Scarpa Instinct VSR Climbing Shoe
The Scarpa Instinct VSR is the soft and supple climbing shoe of the Instinct family tree, with a technical and sensitive design made for hard sport climbing and bouldering.
The Scarpa Instinct VSR shares a similar design to its sister shoe, the Scarpa Instinct VS, but it features a velcro closure for a more precise fit as well as a slightly thicker rubber for better durability. With a focus on friction over edging, the Instinct VSR is better suited to overhanging and steep routes, glassy and polished rock, and smearing on slabs. The Instinct family is known for its high levels of sensitivity, and the VSR is no different. The signature Bi-Tension rand, which drives power through the toes without causing discomfort, and the high-friction toe patch, for maximum grip during toe-hooks, that make the Instinct family so renowned still feature on the Instinct VRS, but it's its softer nature and XS Grip 2 rubber that makes it the golden child for technical sport routes and hard boulder problems. Also ideal for lighter climbers.
The Instinct VSR features a microsuede upper which will break-in, but will not stretch. This will maintain the shoe's performance over its entire lifespan. Size accordingly.
Tech specs
| Upper material | Microsuede |
| Flex | Soft |
| Closure type | Velcro |
| Sizing and fit | Medium Foot |
| Color | Blue / Black |
| Weight | 0.43 kg (Size 40 EU) |
| Last | Medium Asymmetry |
| Sole material | Vibram XS Grip 2 |
| Sole thickness | 3.5mm |
| Profile | Moderate Downturn |
| Lining | Unlined |
Features
Vibram XS Grip2™
Rubber compound built for pure friction, recommended for use where maximum grip is the primary need - bouldering and sport climbing, indoor climbing, or extremely smooth, polished routes.
Bi-Tension Rand™
A rand that that pulls power from the toes to achieve performance with less tension and less painful toe cramming. The Bi-Tension Rand also reduces the amount of rubber needed under the toes, which means a lower weight and a higher sensitivity.
Full Features List
• Specialised toe patch is made from softer rubber for high-friction toe-hooking
• Lorica® upper allows for zero stretch, maintaining the same performance-fit forever
• Floating velcro strap secures the fit without affecting suppleness
Purchased them because i needed to replace my Instinct SR shoes, and that was a tough task because SR were a perfect pair of shoes for me. After a few sessions they started to break in and now the heel hooking is perfect, toe hooking is just as good. The velcro strap makes it easy to put no and off. Hope this review persuades you into purchase, cause they won't dissapoint.
Muy parecidos al instinct vs pero notablemente mas blandos. A lo mejor podria haberlos bajado medio numero con respecto a los otros, pero el ajuste es muy muy parecido. Un poco mas sensibles. Si te gusta el VS estos te gustarán como mínimo lo mismo.
This edgy little homeboy is way comfier than I would imagine, and to break them in takes almost no time at all. It's not the most sensitive bad boy out there, but it sticks to an edge like Alex Honnold, and it's has a nice and flexy split sole. Toe hook-orama and heel hook bonanza is some of the keywords for this thang when bouldering. Fits like a friendly glove when not down-sized.
This is my second pair of Instinct VSRs - in both my new and my old pairs, the fit feels almost tailored to my feet with the slight exception of the heel, where there is a bit of extra room. As my last pair began to wear significantly, this extra room caused the shoe to slip off my foot in aggressive heel hooks but to begin with, I couldn't have asked for better heel-hooking shoes (and as a shorter climber, I heel hook a lot!).
The upper velcro strap could definitely use reinforcements, as this eventually snapped entirely on one of my shoes but this was after the toe had already gone all the way through.
The rubber of the top of the shoe is very sticky and makes for excellent toe hooks, lasting even once the rest of the shoe had had it.
I had only used the shoes ~2x a week for primarily indoor bouldering for 5 months when they reached the condition as shown on the right in the photo below. However, in this time, the Instincts were unbelievably comfortable for a shoe that was so snug (I have them in 38, same as my street-shoe size) and were perfect for everything from smearing on granite slabs to plastic overhangs and I use them for sport climbing as well as bouldering. I could leave them on for longer periods of time (30min) but this could be because I didn't downsize too much.
Here is a comparison of an old shoe with a new one: http://imgur.com/a/BPEnY
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My background: I'm a short (163 cm), light (54 kg), intermediate indoor climber (onsight 6c routes, top 7a+ after a few attempts) and these were the third ever pair of climbing shoes I owned.
Fit: I'm UK 7 (EU 41) on the street and went for UK 6 (EU 39.5) with the Instinct VS-R.Out of the box, the fit was perfect (in stark contrast to the Instinct Lace, which has much less give). I have wider feet and appreciate the space in the toebox. As a reference, my big and second toe are about the same distance from my heel.
As my first pair of soft shoes, I've really noticed that these shoes make it hard to focus your weight on small holds. They are unforgiving! But I'm guessing over time my technique will develop so that I'll be better able to use those toe muscles to get weight transfer. In contrast, a more rigid shoe like my Instinct Lace (featuring Vibram XS Edge) has no problems. Of course, these soft shoes (featuring Vibram XS Grip2) are smearing beasts. I never have any fear of coming off a volume on a slab or when bridging onto a wall while climbing in an indoors corner route. This grip is important, because being downturned, while advantageous for transferring weight onto holds on overhangs, is not working in their favour regarding smearing. you gotta protect these shoes - one slide down an indoor slab can take a while millimetre of rubber off the edge. I use these shoes only for hard bouldering, because even though I only climb once a week and try to climb with little foot readjustment, they do get worn fast.
I hear that the Instinct VS is somewhere between the two shoes in terms of flexibility. This might be my next purchase!
Minor point: the soles of your feet will become very orange after wearing these. You can wash the shoes with warm water to remove some dye, although make sure to let them dry thoroughly. Antifungal spray in the shoes helps keep them fresh.