Rock and Run

As the name would suggest, the Oracle is a shoe that can answer nearly all the questions asked of it in the vertical arena. It has become my current go to shoe for route climbing, but it’s equally at home in the wall. You may prefer the convenience of Velcro – particularly if you do a lot of indoor climbing or training. If so you might find the Evolv X1 worth a look. But if you want a performance all-rounder, the precision fit given by the lace system, and the all-round versatility of the..." go to full review

The ATC Pilot is Black Diamond’s offering to this increasingly competitive corner of the market, and at just 92g is one of the lightest assisted braking devices available and can accommodate ropes from 8.7-10.5mm in diameter. Unlike the Petzl Grigri, it contains no moving parts, instead relying on the rope being pinched between the belay-carabiner and Pilot at a particular angle. This system not only benefits the belayer by reducing the strain on them, but also aids the climber, giving them..." go to full review

The La Sportiva Kataki climbing shoes are a phenomenal piece of kit and I can see them becoming firm favorites for many climbers. Their versatility was a pleasant surprise, performing very well across the majority of climbing disciplines, although they were best micro foot edges, slightly overhanging terrain and crack climbs. Their only real drawbacks are that they can be warm in particularly hot weather, aren’t the best at smearing and are best left in your bag when attempting long mountain..." go to full review

A good shoe, designed with indoor competition style and training board climbing in mind, and certainly best suited to this end. Also well worth a look in you have found the other Instinct models a little too voluminous in the heel or want a slipper with a bit more rigidity than is the norm. go to full review

The Masai and Oasi are just a small part Tenaya’s latest rock shoe range, but compliment each other perfectly. With just these two shoes one should happily be able do tackle everything from extreme bouldering to multi-pitch rock routes and in no way feel disadvantaged to climbers.go to full review

In spite of a few minor drawbacks, for me the Petzl pads offer the best balance of innovative features, comfortable carry, solid durability and good impact protection currently available. Whilst not cheap they do last well and the carry system alone is considerably more advanced and comfortable than any other pad I’ve used. In the Alto and Cirro, Petzl have certainly set a new standard in top-end crash pad design and function.go to full review

Both the Otaki and the Skwama perform very highly in the areas they are designed for, and buying a pair of each would be a wise choice for all-round climbers. The fit and design of both models represents the state of the art, for now at least, and this combines high performance, durability and comfort. I was particularly impressed by the Skwama because it took me by surprise – showing not only the characteristics of a great soft shoe, but also holding its own on edges and excelling on..." go to full review

In summary, the Scarpa Chimera draws on all of the aforementioned technology and years of developing and constructing such a complete range to design and forge possibly THE ultimate shoe for steep, high performance bouldering and sport climbing…go to full review

The Hiangle is a great addition to the Five Ten range, and I can see why so many Five Ten devotees have switched to it from the Dragon. It gives a great ratio of comfort to performance and as such it has fitted nicely into my shoe armoury (!) as a do-nearly-everything-shoe. The Hiangle combines a soft, comfortable upper with a supportive midsole that deals well with those footholds that you really need to stand tall on. The shoe is less good in pockets due to the more rounded toe box, but..." go to full review

Overall I really liked the Verdon. It offers superb all-round performance and stands up well to heavy use. That said, I can imagine the last shape of the shoe being something of a Marmite issue, with some climbers loving it and others not. Whilst it certainly is usable out-of-the-box, due to the hefty sole unit it did take a little wearing in before I considered using it on very small edges, but this is more a consideration than a criticism and once worn it functions well in this regard.go to full review