The Boostic has long been one of Scarpa’s premier climbing shoes, and it received a significant revamp last year. Originally created by the visionary designer Hans Mariacher, the Boostic is simply superb for elite-level climbers, excelling on everything from overhanging terrain to steep pockets and technical edging on thin foot chips. It’s precise, it’s powerful, and the latest iteration is more competitive than ever. Most significantly, Scarpa trimmed some weight and bulk with thinner yet..." go to full review

Most modern climbing slippers (like the Drago and Skwama above) are designed for bolt-clipping and bouldering on steep terrain: they’re super soft, relatively aggressive, and fit snugly with a Velcro closure near the ankle. But the Evolv Rave goes old-school with a fully slip-on construction, flat last, and all-rounder intentions. These are Steph Davis’ shoe of choice for Indian Creek splitters (they have a very narrow toe box, which great for thin cracks). And at just $129, they’re also a..." go to full review

One of La Sportiva’s newer innovations, the Skwama is a performance climbing slipper, comparable to the Drago above in terms of its highly aggressive and sensitive build. With a thin midsole and supple Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber, the Skwama moves as an extension of your foot and lets you feel every contour in the rock. What’s more, Sportiva’s well-loved P3 midsole means the shoe retains its downturn over time. The benefits to this construction come on steep terrain: The slipper provides..." go to full review

Known for its sleek looks and premium performance, the La Sportiva Testarossa is essentially the Maserati of climbing kicks. Don’t be fooled by the laces: this is a wildly aggressive sport climbing shoe, designed for precision edging on vertical to overhanging terrain. It wraps wide and narrow feet alike in a very snug fit, and the leather and synthetic upper quickly molds to your foot without stretching out prematurely. Tack on a supple build, soft Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber that bites into..." go to full review

The Scarpa Vapor V is a textbook all-rounder, designed to balance both comfort and performance on a variety of terrain. Whether you’re looking for a step up from your beginner shoes or are on the hunt for a versatile design that can handle the variability of multi-pitch climbing, the Vapor V could be your answer. Similar to the La Sportiva Katana Lace above, the Scarpa features a moderately downturned last, soft suede upper and mesh-gusseted tongue, and edging platform that excels on techy,..." go to full review

The Otaki is a relatively recent innovation from La Sportiva, combining an approachable fit with a high level of performance for both sport and trad climbing. We’ve worn this shoe on everything from vertical dime edges and steep pocketed limestone to hard finger cracks (it was our shoe of choice for free climbing Moonlight Buttress) and have been super impressed with its performance. In many ways, it’s a velcro alternative to the Katana Lace above, but with a more aggressive downturn (a PD..." go to full review

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you know who Tommy Caldwell is. He climbed this little thing called the Dawn Wall in Yosemite in 2015, and this is the shoe that TC designed for the job. As a result, the TC Pro is an absolute climbing machine for vertical to less-than-vertical terrain, and specifically granite. While we often correlate a flat shoe with a beginner shoe, this is a notable exception: The stiff makeup and sticky XS Edge rubber make it an ultra-high-performance edger..." go to full review

The Instinct VS is a relatively new shoe from Scarpa that quickly has grown in popularity. It established itself as a versatile choice for sport climbing and bouldering, but it’s also a common pick for indoor and competition climbing (most notably, 11-time American Bouldering Series champion Alex Puccio cites the Instinct VS as her favorite shoe). The rubber-shrouded toe and heel are excellent on steep rock, and the medium-stiff rand offers more edging power than we’re used to seeing in a..." go to full review

Whether you’re a new climber or looking for an inexpensive shoe to thrash in the gym, it doesn’t get any better than the La Sportiva Tarantulace. We won’t beat around the bush—our favorite thing about this shoe is price: In an era when climbing shoes have risen to over $200 a pop, the Tarantulace has kept costs low with its $89 MSRP. But it still checks all the boxes for most casual climbers, with an unlined leather upper that will conform to your feet over time, a flat last and roomy toe..." go to full review

Of all the shoes in our quiver, the Katana Lace is the one we reach for most, whether we’re sport climbing at Smith Rock, multi-pitch climbing in Red Rock’s canyons, or ascending finger cracks at the Creek. What stands out most about the Katana is its ability to do almost everything well—crack climbing, smearing, technical face, slab, pockets, you name it. Sized up and worn in, you get a comfortable all-day shoe with much more precision than a flat design like the TC Pro (a liner at both the..." go to full review