over a pair of Guides that are easy to procure and try on locally. But it only took me a few minutes just trying the Ultra on indoors to know there was a difference enough for my foot and worth the effort Will went through to get them to me...Thanks again Will!Walking and climbing in them just reinforced that first over all impression.
A caution. Few modern
mtn boots can be laced as tightly and securely as the newest Phantom line....all three of them. It is easy to have operator error and over tighten the boots on the lower or upper and cut off circulation. For me to want to mention that fact in a boot review should give you an idea of how easy it is to do. This boot series is exceptional but like any gear you will need to learn what works and what doesn't for you. The Dyneema laces, btw, are nice. You won't be breaking them...ever.... I suspect.
"
SCARPA announced they have teamed up with
OutDry in order to make my all time favorite technical mountaineering boots even better.
OutDry's waterproof breathable technology will appear in
SCARPA's Phantom Collection for Spring .
Both
SCARPA and
OutDry worked with renowned
alpinist and speed-climber
Ueli Steck on the design of the new Phantom Collection.
Steck wanted a technical mountaineering boot with improved
waterproofness that would cut down on the boot's "wet weight" while climbing in wet snow conditions.
OutDry is currently used in gloves from Mountain
Hardwear and footwear from
Lafuma among others.
OutDry uses a three-dimensional laminating technology to adhere a windproof and waterproof breathable membrane to the inside of the outer most layer of shoes, boots and gloves. The permanent membrane bond creates a flawless fit with no folds, seams or the requirement for seam-sealing tape.
The waterproof breathable membrane will be laminated directly to the inner side of the K-tech boot upper on the
SCARPA Phantom technical mountaineering boots. The use of
OutDry in the boots also allows the addition of
Primaloft for increased insulation qualities.
OutDry will be featured in all the new
SCARPA Phantom styles including the Phantom 6000, Phantom Guide and the Phantom Ultra."
By the numbers:
THE ULTRAFeatures:
Multilayer uppers:
S-Tech outer fabric
Waterproof membrane
3D Mesh insulation
Felt reinforcement
Wicking mesh
llinerDyneema Laces with Fast Lock
Sole:
Lightweight
TPU crampon inserts allowing full crampon use
PU shock absorbing inserts in the heel and forefoot for added comfort
Vibrams Mulaz OutsoleHigh density
microporous midsolePro Fibre
XT insole provides proven stiffness with enough flex to ensure approach comfort
Last:
AG
Weight:
1600g pair of 42
Sizes: 37-48
THE GUIDEFeatures:
Multilayer uppers:
S-Tech outer fabric
Waterproof membrane
Eva + Aluminium support and reinforcement
Felt reinforcement
PrimaloftDyneema Laces with Fast Lock
Sole:
Lightweight
TPU Midsole with variable thickness for walking comfort
PU shock absorbing inserts in the heel and forefoot
Vibrams Total Traction sole
Pro Fibre insole provides proven flex
characteristicsLast:
AG
Weight:
1800g pair of 42
Size: 37-48 including half sizes
Colour: Orange
Read more and make your own comparisons:
http://www.scarpa.co.uk/Products/Product.asp?ProductId=124
http://it.scarpa.net/prodotti/high-altitude/phantom-ultra/
http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster//08/scarpa-teams-with-outdry-for-phantom-collection.html#ixzz10iCmi1aH
Will's photos:
So the park has been open for 15 days and the problems are already starting to roll in for hikers and climbers. I've my fingers crossed that there will be NO serious accidents this summer (like last year), but the callout trend remains alarming. Over the past week, we've had 3 missions launched because of overdue parties. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
In other good news, the Glacier Basin Trail is looking better now that the rangers flagged it extensively. Recent rangerly type activities also included helicopter training. In these David Gottlieb images, a Chinook is inserting personnel at Camp Schurman. Every year, the pilots and rangers need to be recertified in hoist operations. Over at Camp Muir, the guide services are setting up weatherports on the Cowlitz Glacier while most climbing teams are ascending the Ingraham Glacier. Everyone is looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. Now the big question, what will the weather bring??
While I ride for transportation on the streets of Cambridge, Somerville, Boston and beyond on a (mostly) daily basis, it is of course physically impossible to photograph myself doing so. But recently the Co-Habitant was with me, and he surprised me by taking some snapshots with his mobile phone. I wanted to share these, because they happen to be of my favourite cycling route.
We cannot always articulate what we like or don't like about cycling in our city. But taking our favourite route as a starting point and examining what is so great about it, can lead us to discover our preferences - as well as our anxieties - when it comes to transportation cycling.
The pictures here document a busy street around the corner from my home that stretches through several neighborhoods along the border of Somerville and Cambridge, winds into MIT territory, and then proceeds directly over the Longfellow Bridgeacross the Charles River, into the center of Boston. It is not a traffic-calmed side-street, but a crowded major road, and it is not especially attractive. And yet, it is my favourite cycling route in the area. It goes on forever, gives me easy access to Boston, and does not make me deal with ambiguous traffic situations.
When cycling in the city, I think it is ambiguity that causes me the most anxiety: left turns from side streets onto busy roads; bicycle lanes that suddenly end; commuter trails that force the cyclist to cross busy intersections without streetlights; roundabouts and stop signs where questions arise about the right of way and I never know whether the car is really letting me go... I could go on. But on this route, none of those things happen. I am basically cycling down an endless avenue, andas long as I abide by street lights, the road will take me where I need to go. This not only eliminates ambiguities, but appeals to my love of the "endless open road." I like knowing that I can get on this road around the corner from my house and end up in downtown Boston, stress-free.
You have probably noticed that this route has a bike lane most of the way. But that is not what I like about it - at least not the lane alone. Unlike most streets with bike lanes in my area, thisone is consistent and logical. At no point does it suddenly end in a dangerous spot, and at no point does it place you in the door zone of parked cars. It even takes you through a curve in the road with a left-turn lane specifically for bikes. The bike lane here functions as a bike lane should in my view - a suggestive marking, similar to a bus lane, that signifies a space on the road where bicycles have priority over motor vehicles. It goes without saying that you must still be vigilant of things like occasional double-parked vehicles, and vehicles making right turns at intersections. But overall, the lane - and specifically its consistency - has the effect of legitimising the presence of bicycle traffic. There are quite a few bicycles passing through, and it is just another lane of traffic. Normal. I do not always feel this way about bike lanes, but on this particular route it seems to me that they really do have this positive effect.
When a cycling route feels comfortable and convenient... well, that is pretty much how it ought to be. Cycling for transportation in the city should not feel as if you are going into battle every day; it should feel like the city you live in is open and accessible to you. This is my favourite route, because it does just that.
The Watch Tower at Desert View.
A portion of a large mural on the first floor, along with a chair and stool.
A portion of the ceiling and the 3rd level as seen from the 2nd level.
Just a few of the “hieroglyphs” decorating the interior walls (photo by Fred).
The exterior of the first floor stairway.
The stairways were wide enough for one person at a time.
Desert View is at the east end of the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River, wider and not as deep, is clearly visible from the Rim. I didn't notice it at the time, but I rather like how the stone pillar to the left somewhat mimics the shape of the Watch Tower.
