Shadow
Description
The dream shoe for steep, aggressive climbing, the Shadow is a downturned Velcro shoe built for pulling HARD. Featuring our extra-sticky Fuse molded rubber with added friction strips for better toe-hooking, and a durable microfiber upper combined with our Engineered Knit Technology tongue, the Shadow is ready to send your project.
When your project is so steep that it always casts a shadow, that’s when you bust out these secret weapons. Built for overhanging sport routes and hard bouldering, the Shadow features an aggressive, downturned last with our sticky Fuse rubber that’s molded—inspired by the way we forge our carabiners—and not cut from one sheet of rubber. This is our engineered solution to optimize our shoe’s rubber and rands for weight, consistency and comfort. The Shadow features a stretch resistant microfiber upper, and the shoe's vamp features an innovative combination of printed and molded high friction rubber. The molded rubber is strategically placed in high-use areas, while the printed rubber minimizes bulk, and in combination, these rubbers provide better top of foot dexterity and purchase when toe-hooking. The tongue is made from our Engineered Knit Technology, which is exceptionally breathable and increases mobility and comfort. With a minimalist midsole, the Shadow is ultra-sensitive and allows you to pull in on steep terrain.
Retail price
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| Weight | unknown |
| Closure Type | 1 Velcro closure |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Volume | High |
| Sizing Information |
US sizes 4-13  black_diamond_shoe_size_chart.jpg |
| Best Use (Highest Performance) |
Sport / Face Bouldering Over-hanging |
| Asymmetry | Aggressive |
| Tongue Details | Engineered Knit Technology tongue |
| Last Details | Shape: Downturned (performance) Construction: not provided by the brand not provided by the brand |
| Upper Material | not provided by the brand Microfiber |
| Midsole Material | not provided by the brand Minimalist |
| Sole Material | 4.3 mm
NeoFriction Fuse Rubber
Rand: not provided by the brand |
| Footbed Lining | Hemp lined |
No reviews yet.
Trying these shoes on for the first time might give you an eerie sense of deja vu, and feel remarkably similar to the Butora Acro. That’s because the Shadow, like all BD shoes, are made in the same factory as Butora. In my opinion, this is like someone comparing you to an A list celebrity – if you have to be compared to anyone, better to be a famous person at the top of their game than a weirdo on the street.
So, is this going to replace my other “High Performance” shoes? No, but that only because I have a fairly wide foot and these are not wide shoes. However, I do strongly believe that for the right person they’ll be a kick-ass high performance option. But like every shoe, it needs to fit.
The Black Diamond Shadow has a unique combination of traits that make it work best for a very particular group of people. For me, the combination of a poor fit (for my feet) and poor sensitivity negated the advantages that usually come with downturned and asymmetrical shoes. But if you climb in a place with severe overhangs and plentiful footholds and / or you have a low-volume heel and instep and medium-wide toes, the Shadow may, in fact, be the shoe that fits.
The big news was the Shadow’s amazing sensitivity: With a 4.3mm printed outsole and a barely there midsole, you feel every hold, from the sparest ripple to a pea-sized pebble to a micro-spike jib—it’s so notable, you need to recalibrate your footwork. The shoes are super-grippy, most notably on smears and smear-edges (smedges). They just glom on.
