Monday, 24 October 2011
Micro Traxion, amazing!
I got a sneak peek at Petzl's new Micro Traxion yesterday. This thing is tiny! And light! It is more efficient than the Mini Traxion and a ton smaller. This may even replace the tibloc I always leave on my harness because I almost always also carry a small pulley. For the same weight I'll get a huge jump in efficiency from a regular pulley and a pretty impressive jump over the mini traxion as well. And it will still do everything the tibloc does. Except maybe open beers. Can't wait till march!
Sunday, 23 October 2011
The Best Approach shoes I have ever owned: La Sportiva Boulder X
I have owned and destroyed many pairs of approach shoes in my years of climbing. Very few have lasted longe enough to go bald on the sole. Most have had a rand/upper failure long before the treads were toast while a couple have had a complete sole delam starting at the heel. Nothing lasts forever, and while important, durability is only one of the many factors to consider when buying a new pair of shoes.
I am in my 14th year of climbing and probably average 75 days on the rock (although yesterday I hit 96 for 2011). I live and climb in Ontario but visit Quebec and the RRG frequently and make longer roadtrips to destinations (Squamish, Yosemite and Cuba lately) whenever I can. I climb sport and trad and put up new routes and spend way too much time jugging ropes taking photos. Every couple of months I go trail running for reasons unbeknownst to me. I prefer an approach shoe that hikes well when I am carrying a rope, 16 draws, trad rack and/or drill and bolts. It still needs to climb well (5.10 on sport and 5.8 trad) but this cannot come at the cost of comfort and support.
From what I can remember the shoes I have owned are:
Sportiva
Exum River (good hiker but not good for climbing)
Habanero (upper disintegrated on two pairs, heel delam on one)
Spotter (more of a skate/slacker shoe. what happened to the stash pockets sportiva!?)
Vasque
Pingora (great climbing performance but quite thin underfoot)
FiveTen
Guide Tennies (great hiker and climber)
Camp Four (great hiker a bit clunky for climbing)
Daescent (LOVE these shoes! by FAR the best for climbing and really light, but not comfortable with moderate loads or distance)
Which brings me to the best pair of approach shoes I have owned to date.
While I must say that I am a fan of the Guide Tennies the dot rubber sole FiveTen uses is not as deep which is an issue in wet or muddy conditions and the lack of edging platform means that they won't climb as well until you've worn the sole out under your big toe. Depending on where you live this may be a non-issue but I found myself yearning for a different pair of shoes in wet springtime conditions.
The first thing I noticed when I bought the Boulder Xs was that every time I looked down it appeared that I was wearing mountain boots. They are burly! The full rand keeps you (and the shoes) dry in minor puddles/mud and protects the shoe when crack climbing. I'm sure that I destroyed one of the pairs of Habanero's by stuffing them into a fist crack. The leather upper is quite beefy which is important for me. In really warm conditions with little or no debris a vented shoe would be more suitable. The laces are protected and wrap around the entire shoe allowing you to tension the wrap around the heel if desired. I mysteriously had a core shot of the laces in the first month of use but the sheath didn't completely fail until recently. With the laces absolutely cranked I can climb vertical 5.10 sport in them although I'm sure a steep route of any grade is possible in approach shoes if the feet aren't small.
I started the year off with trip to Vinales, Cuba for 3 weeks of sunny limestone paradise. Some of the approaches were mellow while others entailed jungle hell (the aptly named plant cat's claw), followed by cactus hell and loose rock. During our trip we added a 6 pitch line to the tallest wall overlooking Vinales. It took our 3 man team 6 days to establish and needless to say was a lot of work. The shoes really shone while cleaning and bolting because I was constantly switching between climbing and standing in aiders. Even the beefy Metolius Ajustable Aiders that I have (with the wide footbed) are not comfortable on a climbing shoe. Your arches will be screaming in minutes. The rand and thick upper really held these shoes together where others have worn out prematurely.
The rest of the year has involved a lot of exploration and new routing. Bolting and exploring always happens on wet days when I wont be climbing and everything is guaranteed to be slick. There has been lots of bushwhacking, scree surfing and chossaneering in these shoes in addition to wearing them around town and riding my bike pretty much everywhere.
The Boulder X are the most durable approach shoe I have owned, hands down. I cannot remember the last year that I broke 100 days on the rock, nor can I recall ever having a pair of shoes survive a year of my use. More importantly though they are comfortable and supportive while not being too clunky for moderate terrain or too heavy and bulky to clip to my harness on a multipitch climb. They are the best approach shoes I have come across because they handle everything well, replacing 2-3 pairs of more terrain/condition specific shoes.
I am in my 14th year of climbing and probably average 75 days on the rock (although yesterday I hit 96 for 2011). I live and climb in Ontario but visit Quebec and the RRG frequently and make longer roadtrips to destinations (Squamish, Yosemite and Cuba lately) whenever I can. I climb sport and trad and put up new routes and spend way too much time jugging ropes taking photos. Every couple of months I go trail running for reasons unbeknownst to me. I prefer an approach shoe that hikes well when I am carrying a rope, 16 draws, trad rack and/or drill and bolts. It still needs to climb well (5.10 on sport and 5.8 trad) but this cannot come at the cost of comfort and support.
From what I can remember the shoes I have owned are:
Sportiva
Exum River (good hiker but not good for climbing)
Habanero (upper disintegrated on two pairs, heel delam on one)
Spotter (more of a skate/slacker shoe. what happened to the stash pockets sportiva!?)
 |
| La Sportiva Spotters sporting crampons (WTF!) |
Pingora (great climbing performance but quite thin underfoot)
FiveTen
Guide Tennies (great hiker and climber)
Camp Four (great hiker a bit clunky for climbing)
Daescent (LOVE these shoes! by FAR the best for climbing and really light, but not comfortable with moderate loads or distance)
Which brings me to the best pair of approach shoes I have owned to date.
 |
| An absolutely toast pair of La Sportiva boulder X |
While I must say that I am a fan of the Guide Tennies the dot rubber sole FiveTen uses is not as deep which is an issue in wet or muddy conditions and the lack of edging platform means that they won't climb as well until you've worn the sole out under your big toe. Depending on where you live this may be a non-issue but I found myself yearning for a different pair of shoes in wet springtime conditions.
The first thing I noticed when I bought the Boulder Xs was that every time I looked down it appeared that I was wearing mountain boots. They are burly! The full rand keeps you (and the shoes) dry in minor puddles/mud and protects the shoe when crack climbing. I'm sure that I destroyed one of the pairs of Habanero's by stuffing them into a fist crack. The leather upper is quite beefy which is important for me. In really warm conditions with little or no debris a vented shoe would be more suitable. The laces are protected and wrap around the entire shoe allowing you to tension the wrap around the heel if desired. I mysteriously had a core shot of the laces in the first month of use but the sheath didn't completely fail until recently. With the laces absolutely cranked I can climb vertical 5.10 sport in them although I'm sure a steep route of any grade is possible in approach shoes if the feet aren't small.
I started the year off with trip to Vinales, Cuba for 3 weeks of sunny limestone paradise. Some of the approaches were mellow while others entailed jungle hell (the aptly named plant cat's claw), followed by cactus hell and loose rock. During our trip we added a 6 pitch line to the tallest wall overlooking Vinales. It took our 3 man team 6 days to establish and needless to say was a lot of work. The shoes really shone while cleaning and bolting because I was constantly switching between climbing and standing in aiders. Even the beefy Metolius Ajustable Aiders that I have (with the wide footbed) are not comfortable on a climbing shoe. Your arches will be screaming in minutes. The rand and thick upper really held these shoes together where others have worn out prematurely.
 |
| Hauling! What fun.... |
 |
| Bushwhacking through poison ivy only to find choss |
 |
| Early season exploration. Mud! |
 |
| River valley bliss |
 |
| Fun with fire! |
 |
| Pushing my limits |
The Boulder X are the most durable approach shoe I have owned, hands down. I cannot remember the last year that I broke 100 days on the rock, nor can I recall ever having a pair of shoes survive a year of my use. More importantly though they are comfortable and supportive while not being too clunky for moderate terrain or too heavy and bulky to clip to my harness on a multipitch climb. They are the best approach shoes I have come across because they handle everything well, replacing 2-3 pairs of more terrain/condition specific shoes.
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