In the Origin VS, Scarpa ripped up the rule book when it comes to making a shoe for new climbers; asking themselves what does the modern climber, fresh to the sport, want from their first pair of quality climbing shoes.
What they came up with was a competitively priced shoe which seamlessly blends the classic characteristics of an entry-level model with those seen in their high performance models.
Taking a well established, comfort oriented last, the bedrock of the Origin VS is a relaxed, neutral fitting shoe with low pressure points on heels and toes, constructed from the same premium dual-ply microfiber material used in the likes of the Instinct VS - this offers instant comfort, great feel and controlled stretch. This is then tricked out with an S72 rubber outsole (arguably the sickest sole compound on the market) and an M50 hood (the same upper rubber compound used across the high performance models), to give unparalleled traction - whether you're smearing a macro, tick tacking across screw-ons or toe-hooking a volume the Origin VS has you covered! Finally, a single competition style Velcro strap with a high-stretch gusset allows easy entry and a reassuring fit from toe to heel.
Within this competition Scarpa will be giving away 1 x Men's Origin VS and 1 x Women's Origin VS. For more information on the Origin VS check out the First Look video we filmed last year (starts at 3:00).
Alongside this Friction Labs will be giving away a bundle of three of 3 x Medium Chalk Boxes, including Gorilla Grip, Bam Bam and Unicorn Dust. UKC reviewed this back when it was first released and had this to say:
"This is a premium product for a performance user. If you take your bouldering/sport climbing seriously then I would recommend trying out some of the smaller sachets that are available for sale, the difference is noticeable – particularly when you switch back to your old chalk." - Rob Greenwood
This competition has now closed.
Comments
The article says about the shoe "This is then tricked out with an S72 rubber outsole (arguably the sickest sole compound on the market)".
What does "the sickest sole compound" actually mean? Are these their words or those of UKC?
Those are Scarpa's words, but having used it I can't really argue - it is seriously sticky stuff. There are a couple of caveats that come with it though, because it isn't as simple as 'sticker is better'.
On the upside, sticky rubber is obviously great, insofar as it provides more grip; however, on the flipside stickier also (as a broad generalisation) means softer and on certain holds - namely small edges or pebbles - it doesn't fare as well as a firmer rubber, as it tends to creep off/deform due to its softness.
The 'shore test' is the one that's most regularly used to test a rubbers hardness, although not every brand releases their figures, but from a quick search I found the following for Vibram, which help's put how sticky Scarpa's S72 (i.e. 72 on the shore test) actually is:
Vibram XS Grip 2 - 78 Vibram XS Grip - 83 Vibram XS Edge - 84