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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
Finally—and this is fairly picky: I think the new thin green leather sleeve protecting the lower eyelets should be on the other side of the shoe. Tommy Caldwell claims otherwise, but I’ve already got the abrasion on the outside edge of the shoe to back up my opinion. Not that this has made any difference at all in my climbing… it’s simply the fact that having it on what feels like the wrong side seems gimmicky. But maybe TC and I just have different pain points when it comes to hand crack..." go to full review
As we’ve come to expect from La Sportiva, the Trango Tech is an extremely well-made and nicely constructed boot with high attention to detail. However, with such a lightweight design, you can expect a much shorter lifespan if you’re using the boots to their full potential. In other words, the minimalist build will pack out and abrade much more quickly than a beefier leather model. After 10 days of heavy use, our pair showed notable fraying where the upper came into contact with a crampon and..." go to full review
The La Sportiva Genius is purpose-built for the rigors of steep climbing, and in our testing it performed exceptionally well on this sort of terrain. We wore it while bouldering, sport climbing, and even ascending bouldery overhanging trad climbs, and loved the generous downturn and incredibly sensitive construction. On steep limestone, the shoe was responsive on toe and heel hooks. While edging and toeing in on steep conglomerate and sandstone, the Genius stuck well to miniscule footholds...." go to full review
In terms of quality of construction, Black Diamond falls around the middle of the pack. Given that the Momentum is their first house-made climbing shoe, it’s not surprising that there are a few kinks to work out. The straps lack the high quality craftsmanship of brands like Butora and La Sportiva, the closure system needs some improvement (see the comfort section above), and the knit upper certainly prioritizes breathability over durability and fit. At $90, the Momentum is one of the least..." go to full review
In the end, the Addict is a good shoe choice for a pretty large group of climbers. I would say anyone climbing primarily on slabs and cracks should consider it, as well as any beginner. It’s a great first climbing shoe but also can be your shoe of choice for Indian Creek 5.12s. As for beginners, the Addict is more affordable than comparable models like the Moccasym or the La Sportiva Mythos, and it has some cool design features like the VTR rand (variable thickness rand places more rubber..." go to full review
If the price tag doesn’t make you flinch, and the shoe fits, go for it. You just can’t go wrong with the Pink. It’s a performance-oriented model that’s also an excellent all-arounder. Of all the climbing shoes in the business, this is one of our favorites. Despite all of the positives, beginning climbers may want to look elsewhere. It’s not just the initial price: the 2mm sole will wear through quicker for climbers still learning to use their feet properly. Resoles aren’t nearly as expensive..." go to full review