Climbing and scrambling performance on rock

So it was a real ‘baptism of fire’ for the Capra’s that Merrell kindly sent me in the post. After wandering around the woods with the dog to break them in, it was straight up to the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales for some climbing and scrambling. I wore the Capra‘s all weekend – from easy sections of climbing on the east face of Tryfan, to walking across the road to the pub. On the high friction rock of North Wales, they performed fantastically, sticking well and providing me with the mental security I needed to have the confidence to make the next move.

Their first big test was on the East Face of Tryfan on a famous route called “Grooved Arete. I was taking a couple of friends up the climb, with the aim of then scrambling up the last rocky section to the summit of Tryfan, the perfect test for the Capra! The terrain, although very easy in terms of climbing, is varied and sometimes steep therefore much of the time the shoes were either clipped to my harness or in my rucksack. There were sections of easier climbing where I didn’t need my rock climbing shoes, that’s where the Capra excelled. Small edges, slabby faces and rocky pinnacles tested them and they fought back perfectly! The rubber feels softer and thus gave a lot of friction on the rock, in particular the steep, slabby faces where trust in the grip of your footwear is paramount. The slicked rubber face of the toe worked very well on rocky slabs, whilst the defined edged excelled on smaller rocky edges and holds.

Trekking performance on and off trail

Although I spent a large amount of time on rock, there were grassy, muddy trail approaches to the base of the scrambles and climbs. Due to the slick rubber toe of the sole I was a bit nervous that I would slip around, but the deep grooved tread just behind it, coupled with a very positive heel provided me with plenty of grip during ascents and descents and not once did I have any grip or steep ground security issues.

The shoe is a very technical fit due to its requirement to tackle steep and technical terrain, therefore it provides a very glove like feel. The heel is cupped and lined with a neoprene like material which gently grips onto your heel whilst ascending preventing any unnecessary slipping or movement. Perfect for long days in the mountains or steep challenging scrambles and via ferrata’s.

Comfort and fit

Fresh out of the box I wore them out on a walk with the dog. The cupped/ technical heel softened within one walk to my relief, as I have a very poorly shaped heel which regularly causes me problems in most footwear but I haven’t had a single bit of soreness from the Capra after breaking them in during that first outing.

Multiple hour walk ins and walk outs proved no issue in the mountains, and the perfect balance of stiffness and flexibility allowed for a very comfortable days walking.

Overall

The Capra is the ultimate “Do it all” shoe, although specialising in scrambling, via ferratta and easy climbing on rock, it is perfectly suited and at home trudging across moorland, up over the Brecon Beacons or as an everyday walking or work shoe! I use mine for technical approaches and descents from crags, to running navigation training courses in the Brecon Beacons and walking the dog around the woods. The Capra sport is without a doubt my favourite walking shoe and boot produced by Merrell yet.