Rock and Ice

Superlight and highly flexible, yet with a relaxed, flat last, the Defy is a steep-rock sport and gym shoe for climbers who loathe the acute foot compression associated with down-turned, banana-shaped performance shoes. That said, the Defy, because it is soft and lets your foot lie flat, requires more foot strength than stiffer-soled shoes and softer models that compress your toes. For most people, the stock model we tested is too soft for climbs where you heavily weight your feet, e.g.,..." go to full review

The new Shaman was designed by Chris Sharma, right down to the blue and orange colors, which were inspired by a basketball that his dog, Chaxi, loves to wrestle. I got to test a pair this summer, and was both surprised and pleased to find that Evolv, finally, has produced an aggressive sport-climbing and bouldering shoe that I would actually buy.go to full review

Is this how it starts? One week you feel embarrassed about wearing the ladies' RockStar in the company of your bros. The next you're wearing a jog bra and high-fiving everyone at the cliff. Despite sexual-identity crises, our female and male testers loved this "women's" shoe. Evolv designed the RockStar with a shallower heel cup, higher arch and lower volume than its other models, and although I never thought of myself as having feminine feet, this shoe fits me..." go to full review

I gave the Zero three stars out of five because, for me, the heel cup is a major flaw. The Zero does get an extra point for I for being a good value and surprisingly high level of performance in the gym.go to full review

There's a minimalist school of thought when it comes to steep-rock shoes. Ideally, the argument goes, you'd take a can of liquid rubber and spray-paint your feet. The V-Machine fits like this. Its soft sole and wrap-around upper, basically two overlapping flaps, are sure to please those who like a simple shoe that allows them to really feel the rock with their feet. Despite its seemingly basic design the V-Machine is engineered to banana your foot when you size it right (i.e. tight..." go to full review

This medium-stiff, lined and padded shoe strikes a balance between being comfortably supportive, yet not so stiff it feels like an ironing board. It's a great everyman's shoe, one that forgives sloppy footwork and shores up feet that are too weak to optimize slippers or soft shoes. The Joker is one of the top picks for multi-pitch face routes where you stand hard on your feet, such as those at Tuolumne or Red Rock, and vertical(ish) techy crags such as Smith, Shelf Road and the..." go to full review

I gave Women’s Solution shoe five stars because the quality construction and well-designed fit are worth the expense. This is a rare high-performance shoe that has been successfully morphed to fit a woman’s foot. I think this shoe will meet the needs of many women who so far haven’t found just the shoe for them.go to full review

With the Katana, La Sportiva has made a low-volume heel that doesn’t pop off your foot. A tensioned rubber rand cinches the heel, while side indentations contour to the narrow shape of a woman’s foot. However, the heel rand dug into the sensitive Achilles area. According to the Colorado Women’s Bouldering Team member Ashley Woods, the heel becomes more comfortable as it breaks in. With a thick leather upper and lining, the Katana was beefier than the other shoes, making it a good choice for..." go to full review

I’ve worn these shoes on vertical sandstone, steep granite and super-steep limestone, and, honestly, I like them for everything. As an old dirtbag, I was a bit freaked at the price, but given the versatility and performance, I could throw out my string of specialized shoes and pick up a pair of TC Pros. Like Tommy, they can do just about everything.go to full review

The Solution won a 2008 Best in Gear (BIG) award from Rock and Ice, which says about all you need to know about this great shoe. The shoe's P3 design (Performance Power Platform) retains the downturned shape of the toe, unlinke many similar shoes that lose their aggressiveness after months of wear. This shoe is for steep bouldering and power toe moves—it took me two weeks of breaking in before I could smear and edge. This is a specialized shoe, one I plan on bringing to Hueco this fall..." go to full review