Scarpa Spin Infinity Review
This week a trail shoe we’ve been enjoying from outdoor heavyweight Scarpa. It’s the Scarpa Spin Infinity review. The Scarpa Spin Infinity is a trail running shoe designed to go the distance. The midsole is 26mm in the heel and 22mm in the forefoot to give a 4mm heel to forefoot drop. Made of a dual density EVA, the midsole not only supplies ample cushioning but offers a good level of protection from the terrain. The low drop allows for a midfoot strike, reducing the breaking force you get with a heel strike and allowing you to run with a more upright posture and quick cadence. The midsole has a slight curve to it, giving the Spin Infinity a slight ‘rocker’. This helps keep your foot moving when it touches the floor, making you lighter on your feet and encouraging you to run using your glutes and hamstrings. This is a similar principle to the one used by Hoka and Scott, which is being adopted by lots of brands. However, this is the only similarity that the Scarpa Spin Infinity has with those brands.
Scarpa have made outdoor footwear for use in the mountain since 1938. They know how to make comfortable footwear even after hours of use. Scarpa’s trail running shoes are designed by Marco De Gasperi. The Italian five times World Mountain Running Champion. In a similar way to Jonathan Wyatt at the Italian Mountain brand La Sportiva, himself a 6-time World Mountain Running Champion, Marco De Gasperi has transformed Scarpa’s trail running shoes. The Spin Infinity being the long-distance trail shoe in Scarpa’s trail running shoe range.
The upper is made of an open mesh that makes the upper very breathable. There are overlays over the top of the mesh that pull the upper around the foot. Under these overlays are tapes that the laces slot through. When you pull the laces, you pull the upper around the foot. The result is an upper that fits snuggly around the midfoot. You don’t slip forward in the shoes even when descending steep ground. The heel and ankle cuff have an adequate amount of padding to make the shoe feel comfortable. The heel counter is plastic, which gives a firm heel fit and adds to the stable ride of the shoes.
The tongue is lightly padded, which is more than adequate to protect your foot from the laces. The tongue is gusseted to prevent debris from getting into the shoes and has a lace pocket at the top. You can tie your laces and pop them in the pocket. This means that they don’t become untied, even if you are fighting your way through the undergrowth on your next route-finding adventure.
The flat laces are soft and have a tiny bit of stretch. This is so that when your feet expand in the shoes there is a bit of give. This prevents the shoes from becoming too tight and reduces the need to adjust the lacing.
The outsole has 4mm lugs made from Vibram Velox Cross. This is a rubber that is designed to offer good traction in the wet but be durable enough for use on firmer ground. The 4mm lugs offer enough traction for hard packed trails and some single track when it gets a bit sticky, which is a lot of our customers’ trail conditions, but aren’t designed for use in deep mud on wet and muddy trails. The shoe isn’t highly flexible, so it doesn’t mould to the ground to enhance the traction. On harder packed trails the outsole rides very smoothly over the ground.
The cushioning feels firm in comparison to a lot of the road running brands’ trail shoes. Very similar in responsiveness and feel to La Sportiva, who also use a responsive EVA midsole. I personally like trail shoes that feel like these. You can feel what you are standing on but get adequate underfoot protection. The shoes are also responsive, so you can change direction quickly and easily and I find it easier to flow over the ground. It doesn’t suffer from compression that you get from softer midsoles. This responsiveness and the stiff sole give the Spin Infinity a good level of propulsion.
A half term trip to Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe allowed me to test the Spin Infinity on the trails that I ran on as a school boy. The tracks around Lake Gormire, Garbutts Wood and the Forestry Commission Forestry around White Horse Bank have lots of tracks that are covered in tree routes. These are tricky to run on whilst maintaining momentum. Particularly when you are out of practice and descending! It was noticeable how much better a responsive shoe like the Spin Infinity was on this terrain than other shoes I used with softer midsoles. The softer midsole shoes absorbed the tree route or rock and momentum was lost. The softer midsoles also compressed more on landing, which made it that little bit slower to change direction. It took away the feeling that I was flowing over the ground.
The other advantage of a firmer more responsive sole is that it keeps its integrity even when you have been out for a good few hours. Softer midsole shoes tend to get softer, lose responsiveness and propulsion, just when you are getting tired and need a bit of assistance. The Spin Infinity rides well on tarmac so it was ideal when you came off the trails and ran a mile or two back to the accommodation.
At home in County Durham, I have been happily using the Spin Infinity as a road to trail shoe. They ride well on the disused railway lines which are plentiful in County Durham.
The stiffness of the shoes, responsive ride and 4mm drop make the Spin Infinity more suitable for a midfoot striker.
The toe box is quite boxy but not a ‘wide’ fit. Just a little more room to make the shoes comfortable for long runs. Only full European sizes are available in the UK currently (see size conversion). The sizing is like more generous brands like Brooks. I was happy with a UK 11 (Euro 46) which is the size I use in Brooks.
In summary the Scarpa Spin Infinity is a hard-wearing well-cushioned, responsive feeling trail shoe designed for harder packed tracks and trails. They are comfortable enough for long slow runs and yet responsive enough to pick up the pace and versatile enough to be used as a road to trail shoe. A great option if your runs look like a trip on the road to harder packed/dryer tracks and trails, and a road run back.
Other Considerations
La Sportiva Jackal: A very similar shoe to the Scarpa Spin Ultra. They are a broader fit with a lot more wiggle room in the toe box and don’t have a rocker so they are more flexible and for this reason work a better on rougher terrain. Although they are still designed for firmer tracks and trails. They are versatile enough for road to trail use too and would be suited to a heel striker as well as a forefoot striker. For more information here is a link to our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-jackal-review-2/
Hoka Mafate 4: A softer ride and greater stack height gives these a less responsive feel. A longer lugs makes them better in the mud despite the stack height. Here is a link to our review for more information: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-mafate-speed-4-review/
Karhu Ikoni Trail: Good road to trail option. The feel of a road shoe with good traction. Here is a link to our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/karhu-ikoni-trail-review/
Inov-8 Trailfly G 280: These feel like a road shoe with some grip. Here is a link to our review for some more information: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/inov8-trailfly-ultra-g-280-review/
Altra Timp 4: Zero drop with a more rounded toe box. These give a more natural ride. Suitable for road to trail use. Here is a link to our review for more information: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-timp-4-review/
Topo Ultraventure 2: A broad rounded toe box. 5mm heel to forefoot drop and a well lugged outsole that is durable enough for tarmac use too. Here is a link to our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-ultraventure-2-review/
New Balance Hierro 7: If you like the New Balance 1080 road shoe then these might be the trail shoe you are looking for. They use the same fresh foam midsole. Although not quite as deep and is available in three width Men’s and two width Women’s so you can get the perfect fit. Suitable for hard packed trails and road to trail use. Here isa a link to our review: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-hierro-v7-review/
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