Great All-Around Workhorse Shoe

By NickW Ranked #45 - Climbing Shoes July 14, 2009

As noted in my inital question below, I had been out of climbing for about 7 years and needed to replace my old Boreal Aces which did not fit any more. All of my previously climbing had been on multiple generations of Aces. Since Aces are near impossible to find in the US, I starting thinking about Mythos. If your goal is to find a shoe that strikes the near perfect balance of performance v. comfort, look no further. This is a shoe that does not absolutely destroy in any particular category (other than comfort), but does an exceedingly good job in almost all categories of climbing (trad, gym, slab, face). A great all-around workhorse shoe. By way of comparison to the Aces, (i) the Mythos stretch much more to fit your feet so I would suggest sizing down at least 1/2 size from your typical climbing shoe size, (ii) the Aces were a little more confident on micro-edging given how much more stiff they were from board lasting (although the Mythos are more than adequate on edging), (iii) both the rubber on the new Mythos as well as the fact that they strecth and are not as stiff make the Mythos MUCH more trusting on slabs and smearing on face-climbs than the Aces (not even close on this one!) and (iv) frankly, the Mythos are the most comfortable climbing shoes I have worn. I am very pleased with the decision. If you are strictly climbing overhung sport routes or boulder problems, then there are more contoured shoes for your tastes. But if you are looking for a do-it all shoe of indoor and outdoor climbing, I recommend the Mythos. (I will, however, probably pick up a more tailored shape shoe for boulder or hard sport route climbing).

View Details: La Sportiva Mythos Climbing Shoe - Men's DO NOT USE

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