The first thing I noticed about these shoes as I pulled them out of the box was how light they are compared to most of the shoes I’ve been wearing recently. There are many advantages to having a lightweight approach shoe: The lack of excess padding on the upper means that they retain relatively little water on the sort of boggy terrain typical of the approaches to Lakes crags and dry out quickly once drier ground has been reached. When clipped to the back of your harness they come in to there own, especially if the approach has been particularly soggy and your trainers have sponged up half their weight in water.

Despite not having a Vibram branded sole I have been very impressed by the grip offered by the Axis. The tread is fairly open and aggressive and they perform well both on muddy paths and on rock. For scrambling they hold well on large holds but the flexible sole does mean that they do roll off smaller edges than a stiffer shoe would.

Fit and comfort
After a couple of days of ‘breaking in’ I also found these shoes to be extremely comfortable. The  sizing seems spot on, although they are perhaps a little narrower around the toes than some other Scarpa’s. The heel is snug and there is very little movement of the shoe on the feet, which is very reassuring when hopping between boulders or descending steep loose slopes. The  lack of a waterproof membrane is obviously a double edged sword. On the plus side they breathe well and dry out quickly – great for hot or wet weather. On the negative you quickly get wet feet walking through long grass and a cold wind will chill your feet faster.

Durability
There’s no sign of any wear so far! A reinforced toe patch is always a good addition on this type of shoe and should help keep them looking good enough to wear to the pub for a while longer. The build quality, as you would expect with Scarpa, is of course excellent. That said, I probably wouldn’t use them if I was heading for somewhere with lots of sharp scree as the mesh and suede uppers offer little protection from puncturing (both damaging and painful).

Summary
So far I’ve been very impressed by these shoes and would definitely recommend them if you’re after a pair of lightweight shoes that will cope well with most situations. I would probably pick something more robust for carrying big loads or in really cold conditions but apart from that they offer good all around performance and great value for money.