Climbing
Not all rock shoes need to be pain-tolerance tests, which is something we often forget in our quest for ever more fine-tuned performance. Fortunately, Five Ten has kept both comfort and performance in mind with their affordable new Kirigami, among the friendliest shoes to hit the market this year. These minimalist shoes feature a double hook-and-loop closure and synthetic upper, but it was the neutral (read: flat lasted) fit and rounded toebox that really shone—you can keep these..." go to full review
The updated Redline Strap is a radically downturned, asymmetrical beast (Mad Rock calls the shape a “spiral last”) made for gym climbing and steeps. These shoes are tight: I usually wear an 8.5 or 9 rock shoe, but here needed a 9.5. Perhaps this was because the molded heel cup is so deep that there’s little stretch; the forefoot is also narrow, which made the Redline great for smear-edging. These may be the best shoes I’ve tried for technical heel hooks, specifically on small gym holds. On a..." go to full review
As I reacclimated to volume and coordination problems, it struck me that the Theory felt like a combination of the Solution and the Futura—Solution-style big-toe bite for edging and jibs married with Futura-style softness, sensitivity, deformation, and scumming fluency. This made for wicked versatility, with reliable performance on toe-in-and-grab monster overhangs, funkedelic coordination slabs, and vertical crimp ladders. On one problem, up bulbous yellow balls, I desperately scummed..." go to full review
The first of La Sportiva’s three comp shoes was the Solution Comp, followed by the Theory and the Cobra 4.99. The Theory is softer than the Solution Comp for more of a bouldering focus. It also has volume-friendly features like Sportiva’s No-Edge technology, a rounded underfoot edge that, here, wraps up into two semi-circles of rand on the posterior toebox; a variable-thickness half-sole (1.9–4mm) that thins down behind the toebox, where you typically don’t stand, to encourage forefoot flex..." go to full review
Butora’s athlete team will still likely be rocking two pairs of shoes at comps: the Acro for steeper or edging problems, and the Acro Comp for volumes. However, having tested the Acro Comp, I found more than ample support for basic edging and jib standing—which is great in these very sensitive shoes, if you can take a little pain and/or have strong feet. And their performance on heel hooks and toe scums is nearly perfect—the toe-scumming patch is one of the biggest I’ve seen and is über-..." go to full review
The X1s have been Alex Johnson’s go-to shoe for indoor, competition, and outdoor climbing since they came out in 2018. “The softness makes it flexible—when a shoe is too soft and you’re standing on a volume or slab, you get a bubble,” she says. “The X1 is soft enough that I can trust my feet on volumes, but not so soft that the mold of the shoe falters.” When I tested the X1s when they first came out, I was impressed with their heel, one of the first softer, “volume-forward” heels to hit the..." go to full review
With grippy, sandblasted lobes and a narrow head width, the four-lobed Z4s sunk reliably deep in thin fissures and pin scars. But their most epic feature was the new RigidFlex tech, an accordion sheathe that stiffens the stem when retracted to let you bury the unit, but then softens up once placed to reduce walking. Our tester dug the Z4 Offsets for irregular cracks, saying, “I whipped repeatedly on the .3/.4. It took a beating, but showed little wear and was easy to clean. Highly recommend..." go to full review
Bluesign-certified and made of up-cycled yarns (yarns left over from the manufacture of other ropes), the Boa Eco points to an exciting new direction: recycled/up-cycled done right, with no “greenwashing” or compromised performance. “The Boa Eco was stretchy enough for a soft catch, but not so much that I was a pissed-off toproper,” said one tester of the rope, which has an impact force of 8kN and weighs 62 g/m (same as the nonrecycled 9.8mm Boa Pro Dry). It’s your standard high-end 9.8mm,..." go to full review
Do you have that one partner who continues to cling to their tube-style device because belay-assist devices are “too expensive”? That excuse is out the window with the sleek, fast-feeding, price-point Birdie (reviewed in issue No. 371). I’ve been battering mine for months. At 7.4 oz, it’s a little heavier than the Grigri, but the all-metal Birdie hasn’t worn out, and continues to feed and take in rope as ably as on day one. (The Birdie works with cords from 8.5 to 10.5mm.)The Birdie..." go to full review
The first thing I noticed about the updated Phoenix was its retro style. The mustard-and-yellow leather upper and green R2 rand give it a nice 1970s vibe. But it doesn’t just look groovy; it performs well, too. The 1.8mm compressed polyester midsole combined with a perforated EVA tongue (which I haven’t seen on any other shoe) provides support below and above the foot, ideal for multi-pitch and crack climbs. And the Science Friction 3.0 sole edged and smeared well on both rock and plastic. “..." go to full review