UKC

After years of schlepping about in comfy rock shoes I have taken Neil Gresham's advice in his article  on this site and upgraded my shoes to a more technical version (Scarpa Vapours, since you ask). They are great on steep limestone but I am less convinced they are suitable for gritstone padding and smearing.

Any grit experts got any recommendations for a performance grit shoe suitable for a broad foot?

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

Pink anasazies 

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

The Anasazi Pro are good for smearing, and good for edging too. Heal is a better fit for me than the old Anasazi.

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:wait for the vapor's to soften up. 

If you fit vapor's you can forget 5,10 in my experience

 

In reply to wbo:

Interesting.  I've used Anasazi velcros in the dim and distant past and found them quite comfy though that was about ten years ago so they may have changed their last

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

I wear vapour lace and they are great for smearing in my opinion. 

In reply to afshapes:

Maybe I need to wear them in more though I'd hate to lose all the stiffness (oh er missus) because they are great on limestone edges and pockets

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

I use to use anasazi vcs until my heel spurs worsened. Resoled Miura VS worked well for me (up to E2/3) but my go to now for grit is Tenaya Iati's They're not too durable unfortunately but last long enough as I only use them on grit. Either way for nature grit I now prefere a softer shoe, the routes aren't generally long enough to require something that offers more support.

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

I find Anasazi's a good all round shoe for grit but they do change, depending on how long you've had them.  They're stiffish and not so so sensitive when new.  I like them best when they're almost worn out as you can really feel the nuances of what you're standing on.  

I have a preference for the Scarpa Furias.  They're sensitive from new and feel just as comfy.  Where I find them better is the pointy toe allows me to use small pockets and the downturn helps pull on steep roof problems.  The heel fits me a little better too.  They do wear out fast and are not so good on sharp crystals.  I've not tried the new Furia S yet.

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

Anasazi Velcros. New for edging, well worn-in for smearing.

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

I might be misremembering but I think you used to get Vapours with soft rubber or hard rubber depending on lace or velcro. Seeing as they're the only non-beginner shoe that fits a wider foot it was a good thing too

Now they seem to just do the harder rubber but still great all-rounders

Is it something to do with smearing shoes not needing to be down-turned? maybe I should be looking at the beginner shoes...

In reply to wbo:

I use both.

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

No single shoe works best and it changes with the conditions on the grit. A stiffer sole will help you more in warmer weather as it’s less likely to deform or roll off sharp holds such as edges or crystals when you apply pressure however it’s not going to help you on blank smears. A very tightly fitted soft shoe with a lace up system that locks your foot in helps with smears on both slabs and upside down land. My choices for bouldering are:

Scarpa Instinct VS for marginal footholds or warm days where you need a really stiff sole to pick at crystals.

La Sportive Genius for blobby smears, toe or heal hooks.

In reply to alx:

Thanks for the detailed advice but I am not really planning to be quite that specialised. I used to be able to lead E2/3 in Boreal Aces and over the years I have used everything from Fires & Anasazi velcros to my comfily sloppy Defys but  having switched to the Vapour for steep limestone I have realised just what a difference the new generation of shoes make. However, I know that often on the grit, especially natural edges rather than quarries, I am smearing and thought the stiffer Vapours may not be ideal for the job and was wondering if there is a new generation shoe.  Sounds like the Anasazis may still be the ones to go for as they do suit my feet.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted.

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

I’m a big fan of the Boreal Jokers, lead up to grit E1 in them and climbed E4 without feeling at all like they we’re the limiting factor. 

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

E3?? Socks and sandals would be more appropriate footwear 

 

:-D

 

 

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

I predominantly climb gritstone and do it in scarpa vapour lace ups. Love them. They are great on grit once youve broken them in a bit and they've got me up some fairly hard routes. 

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:thinking about it I also had a pair of evolv shaman that were the same fit approximately but softened up really quickly.  I don't like the heel much though but if you don't do a lot of heel hooking you'll be ok

I love my Furia s but they are very soft

 

In reply to wbo:

Never tried a pair on because I've always thought they  look far more aggressive than I need these days. I can see how that might be great for toe grabbing on overhanging limestone or boulders but how does it translate to flexibility for smearing?

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

No mine are still stiff,  I think it helps put more force into the placement.  I remember reading Dave McLeod talking about scarpa boosters, maybe ?, being great despite being down turned. 

In reply to Wiley Coyote2:

New vapors for hardcore .Old vapors for softcore.

This said, my last pair has proven impossibly painful on long trad pitches in the heat and I've just bought some kind of 5.10 fairly untechnical thing for tradding. But that's not what you asked.