Climbing Shoes

Stop press! Five Ten makes slipper from Anasazi last. Sounds a bit dull, but we were amazed by what the combination does for this shoe.

The Blaze Soft has a flexible sole and "rockered" street-shoe-type last.

Boreal classifies the Stingma as their new high-performance shoe. Unfortunately, the mellow slingshot heel and lacing system don't provide enough tension for serious face climbing, although the shoe strikes a decent balance with comfort.

There's a minimalist school of thought when it comes to steep-rock shoes. Ideally, the argument goes, you'd take a can of liquid rubber and spray-paint your feet. The V-Machine fits like this.

The Venom loves bouldering and hisses with pleasure when the angle gets steep.

With a dove-gray synthetic upper and translucent gel-like flashing, the Smoothy is an eye-catching shoe.

Climbing in the Forza was like meeting an old friend. With its lilac-navy colors and soft, supple leather upper, this shoe resembles Boreal's sadly discontinued Vector.

This shoe combines laces and an elastic tongue for a snug and surprisingly comfortable fit.

As you would expect from a company that earned its reputation equipping trail runners, Montrail's Zealot is exceptionally well made.

It's good to see a shoe that's unashamedly trad. With laces that run to the tip of the toe, stout rands, a rounded toe box and a stiff, flat sole, the Runout could have been teleported from the 1980s. Fashionable? No. Practical? You bet!

This slipper has an innovative closure system, with the elastic upper cinching over the arch with a Velcro strap.

Mad Rock has revitalized the rock-shoe market with innovative designs, and its wholesale-like prices have forced other manufacturers to drop their rates in turn.