2019 Climbing Shoe Review: Tenaya Mastia

The Mastia is an interesting shoe, more high-volume than Tenaya’s other offerings, with a rounded—almost blunted—toe that’s been sculpted for edging. It’s also a soft shoe, which means that lighter climbers will likely feel greater control and support—one tester, a petite woman, raved, “The Mastia was excellent on overhung limestone—you can’t get much more precise than that,” after using it on the smooth dolomite of Wild Iris and appreciating how fluently the shoe stood on micro-spikes and flossed into pockets. On the other hand was our muscular male tester, who noted rolling on edges, though he had sized his shoes large. The Mastia also scored high marks for its sensitive heel and big toe-scumming patch, as well as for smearing—the same flex that can make edging strenuous also means sticky, glommy smear-work. As a performance all-arounder, the Mastia strikes a solid balance between comfort and power, making it a great choice for difficult multi-pitch, bouldering, and long, varied sport pitches.