Gear > Manufacturers > Scarpa
Scarpa was founded in 1938 by English Lord Rupert Edward Cecil Iveagh who owned land in the district of Asolo in Northern Italy. The idea was to promote the best shoemakers of the area. In May 1956 the company was bought by a local shoemaking family, the Parisotto. Luigi Parisotto had started work in 1942 as a shoemaker's apprentice at the age of 11. His apprenticeship had included a spell at SCARPA.
Given the location the Parisotto started to orient Scarpa to sports and mountain footware. In 1965 they started exporting to the United States and during the 1970s exports to this market reached 60,000 pairs per annum with the British, Japanese and German markets also being developed.
The breakthrough for Scarpa in mountaineering footwear came at the end of the 1970s with the introduction of the Grinta/Vega plastic boot and the launch of a plastic alpine ski boot. Pole Jerzy Kukuczka used the Vega on his conquest of all 8,000 meter peaks and the boot is still used today by the military.
The company produces a wide range of ski touring, telemark, mountaineering and hiking boots. It employs 130 staff and exports to 30 counties.
Website: http://www.scarpa.net
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