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Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe
  • Black Diamond Prime Men Approach Shoe

Prime Men

Rating

My vote: None ( 2.5 avg )

Description

Engineered for ultimate comfort without sacrificing durability, the Prime features a suede upper that allows for an adaptable fit while providing added weather resistance and comfort. The Prime can also handle approaches with ease thanks to its BlackLabel-Street sticky rubber outsole. Rubber toe adds protection, and the webbing loops allow for various tagging and stowing options for when the trail ends and the climbing begins.
  • Rubber toe protection
  • Toe shape and upper construction inspired by climbing shoe construction
 

Retail price

US$ 139.95

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Weight

Half Pair - size 10
326 grams (0 lb 11.5 oz)

Full Pair - size 10
652 grams (1 lb 7 oz)

Style

Style

Running

A running inspired shoe, designed to excel on technical trails. These shoes may have less rubber lasting and a smaller climbing zone on the sole but tend to be on the lighter and less bulky side of the spectrum, similar to a classic technical trail runner.


Casual

Great for flat ground, short approaches, and slabby scrambling. Casual approach shoes are great daily wear for folks that find themselves scrambling and hiking a lot in between trips to the crag and the grocery store.


Technical

A more rugged shoe with more lasting and typically a thicker sole. Made to handle the most technical terrain and talus fields. Technical shoes can also have more ankle coverage and waterproof coatings.

Casual
Volume

Volume

Size vs Gender

Volume refers to the overall sizing of the shoe in relation to the size of the foot from top to bottom and side to side. Many brands make a Mens/Unisex shoe and some have both a Men’s and Women’s model. Brands are slowly updating their language away from gender to Low/High volume -- recognizing that any person may have a high or low volume foot.

High (men/unisex)
Closure

Closure

Flat Laces

Flat laces are found most often on casual or running shoes, as their low bulk helps with aesthetic and having a lower profile.


Cord Laces

Cord laces are found on the majority of approach shoes. Their rounded shape makes them more durable than flat laces and their woven structure makes them much stronger.


Webbing & Buckles

Though fairly uncommon, some approach shoes are made to be closed via a combination of threaded flat webbing and a tightening buckle.

Flat laces
Rise

Rise

Low vs Mid

The rise of an approach shoe mostly affects the support and coverage of the ankle but can also limit articulation and range of motion. Most approach shoes have a low rise. A mid rise should be chosen when scrambling through large loose scree or boulder fields is a regular need or when in wet or snowy environments where slippery surfaces can benefit from more ankle support.

Low
Features

Features

Climbing Zone

The climbing zone is a quintessential part of an approach shoe; without it, we consider a shoe a hiker or trail runner. The climbing zone is a flat or flattened area of the sole directly beneath the toes on every approach shoe. This zone is specifically designed to not have lugs for grip and instead is intended for smearing and edging on rock during an approach to a technical climb. Some manufacturers add splits or shallow texture to this zone, but it is not lugged as in a traditional hiker.


Foldable Heel

A foldable heel is designed to flatten into the shoe so it may be slid on and off easily similar to a clog or a croc. This is becoming more common with newer models and is most likely to be seen in casual shoes than hiking or running.


Low Toe Lacing

Low toe lacing is a feature where the closure of the approach shoe extends greatly towards the toes as compared to traditional hiking shoes. This will most usually be an extra 3-5 extra lacings across the shoe that are usually partially across the knuckles of the toes. The advantage of lacing extending this low is that it allows a greater tightening of the shoe around the toes when terrain requires technical footwork like slab climbing or crack jamming.


Stowable

An approach shoe with this feature either has a built-in elastic or webbing or an accessory strap or band that is designed to connect the shoes to each other when they aren’t worn. This allows them to be hung from a harness or bag on a multipitch climb. This is fairly uncommon and usually found on light-weight shoes.


Vegan

Since there is no standard in the shoe industry for what exactly qualifies a shoe as ‘Vegan’, we only list this if the manufacturer has stated it in the product description.


Waterproof

Refers to an applied coating or material technology that either makes a shoe resistant or impervious to water. Not every manufacturer tests waterproofing in the same way so this can be difficult to compare. We list items as ‘Waterproof’ when the manufacturer states they have one or more of these technologies.

Climbing Zone
Sizing US: 6 - 14 (half sizes) ­
Materials & Construction Upper: Suede leather

Midsole: EVA midsole ­­

Sole: BD BlackLabel-Street Rubber

Last: BD Relaxed Approach

No reviews yet.

UK Climbing Gear Review no rating given just a review

Whether or not the Prime is for you largely comes down to what you're looking to use them for. They sit right out at the softer end of the approach shoe spectrum, being more casual and urban in nature, and as such they do push the definition of 'approach shoe' towards destruction. If you're off down the climbing wall then that's fine, but on grass, mud and quagmires this extremely bendy, flat-soled shoe performs very poorly, while its lack of support means that it isn't going to be a natural choice for longer walk-ins. In the Session, Black Diamond already had a really decent soft shoe, and one that I like a lot. With that existing model in the range, we think they'd have done better with the Prime, and indeed the Fuel, to concentrate more on support. It looks nice though, which may be the most important consideration for some.

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