My favorite shoe

By Ian Ranked #532 - Climbing Shoes November 13, 2010

I absolutely love this shoe. My U.S street shoe size is 6.5 / 7.0 and I have a narrow(ish) ankle, the 37.5 size is what I use for bouldering / steep climbs.

The second I slip into the shoe and fasten the straps, my feet really do feel like weapons with suction powers; there is a video on the la sportiva website where Daniel Woods talks about the shoe, and the shallow pocket underneath your toes that he mentions, really does help suck you into the bigger holds. Let's see, what else... the beak at the front is definitely confidence inspiring, and the rubber up top is great for toe hooking. The heel, although big let's you push into whatever you're hooking and the rubber moulds into the cracks and makes it stick(!).

With all the good comes with a little bad though. The strap can and does wear out pretty quickly. The problem lies in the eyelet that it runs through, which is smooth on the outside, but flip it over and you'll see some sharp edges that slowly cuts away at the material. Personally, I like to strap 'em pretty tight, so the problem is more of an issue for me.

Pros outweigh the one con :)

View Details: La Sportiva Solution Vibram XS Grip2 Climbing Shoe

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes