Redpoint

I recently bought a pair of Five Ten Guide Tennies. I was very excited to use them because of the great reviews I read in the climbing magazines. I broke the shoes in on two easy hikes of only about 2 miles each. They fit well and felt solid and comfy. Then, I used the shoes for what I ordered them for: a one day ascent of the Nose route of El Capitan. After several pitches I noticed the sole on the right shoe was peeling back at the toe. After several more pitches both toes were peeling back. By the time we reached the top (16 hours from the start) both soles were peeled back at the toe a full inch. I'd be more understanding if these shoes were regular tennis shoes or something, but these are approach and climbing shoes. My friend Hans has Nike Cinder Cones and has climbed the Nose in them dozens of times. When we reached the summit of El Cap his old shoes were in better shape than my brand new shoes. I wish Five Ten would rework the toes on these shoes so that point where the sole meets the rand there is not a seam. Nike did this successfully with their Cinder Cones and it would be smart for Five Ten to learn from their no-seam design. Beyond that I am very, very happy with these shoes. They are so sticky I can walk up and down the steepest slabs and they never slip. I feel like Spider Man!