UKC

A mate has an audition for ninja warrior and asked what sticky trainers there are. I suggested guide tennies.

Any other ideas?

Too heavy. You want what the parkour guys are in and they are all in flat, lightweight trainers like Asics. 

Evolv Cruisers maybe?  I have a pair of the canvas ones, they are very lightweight, nimble and sticky soled.

Five Ten mtn bike shoes?

Climbing footwear is amazingly un-sticky, a long time ago I was pulled in to advise on a Jeux sans Frontieres thingy which involved chimneying up inside a metal tube and rock boots were worst, far worse than the trainers I was wearing. Indoor tennis/squash shoes were the best not suprisingly since they are meant to stick to a varnished floor.

When I wear my 5.10 mtb shoes round sainsbury's a the trolley end up pulling me round the corners as they are so ungrippy on that particular surface. It's odd as they sound like they stick to the floor just after being washed... maybe they pick up dust and dirt really quick and lose their tackiness?

Climbing shoes grip well on rough rock, on a painted smooth surface proper boat deck shoes would do better, they might not differ much from indoor non marking tennis or squash soles mentioned above.

I would look at the videos and see what everyone else is wearing.

Personally I find "Street trainers" good at gripping on most surfaces. Skate shoes being the best, Globes, DC's etc

Most mountain bike shoes have (fairly) stiff soles so as to not waste energy wrapping rubber round the pedals. Would be like trying to do a bouldering comp in mountain boots.

Scarpa Gecko Air

Light, sticky rubber, and you can run about in them

Advise him to wear wellies if he wants a signature look.

Any caver worth their salt could have done it in dunlop suretreads (best welly ever made, but sadly discontinued).

As much as I hate writing these words, those Vibram 5 finger jobbies could be good!

Any of the popular parkour training shoes - if he's feeling particularly flush I'd suggest buying a pair of Ollos and supporting a small community-grown company, but after Brexit the cost of import and postage is 40€ - about half the values of the shoes themselves.

https://ollopk.com/

Otherwise, any light, flat, no-frills trainer. Approach shoes are probably too stiff as well as too heavy, but I'm looking at that from a parkour perspective rather than a ninja warrior one.

I’ve got some that I was given for taking part in a study on running form. They are kind of similar to the split toe Jika Tabi style ninja shoes, but I have never been impressed with the grip. 

Inov-8 bare XF would be my suggestion

A thin trainer like Merrell Trail Glove, Inov8 Bare XF, or New Balance Minimus. You can search for best shoes for ninja warrior or best shoes for parkour and get more alternatives.

These type of trainers will keep the weight down and maximise sensitivity. You want to avoid anything heavy, stiff-soled, or with thick padding.

If you've never worn this type of trainer before it can take some getting used to, as you don't have the same level of heel cushioning as other trainers and it requires a different technique for running and landing jumps. 

altra lone peaks would be my suggestion

Hi Mark,

Magnus Midtbo has a good Ninja Warrior series on his YouTube channel at the moment, consensus seems to be lightweight running shoes for grip and speed..

Toby Segar (Popular Youtube Parkour / Free Runner / UK Ninja Warrior Competitor) uses Adidas Galaxy 5 Shoes.. 

I might see your mate at the auditions! Best of luck to him..