UKC

Hi All,

Ok-may have been covered before, but bear with me as i'd like to throw in a few specifics.

I'm after a new rock shoe as my Scarpa Visions are dying , consider the following;

Climb on all types of rock, so needs to perform on mountain routes HVS-E1 ish, climb on slate, so needs to perform on edges and take trips to climb on the grit so needs to perform on smears too..basically i need a good all round performer. I have a fairly wide foot but thin-ish heal, like boots to be relatively stiff. Aggressive enough to cope with anything a HVS-E3 might throw at them, but not painfully aggressive.

Have looked at the usual suspects Anasazi's, Miura's but what would you recommend? Obviously i understand trying things on and see how they feel is the answer, but would like to me a kinda-short list.

Thanks.

In reply to CragRat_Trad:
Hi,
Firstly I'd have to admit I've not worn Visions.
However, from the other things that you say, I would recommend trying some Scarpa Vapor lace.
I guess they are the latest incarnation of what the Vision was - a performace all-rounder.
The Vapor lace is soled in Vibram XS edge so should offer plenty bite for slate and I know people who rate them at Font/Northumberland too.

One to add to the list I reckon.

Regards,
Tiso Ratho

In reply to Tiso Ratho:

Seconded. A quality all round shoe that's done me well on grit, slate and steep bouldering. If you do choose to buy them, get the fit you want out of the box - mine haven't really stretched at all despite a year's heavy use.

In reply to CragRat_Trad:

Being suited to E3 slate edging and to grit smearing and to long HVS mountain routes is quite a demanding request for any one shoe. Have you considered getting more than one? This is no more expensive in the long run because you use each less so each lasts longer.

For example I use 5.10 Whites on slate or single-pitch hard climbs, 5.10 Verdes for grit and as a more general-purpose shoe, and 5.10 Blues (Spires) for lower grades, for long multi-pitch routes and for indoors (since these are more comfortable for longer wearing).

In reply to Coel Hellier: I have considered getting more than one pair yes, for easy things, i'll use my old pair of visions or one of the pairs of spirits i have, where lack of rubber is fine.

So i'm trying to get something to do slate, mountain routes and grit..this may be asking too much, i admit..we'll see what people think.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, will have a look at them.

Cheers

In reply to CragRat_Trad: I'd be careful with the Anasazi's, I have a pretty wide forefoot but thin heel and I find them (the VCS at least) to be too roomy at the back and agony on the toes. Having said that, they're still ridiculously good shoes so if it's out and out performance you're after they may be worth a look, particularly when it comes to edging, face climbs and cracks. Maybe sizing up would make them more suitable for long routes but as I say, watch that heel area.

I've started wearing a pair of 5.10 Newtons recently which are nice and stuff, super comfy and perform brilliantly on smears, slabs and wide cracks. However, they're about as aggressive as a pair of trainers and probably better suited to complete punters like me.

In reply to CragRat_Trad: er, stiff, not stuff. Muppet.

In reply to Styx: Thanks for the info on the sazi's will be sure to check for that when trying stuff on!