Scarpa Spin Infinity

Scarpa Spin Infinity

I’ve used Scarpa walking and mountaineering boots for years.  They’re comfortable, versatile and bomb-proof in my experience.  Until I purchased a pair of the Spin Ultras in 2020 (after a friend’s recommendation) I’d never used their trail running shoes.  At the time, I was preparing for a Paddy Buckley Round and these shoes were perfect for long days in the mountains on all types of terrain.  These shoes became my go-to trail shoe over the winter.  Apart from how they performed, unlike loads of today's shoes, these were built to last.

Scarpa is now giving a lot more attention to trail running, they’ve sponsored the Tour Des Geants (TORX) and with Marco De Gasperi’s input, they’re building a cracking team of athletes and are putting out some really impressive shoes.  Knowing this, I was super excited to be given a pair of the new Spin Infinity shoes to test out.  I’d been aware of this new release and really excited to try it from the description I’d read on the website (https://www.scarpa.co.uk/run/spin-infinity/ ):

“SPIN INFINITY is a Trail Running shoe dedicated to long distance. Exceptional cushioning, stability and control features make it perfect for the Ultra Trail for those who require stability and comfort.”  This was a shoe that seemed made for my primary objective for the year, the Lakeland 100 – a trail race around the Lake District.

So, did it live up to my expectations?

                                                                    

First impressions

Out the box, I was struck by the width of the shoe.  This is a shoe which provides a big stable base for trails.  It’s wide and has a high volume toe box.  From my experience it comes up slightly bigger than the Spin Ultra.  The midsole stack height is medium-high but not “Hoka” big and the shoe felt cushioned responsive on my feet. I was really pleased to see a Vibram Mega Grip outsole as I’d had a great experience with the Vibram outsole on the Spin Ultra, which had great grip on a variety of terrain (including wet rock) and they really lasted. 

The shoe felt well balanced and was listed at 305g. 

Upper

In previous shoes it’s often been the uppers that have been the first part of shoes to fail on me.  I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve got holes in the uppers of shoes.   I’ve found Scarpa to be different – the uppers really seem to last.  On the Infinity, it’s reinforced in the key areas (for me this is around the toes where the shoe flexes).  The toe rand is strong for protection and durability and the mesh used seems to be really resilient.  They are showing almost no wear after the 150+ miles that I’ve run in them to date. 

Initially with the shoe I found it hard to get my left foot locked down and secure (my left foot is half a size smaller than my right) but after some experimenting with the laces I’ve made this work really well.  It would have been good to have a double laces hole at the top of the shoe to be able to thread the laces back on themselves and really lock the heel in but I have got around this by threading the laces back on themselves through the same hole. 

Other features to mention are the integrated “Sock-Fit LW” tongue which is made of “anti-shock 3D mesh” – I can’t comment on this more than to say, it’s super comfortable even when you tighten the laces up and the tongue doesn’t move around at all to cause any hotspots or annoyances.   The laces pocket at the top of the tongue works really well and should help to stop them coming untied mid run.

Midsole

As you’d expect from a long-distance trail shoe there is really good protection under foot. It’s stack height of 22mm/26mm is substantial but despite this it feels nimble and responsive.  A 4mm drop is slightly lower than I would usually go for in a long distance shoe but I’ve actually really enjoyed the feel of these (I am not someone that can use zero drop shoes for long periods of time). The shoe feels incredibly stable which I think is due to its width but also the way the midsole material has been designed with a “dual density midsole with a Foot Stabiliser Control system”.  I assume that means that different densities of midsole and outsole material are used to ensure you have a cushioned yet stable ride – whether this is right or not, it feels good and works!  

Despite the cushioning and protection, you still feel connected to the trail when you run.  This isn’t a fell shoe that lets you feel every little pebble but you wouldn’t want that for an ultra trail shoe.  In my opinion Scarpa have hit the sweet spot of protection vs ground feel with this shoe.  In finding this sweet spot and putting the right midsole material in the right areas they’ve also made a shoe which is great fun to run in. It gives good energy return and feels snappy, nimble and responsive.   

Outsole

The Vibram Mega Grip outsole provides an incredible base for the shoe.  The lug pattern provides great grip on stable and loose terrain and allows quick changes of direction.  When it gets wet the Mega Grip comes into its own and provides great traction on wet trails/rock.

The lugs are designed for trails and whilst they work well off trail in the dry when it gets wet and muddy off trail the lugs simply aren’t big enough to provide the grip of a “fell” or “mud” shoe.  For a shoe of this type the grip is good on soft/muddy terrain but you wouldn’t choose this shoe if you were going to be doing that all day! This isn’t a criticism of the Infinity more just to note it’s limitations as a shoe that excels at what it’s designed for and does ok even in areas it’s not designed for.

The outsole is showing hardly any wear after 150 miles.  It’s clearly built to last and provide ongoing fun and enjoyment for many months/years!

Overall

It’s a great shoe that I expect to keep coming back to - an ultra distance trail machine!  Use it for what it’s designed for and it floats over the trail and is really fun to run in.   It’s really comfortable and built to last.  I’d thoroughly recommend checking it out.