Free delivery on orders over £80Scarpa Ribelle Run Kalibra ST Review
Photos: Hamish Henderson / Struan Morrison
Scarpa has introduced the latest trail running innovation to their line-up - the Ribelle Run Kalibra ST trail shoe. This shoe is designed for short to medium-distance trail and sky-running adventures.
Matt, from our Aviemore store, had the opportunity to test these shoes on the hill and see how they perform.
Written Review Contents: | Summary | Our Tester | Initial Thoughts | Thoughts after a few weeks | Recommended for
KEY STATS
Model: Scarpa Ribelle Run Kalibra ST (Men's & Women's)
Ideal for: Runners looking for maximum precision and stability on soft and technical terrain
Main Features: Wrap360 lacing system with Boa Fit System
Stack Height: 24.5mm (heel) / 20.5mm (forefoot)
Drop: 4mm
Width: Medium
Outsole: Presa TRN-04 sole unit with dedicated compound for winter temperatures
Price: £175
SUMMARY
The name ‘Ribelle’ will be familiar to many mountaineers and climbers, as it comes from Scarpa’s top-end lightweight alpine mountaineering boots. Scarpa have fused this DNA into a protective and versatile running shoe designed to cope with rough mountain terrain. The Kalibra ST version also features a Boa fastening system and a grippy 6mm tread. Where better to see whether this all-terrain package can live up to the hype than the Cairngorms?
OUR TESTER
Matt - Running, for me, doesn’t follow any strict guidelines as such. I don’t have a set mileage per week that I aim for, instead, I make the best use of my time off from work choosing adventures that best suit the weather. Due to this over winter, I run very little, most of my time is taken up with ski-touring/steep skiing in the Cairngorms. I start to run more in spring which I treat as my transition period from winter to summer. I’ve been running for about 8 years but more consistently the last 4 years when I moved from Australia to Scotland.
The bulk of my running is in the Scottish hills where I enjoy the journey aspect of running, linking up various peaks, scrambles and/or points of interest. For me, if I can get a good 20-30km loop that has enough to keep me mentally satisfied then I’d class that as a quality run.
Through the summer season, I do occasional races but lack the competitive interest for any sustained interest in racing - I prefer time spent in the mountains either by myself or with good friends. It’s hard to beat the feeling of traversing mountains with speed!
I started running through city streets and always found that motivating myself on these runs was quite hard. This was until I discovered trail running and later hill running. I enjoy the freedom of running in the outdoors, the ability to explore wherever I like (whilst adhering to the outdoor access code) and the mental reset it gives me. With this, I find very little use for headphones whilst running!
I’m not currently training for anything in particular as there are always various link-ups of mountains that I enjoy doing on days off. I have recently completed the Tranters Round, a 60km link-up of Ben Nevis to Carn Mor Dearg, the Aonachs, the Grey Corries and the Mamores.
When it comes to my running, gait isn’t something that I would think about too much, and I know that’s not exactly helpful but I do have a few reasons. With my style of running and where I choose to run, I use a variety of different techniques to move through the mountains/forests. So I might be quite neutral when I’m on the flat, use my toes more on the ascent, and use my whole foot on the descent with occasional use of my heel for braking. I often find I pronate when running which sometimes causes me to roll my ankle but for some strange reason, I can go through the motion of rolling my ankle and yet not injure myself.
I wear a mixture of insoles in my running shoes from the brands Superfeet and Sidas. I find these help secure my foot in the shoe and allow a fit that I might not be able to get with standard insoles.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
Having run in the Scarpa Ribelle Run shoes last year quite a lot I was keen to get my hands on these new shoes as they looked pretty radical, especially with the new Boa Li2 system on them as well as the striking blue and black colours.
Unboxing them was terribly exciting. I was sceptical on how the Boa system was going to secure my foot and I thought it was going to cause too much pressure over my instep and leave my ankle loose. Oh boy was I wrong!
The Boa can be tightened to however much you like and left my foot feeling secured all over (I suppose that’s why it says ‘Wrap 360’ on it). The Boa system allows for incremental adjustment and can even be unwound as opposed to undoing it completely to get a good fit. The shoes felt cushioned and with the good fit I was eager to get out on the trails.
THOUGHTS AFTER A FEW WEEKS
I started taking the shoe on some basic 5km runs through the forest to gain an understanding on how it reacted and to break the shoe in. Whilst running the fit was secure and with a good quality insole I didn’t find any hot spots forming (I have anterior bunions and sometimes these can get quite sore in shoes).
Within the forest environment, which can often be quite soft, I found the lugs on the Preza sole (6mm) to be perfect, providing a healthy level of grip without sacrificing speed or comfort.
Moving on from the forest trails I got out for an evening run to the northeast ridge of Sgor an Lochain Uaine (otherwise known as Angel’s Peak) in the Cairngorms.
This 30km loop takes in a variety of terrain: gravel singletrack, granite scrambles, steep grassy descents, boggy hillside and river crossings. Due to the lug pattern and how wide they are I didn’t feel the lugs pressing into my feet on the harder terrain, unlike other shoes I’ve had.
They provided a high level of grip which helps to give confidence on the narrow ridges in the Cairngorms. I purposely chose a steep grassy descent into the Lairig Ghru on this run to test the ability to brake on wet and slippery terrain. I was pretty nervous flinging myself down the slope but the shoes held up their end of the bargain and kept me upright, hoorah!
The rand on shoe comes quite high which aids in protecting the toes from rock strikes which happens quite a lot in the granite covered landscape of the Cairngorms. With the mesh over the toe box, I found that any water that got into the shoe also had an easy way to escape, although because of the high rand it sometimes sloshed about in the shoe a bit. This can sometimes then be an issue for laces loosening on standard shoes, but the Boa system keeps your foot in place and you can tighten/loosen on the go very easily.
My final test for the shoe was to use it on a running round that I had been training for and waiting for a good weather window for about a year now - where I wanted to be physically and mentally fit.
The Tranters Round was the original 24hr Munro Record, set by Phillip Tranter back in 1964 covering the aesthetic link-up of Ben Nevis, Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor, Aonach Beag, the Grey Corries and the Mamores. My round took in 65km and 6100m of ascent in just over 18 hours. This round was perfect for the shoes and I had broken them in enough to be confident that they were going to perform how I wanted them to.
I had rocky scrambles along ridges, hard packed terrain to cover, a healthy dose of bog, lots of ascent and descent, scree slopes and river crossings. The Boa Li2 system was a game changer for allowing quick adjustments on the go without having to faff with laces, the 6mm lugs were ideal for the mixed terrain, the rand protected my feet from the many rock strikes and the secure fit gave me the confidence to move quickly over technical ground. The only damage to my feet after this distance was a blister on each foot. Good quality merino wool socks are a must have in my book - warm when wet and provide good comfort.
I’ve found it quite hard to fault these shoes as they tick so many boxes for me. They really are my go-to all-rounder. However, they aren’t perfect. Debris often finds its way into the shoe, especially little pebbles and small plant matter - I often run off trail though so I suppose I’m asking for it. The only other annoyance is my foot can roll a little when I run off camber, this tends to be an issue I find in most running shoes though so could just be something about my feet!
RECOMMENDED FOR
I would recommend this shoe to someone who’s looking for an all-rounder trail shoe with a focus on the mountain environment, it will still perform really well in forests as well though. The fit suits folk with a medium-wide forefoot and I’d say the overall volume of the shoe to be medium as well, however, orthotics/insoles will change your fit.
