With their forgiving last and rounded toe, the Method isn’t the most precise shoe, nor is it meant to be. But they were plenty comfortable, with good ventilation thanks to the split, woven tongue. And they did stealthy-good heel hooking thanks to the 3D molded heel cup, which was deep and supportive without being overbearing. The shoes are also well-crafted — especially for the price — and will hold up well to multiple resoles. In fact, the Black Diamond Method may only improve with age by..." go to full review
The SCARPA Vapor Lace-Up shares a niche with shoes like La Sportiva’s Katana Lace and TC Pro, and the Five Ten NIAD Lace. But it offers a thin, 3.5mm sole and a slightly softer, more sensitive feel — for the genre. They are an amazingly light, breathable edging shoe with solid crossover into midsize jamming and slightly overhanging rock, both sport and trad. They were ideal for almost all granite venues, as well as sandstone face-and-crack areas like Eldorado Canyon, Colo...." go to full review
La Sportiva has been a staple in the climbing shoe industry for decades, and the Skwama Vegan is another example of them pushing industry standards. The La Sportiva Skwama Vegan possesses all of the performance, double the comfort, and potentially half of the guilt compared to the originals. It’s great to see a company make such an excellent shoe in a vegan-friendly way without any performance compromise. These will be my new go-to steep climbing and bouldering shoes.go to full review
As soon as I picked up the Grivel Dark Machine, the exceptionally high center of mass and minimal total weight caused some concern. Usually, the high balance point is a good thing as it adds power to the swing. But I had never swung an axe with such an exaggerated balance point. Since I use hammers on big ice missions, I packed a pair of the Hammer Varios. These would add 2.4 ounces to the back of the head. Yes, it would push the balance point upward. But I reasoned that the added weight..." go to full review
Just about every climber who climbs outside eventually needs to own a tube style device, either for rappelling or cleaning. Which one climbers own is driven by things like ease of use, cheapness and availability. For that there is little reason to step past the brand that every climber knows, Black Diamond. Their hold on the North American climbing market can be at least partially drawn to the ATC line, and as it has moved past household name to the likes of the Kleenex of belay devices, we’..." go to full review
Without doubt the best Red Chili shoe we've seen in a long time, giving the range a facelift and hinting at a brilliantly bright future under the tutelage of new parent company, Edelrid. A true weapon of the indoor climbing world, the Sensor is absolutely up there with the best comp style shoes out there and I've loved every minute with it. What a shoe! go to full review