Similarities of the Scarpa Furia

Similarities between the Scarpa Furia and the Drago are naturally a given. This is not surprising, because both climbing shoes follow the same concept: Scarpa wants to build light, precise and flexible shoes for the high-end boulderer/climber when hitting the steeps and off vertical.

Compared to the Furia, the Drago has a little less volume. This is due to a thinner rubber layer at the heel and forefoot. As with the Furia, the rim and toe cap lie over the toes like a rubber sock, providing incredible friction for toe hooks, and similar technical shenanigans.

The last – one of the most important areas on a climbing shoe – has remained the same as on the Furia. Thanks to this ingenious midsole, the climbing shoe is able to retain its tension, whilst being incredibly soft!

Differences to the Furia

Compared to the Furia, the Drago offers far more rubber on the toe side – increasing the hooking performance immensely. Once the Scarpa Drago has been broken in and the toe area has found its fit, you can really pull inwards and use the toe’s upper region to its full potential! Unlike the Furia, the Scarpa Drago is held in place by just one Velcro strap. But the ergonomic hell ensures that these shoes will stay in place and not come off when placing radical heel hooks.

Construction and processing of the ” Dragon”

The Drago is made of a microfibre upper and a 3.5 millimetre XC Grip2 sole. It is also almost completely covered in rubber. Its asymmetric shape increases precision and power transmission on small footholds immensely. In addition, it has two large, stable pull-on loops, for you to slide into the sock-like inner with ease!

Thanks to the PCB tension construction – an external midsole that connects the toe to the heel – the Drago also benefits from better performance in “edging” whilst using less rubber to keep the weight down. Just like its predecessor Furia, by the way.

The bonding of the individual parts, the seams, and the fit, as expected, leave nothing to be desired. After all, Scarpa assembles everything individually by hand in Italy!

Size, fit, and advantages of the Scarpa Drago

As with the Furia, the “breaking-in time” for the Drago will usually be done with after a couple of sessions, as the shoe fits around the foot like a sock. Pain in the toe area is not to be expected here either. On the contrary: you will be surprised by the comfort! On small edges/smears, the shoe performs down to a T – almost too well for such a soft shoe. When climbing in Tecino this November, I never really felt like moving to a stiffer model. And that really implies something.

As far as the toe-hook balance is concerned, you only have the best on your foot with the Drago! The rubber literally sticks to the rock and is very “true to feel”. However, a little caution is advised here. Because of the immense toe hook insert, the toe can also get a little bit damaged. However, the Velcro closure keeps its promise, and the heel hooks stick without you popping off – which is, of course, partly due to the very personal shape of the heel…

The sizing was quite straight forward. My street shoe size is 39.5. I wear the Drago in 37.5 – and it fits and performs perfectly!

Conclusion, area of use for the Scarpa Drago

The Drago is an absolute high-end weapon for difficult bouldering, that offers enormous sensitivity. Geat smearing, good edging, and amazing friction emphasise the Drago as a soft high-end shoe!

I personally tested the Drago at the gym and the crag and can thus conclude: The Drago feels most comfortable on overhanging territory than anywhere else. Especially toe hooks are one of its strengths. But it also handles more vertical terrain with ease. Especially on sandstone, it adapted to the slabby and rounded footholds with ease. At the gym, it kept up with new school dynamic movements, compression problems, and tricky slaps.  The Drago offers the perfect feel for applying pressure, whilst also offering the necessary comfort for making a running start. The rough surface of the holds and volumes literally sucks the Drago to their surface, which is not surprising given its large rubberized forefoot.