Climbing

A darkhorse of our shoe testing, this lace-up got tons of high-country use from Wyoming’s Wind Rivers to Colorado’s Front Range. Two testers also rocked these for 5.10 crack climbs in Indian Creek, In Search of Suds (5.10+) on Washer Woman Tower, Utah, and the Kor-Ingalls Route (5.9+) on Castleton Tower, near Moab, Utah, and both were impressed by the level of performance they got out of this slightly downturned stiffie. “The last pitch on Washer Woman is a balancing, edging, smearing..." go to full review

Thick-soled and stiff, these rock shoes wear almost like boots—and for day-long routes in the alpine, that’s a good thing. “I’m not going to work my project in these,” said one tester, “but that’s not what they’re for. These are my top choice for long trad lines.” Credit a flat last for all-day comfort, the burly leather upper for enduring the rigors of a season of scuffs and cracks, and the Stealth C4 rubber for sticking to the tiniest of nubbins. “On routes that pack a little bit of..." go to full review

La Sportiva has designed a women’s-specific version of their classic Mythos by narrowing the width of the shoe and lowering the height of the heel cup. Like the original Mythos, the women’s version is an ace on thin cracks, pockets, and smears, though it falls short in the edging department. Despite the lowering of the heelcup, the Women’s Mythos heel hooks quite well, thanks to its around-the-heel lacing system. Just remember to size tightly, as this unlined shoe is prone to stretching.go to full review

The unlined Testarossa is this year’s steep-rock (20 degrees past vertical and beyond) champ. The down-turned, chiseled toe grabs at features with aplomb. The asymmetrical lacing system follows the anatomy of your foot better than straight-up laces, resulting in a fit that restores meaning to the cliché “glove-like.” On the downside, you’ll have to dig deep into your pockets to get all this performance.go to full review

With the Mythos, La Sportiva takes the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to heart — they introduced the Mythos in 1992, and today it’s their all-time bestseller. Built on a straight, flat last, the Mythos has a toes-flat fit. The unlined leather uppers are meant to stretch to fit, and the laces extend all the way to the rounded toe and around the ankle, which allowed a marked range of adjustability. Our testers liked the Mythos’ all-day comfort; generous toe and rand rubber (Vibram XS..." go to full review

The streamlined Miura VS offers true high-end performance on a wide variety of terrain. The Velcro version shares the same asymmetrical, downturned last and pointed toe as the classic Miura, creating a shoe equally fluent on thin faces and wicked overhangs. The three Velcro closures were almost as effective at fine-tuning fit as laces, though one tester with wide feet commented that the middle strap wasn’t long enough for his liking. The Miura VS has a lined upper but no lining underfoot,..." go to full review

The asymmetric, flat last and leather midtop upper of La Sportiva’s new trad shoe offer incredible crack and edging/frontpointing prowess. The TC Pro sports 4mm Vibram XS Edge rubber, a new compound designed to stick to micro-edges, while the P3 midsole ensures a stiff platform to prevent foot fatigue. All our testers considered it the best, most durable shoe for granite. The only drawback was the tongue, which rolled somewhat toward the toe box during foot entry. The TC Pro is designed for..." go to full review

We may as well have flipped a coin to choose a category for the TC Pro. This crack and big-wall mid-top climbs fissures of all sizes so well it could have fit into any category. For a comfy lace-up that could be worn on allday routes, it has a surprisingly low toe profile for thin cracks. But this baby really shines when things get wide and you need full-foot protection and support. A super-stiff sole and leather uppers that reach just above the ankle save skin when torquing and stacking in..." go to full review

This downturned slipper-cum-Velcro is La Sportiva’s latest high-performance kick. Testers lauded the comfort and easy on-off (elastic ankle cuff with one Velcro strap), which make the Futuras perfect for bouldering and indoor training. The Futura received high marks for sensitivity, thanks to a 3mm Vibram XS Grip2 outsole. They also hook really well, with a heel that vacuum-fits a variety of foot shapes and sufficient toe-top rubber and forefoot flex. The only feature that multiple testers..." go to full review

The exceedingly popular Miura VS is now made in a lower-volume version that delivers the same high performance on all rock angles. This shoe received rave reviews from testers for vertical granite, overhanging sport, bouldering, multi-pitch, and gym climbing. One tester simply called them the “best shoes” on the market. With a stiff, P3 midsole, asymmetric and downturned last, Dentex lining (no lining underfoot), leather upper, and 4mm Vibram XS Grip2 rubber, the Miura VSW excels at just..." go to full review