Great steep rock shoe

By adrenalated Ranked #1249 - Climbing Shoes August 29, 2009

This is a great shoe for overhanging rock. If you can't or don't want to wear a severely downturned shoe due to discomfort or whatever, this is the ticket. The overall last is flat to slightly downturned, but there the sole has a noticeable downturn just at the big toe. This makes the shoe perform incredibly well when toed-in on tiny edges and pockets on overhanging terrain.The downsides? These are extremely painful to wear on slabs. Vertical rock is bearable. Keep these on steep stuff where they belong. Also, the curvature and stiffness of the sole makes it difficult to smear on sloping footholds, overhanging or not.The shoe does not stretch in length at all thanks to the generous rand coverage over the toes. Heel and toe hooking performance is excellent.The Vibram XS rubber is, IMO, better than either 5.10's Stealth of Evolv's Trax. It's stickier, but may be less durable.Perfect bouldering shoe, or sport climbing shoe for places like the Red River Gorge or Rumney (where the footholds tend to be positive).

View Details: Scarpa Feroce Climbing Shoe - Vibram XS Grip2

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes