Red Chili Spirit Lady VCR — Impact Zone

This women’s Velcro is built on a trimmed-down version of the Spirit’s flat, asymmetrical last. The Spirit Lady comes with the “Impact Zone” foam-padded heel and sole, both of which our testers liked when bouldering. Red Chili’s 4.2mm RX1 rubber coats the sole. Testers also praised the shoe’s comfort: the unlined upper stretched somewhat, but the three straps did a great job customizing fit. Designed with a sharp, low-profile toe, the Spirit Lady excels at edging and pocket climbing, and its low-volume heel stuck to tenuous hooks, though one tester found smearing to be a challenge.