My Climb

Once in great moon, I seem to catch it right; a warm wind, a low tide, and morning of solitude. One thing I can always count on while climbing at Panther is sandy holds. Both footholds and handholds are more often than not, caked with sand. Holds are rounded, sculpted and altered by the ever-changing disposition of the Great Pacific. Butora rubber held well on the semi-wet, sandy footholds and I felt pretty solid heal-and toe hooking across a project that has stumped me for the past six..." go to full review

The Butora Endeavor shoe edges great. On friction moves, the Endeavor held it’s own there too. I felt that the ‘sticky’ rubber on the Endeavor shoe made up for the stiffness. I liked the small amount of extra stiffness because it shielded my foot from fatigue and pain. I will be pulling these shoes out of my backpack often as my climbing days continue! I would highly recommend it for any all-around climber!go to full review

As an alpinist, I’m often dealing with poor rock, long run-outs, weather issues and long ascents in isolated areas. To move fast and light while climbing in the Alps, I tend to carry less gear, but a variety of cams and nuts which will overcome the unique placements often found on the classic granite and limestone peaks. Adding a set of Link-Cams into my arsenal will offer more security on the lead and speed with anchor set-ups. As for single pitch rock routes, the Link Cam covers crux moves..." go to full review

In Spain, I opted for an aggressive edging shoe and my Moccasym. The Moccs offered me an unbelievably soft and comfortable fit. The lack of laces or Velcro also helped with keeping my feet free of sand at the beach crags of Aliconte. I had purchased a brand new pair for Spain and I was grateful when our time ended that I did. The Moccs stretched both in width and length, I felt that the heel could be of lower volume as well. As for edging, I knew from my past experiences with the Moccs that..." go to full review

My feet have been in rock shoes for over 35 years, which means that although my pads are pretty ugly to look at, they are at least tough! For steep crack climbing I enjoy both the Evolv and the Moccasym. The comparison is not an easy one, although when I’m climbing in Joshua Tree in November or April, where the temps can range into the high 70’s or 80’s: I do tend to slip on the Evlov Addict more often than not. The Addict offers a slightly softer feel, along with a wider fit and a low..." go to full review

Wearing my mythos, I never once felt sketched even when I had to equalize two brass nuts before pulling the crux bulge on the Ament Route. As for comfort, the Mythos are hard to beat, I’m not saying that I would go to dinner wearing them, but I never had to take them off on route, or for lunch! Mythos have been around since 1991 and except for colors they have not changed. As an artist, I know when one of my oil paintings is complete and when it is time to put down my brush. La Sportiva’s..." go to full review

I have been using the Tarantulace for a few years now on most of my moderate grade, long routes. They are my ‘go-to’ shoe for routes on the Flatirons, Wind Tower, or many of the classics of Eldorado Canyon. Last June, my partner, Bill and I climbed several enchainments at The Leap near Lake Tahoe, California. Training for an alpine trip to Chamonix, we started our climbs at dusk and climbed well into the wee-hours of the night. Temperatures ranged from the low 40’s to the mid 60’s. Because..." go to full review