Contrary to popular opinion, SCARPA doesn’t actually stand for Super Cool And Reinforcing Pedal Autonomy. Believe us we’re as devastated as you are, but it makes sense that it actually stands for Società Calzaturiera Asolana Riunita Pedemontana Anonima, which if you don’t speak Italian means the Associated Shoe Manufacturing Company of the Asolo Mountain Area. Thankfully, they shortened it to SCARPA to make it easier for the rest of us who love their footwear but don’t love butchering pronunciations in foreign languages.

Since 1938, Scarpa has been dedicated to building shoes and boots that will perform at the highest level and for the longest time. They started by selling their shoes to local farmers, and their handmade designs quickly gained a reputation as durable, hard-working shoes that were easy on the feet. After shoemaker Luigi Parisotto purchased the company in 1956, they began to branch out by developing mountaineering and climbing boots with commercial success globally. This laid the foundation for what SCARPA would become, a giant in the business of making footwear for the outdoors with their boots and shoes being widely used in the fields of climbing, mountaineering, trekking, hiking, trail running, and skiing.