It’s time for the first in a series on polls here on All Climbing.
With the significant number of you readers out there, I figured we could have some fun and gather some insight by having polls on a regular basis.
I know most climbers (myself included) are quite passionate about their climbing shoes and usually have a favorite brand that fits out feet the best. So what’s yours?
[poll id=”2″]
If I’m missing your favorite, let me know in the comments.
9 Comments
i voted for la sportiva and actually buy their trail running shoes as well… absolutely LOVE the fit and the feel. And love my Katanas for climbing (even though they hurt a wee bit… best feel and precision I’ve had). 🙂
Amy, what model of approach shoe by La Sportiva? Last month I picked up a pair of the Exum Ridge and I absolutely love them. A review is coming soon.
I run in the Fireblade (http://www.backcountry.com/store/LSP0076/La-Sportiva-Fireblade-Trail-Running-Shoes-Womens.html?), so the older pairs that have been retired from running duty usually end up as my approach shoe. The structure and grippy-ness seem to hold up really well (just don’t want to keep running on them too long).
Mammut! I love them!
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i voted mad rock, as those are the shoes i’m currently using the most, but my real vote goes to “the shoes that fit”. i’ve had quite a time nailing down a pair of shoes i can enjoy wearing. i want something snug and flexible (i really don’t like stiff shoes), but that has no hot spots and that i can comfortably climb and stand around in for a few hours without once thinking about my feet. i suppose it’s because i’m not a particularly “hard core” climber that i’m not willing to wear toe-crunchingly painful shoes. the last thing i want to be distracted by when i’m climbing is pain in my feet. turns out it’s difficult, but not impossible, to find shoes that satisfy my criteria.
for stiffer lace ups, i ended up liking the 5-10 mojave and, should i ever be able to afford them, the 5-10 anasazi lace (i’ve only tried them on in a shop, but they felt good). for bouldering, and after much trial and error, i finally ended up with the 2003 mad rock hooker zip and lace (though the zip is my favorite). yep, snagging some five-year-old dead stock ended up being the best all-around fit and performance in a bouldering shoe, and i’ve tried a lot of different shoes. the design mad rock employed that particular year works very well for me. they’re not perfect, but they’re close. i’ve tried later iterations of the same shoe and they don’t really work. prior to discovering the 2003 hooker i was using the 5-10 prima, which was doing a pretty satisfactory job, but did end up feeling a bit painful after about an hour and was also stiffer than i like.
I’ve been through a few pairs of Five Ten Anasazi pinks and currently have a pair of the velcros and love them. But at the moment my favourite shoes are my La Sportiva Cobras.
Good question 🙂 I’m sticking with Five-Ten mainly as after 10 years of climbing my feet have been FiveTenned 🙂
Biggest plus I’ve found is the rubber is best (and I’m sure that’s a personal preference!) but I take it as a good sign that most re-solers I meet only use Five Ten rubber…….