Climbing

Flossing into pockets and pressing against the limestone colonettes of Cayman Brac was tough in the island’s heat and humidity, which made my feet swell into small canoes. However, the light (15oz for M’s size 9), fleet Aleons still fit well. The shoe’s sculpted toebox provided mad power and precision for toeing in and thin edging, without the shoe needing a radical downturn, and the microfiber upper—with its breathable Primeknit closure—molded to my foot well. Bouldering guru Fred Nicole..." go to full review

The shoes in the Instinct line—especially the “orange slippers,” the original Instinct S—have for a decade been my redpoint weapons for vert and overhanging terrain, both bouldering and sport. I have a high-volume foot and climb short, highstepping and driving my toe onto holds to extend my reach; with their mild downturn and hyper-precise edging (odd for a slipper, but it’s true—I’ve climbed 5.13 slabs in them), the Instinct S suited my style. The new SR keeps the same Bi-Tension active..." go to full review

The Maestro Mid Eco is a solid contender for the best trad shoe on the market. The mid-height shoe is best suited for mid-to-wide cracks and long routes where you want solid edging performance (thanks to the Talyn 1.4mm midsole and 4mm XS Edge outsole)—or straight-up comfort. They jammed like a dream in Yosemite cracks, with a fit that allows you to climb with flattened toes and cleverly placed stitching that prevents hot spots, while leather panels protect the laces. Additional padding..." go to full review

I have a big soft spot for the Cobra, so it was nice to see these serpentine senders get a reissue as the Cobra Eco, made from 85 percent recycled material, including on the uppers and webbing—and also via the FriXion ECO sole fashioned from repurposed rubber. I’ve found the new Cobra to, like its predecessor, be an amazing all-arounder, one I’ve used confidently on thin granite multi-pitch, overhanging limestone sport, gym bouldering, and mixed trad. The shoes have a high-volume feel, great..." go to full review

All testers said the shoes excelled at smearing, pockets, and trad (jamming, slabs), and were good on face holds down to “medium-sized edges”—the 5.9–5.11 range. The shoes, which one tester labelled “semi-precise” (she hankered for a pointier, more asymmetrical toe), did work on smaller footholds by applying concerted force, though this led to big-toe fatigue. And they weren’t as fluent on overhanging sport—not surprising given their flat last. Still, the “Nighthawk far outperforms its $79 ..." go to full review

With the Mago, the juxtaposition between stiff and soft is interesting, and as you adjust your climbing style to the attributes of the shoe, you may find yourself becoming more versatile and fluid in your footwork, as well as less discriminating in your choice of holds. Those micros that were formerly “off limits” now look huge. Toe in and go!go to full review

In terms of catching falls, the Revo works like a tube-style device, letting a little slack slip through organically to give a dynamic catch, which means you don’t need to be that aggressive with the up or forward “soft catch” jump. And, of course, if you let too much slack slip through, it will lock up. To consider, however, is that if you properly catch a fall, the locking mechanism will not engage, meaning if your climber starts rage-batmanning back to their high point or wants to do an..." go to full review

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.go to full review

Raise your hand if you’re tired of either a) Clipping sketchy, grooved “fixed” draws or B) having to retire a beloved draw because of rope-side-biner grooving. Edelrid has come up with an ingenious solution with their new Bulletproof Quickdraw: The top biner is a nice, smooth-clipping Bullet biner, but it’s the bottom biner that counts—the keylock closure Bulletproof clipper with a steel insert where the rope runs. Having the one bit of steel keeps the 12 cm draw light (4.1 oz) while..." go to full review

A new offering in the Evolv ultra performance series, the Oracle is a high-performance downturned lace-up built for steep sport routes, bouldering, and gym climbing. Our tester wore his street-shoe size; while he was concerned that his foot might not fit the agressive last, the shoe expanded nicely when he put them on, and he was able to climb hard right away, on both steeps and vert. “Because of their downturned shape, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to edge on vertical face,” he says. “..." go to full review