The Indo was originally introduced to me as a softer, more indoor/boulder-oriented version of the Crux. It features the same fit/last, which - in my opinion - is a good thing, not just because I really liked the Crux, but also because the Crux had a good balance between performance and comfort. However, in spite of its similarities the Indo is a very, very different shoe.

In Use

What impressed me most about the Crux was how much of an all-rounder it was, but if there to be a caveat to that it's that the Crux wasn't my first choice indoors; and this is where the Indo comes in. Being softer, and featuring a stickier rubber compound, this shoe is very much geared towards modern indoor bouldering and all that it entails. When it comes to outdoors, it's (perhaps obviously) suitable for that too, but it's at its best on friction based rock types such as gritstone or sandstone, or on steeper terrain, where its soft construction will allow you to paste as much rubber to rock as possible.

However, it's the comfort that marks the Indo out as something special. Its super soft sock knit liner feels great next to skin, and it's the sort of shoe you can wear for an entire session without having to take it off. Perhaps in light of this it's worth contextualising the performance. We are not talking about an all-out performance shoe like the Boreal Satori (which you DEFINITELY have to take off between problems/routes) - it's more recreational than that; however, I have no complaints with the level of performance it has offered and if there was a problem I couldn't do in it, then it wasn't the shoe's fault - it was, without doubt, my own.

Fit

The Indo, much like the Crux, features a slightly downturned, moderately asymmetric last. Both the forefoot and the heel are at the wider end of the scale. There are two different volumes available: a higher volume 'men's' model and a lower volume 'women's' one. As always it's best to ignore the 'mens' and 'women's because men can have low volume feet and women high volume feet. Just go with whatever fits your foot best. The only downside to this approach is that the men's models only go down to UK5 and the women's model only up to UK8.5, so there's definitely progress to be made here in fleshing out a full size range across both low and high volume models. It seems that brands - including Boreal - are beginning to address this.

Despite the Indo having the same fit/last as the Crux they do feel very different on the foot. There are several reasons for this, with the sock liner, in particular, making a massive difference. It's much softer and more supple than the lined microfibre upper of the Crux, giving the shoe a much more flexible feel. The softer rubber has an impact too, as does the fact that the outsole doesn't stretch down as far as on the Crux - and the tensioning system also has cutaways designed to give it more flexibility.

There are two straps on the Indo, a really effective power strap on the top, which effectively locks your foot into the shoe, and a slightly confusing lower strap, which - in our opinion - doesn't do much. We had similar reservations about this same strap with the Satori, and in each case we believe it would have been fine without.

In terms of sizing you'll want to go around a single UK size down from your street shoe size for a comfortable, but sufficiently close, fit; although as always, we recommend trying before buying (just to be sure).

Features

The Indo features Boreal's Zenith Ultra 2.0 rubber, which we were really impressed with back when we reviewed the Satori earlier in the year. Zenith Ultra 2.0 is Boreal's softest - and stickiest - compound, potentially even more so than Vibram's XS Grip, which is very much the industry standard these days. It's obviously great for smearing, but it's also remarkably good at edging too. This must be  partly as a result of Boreal using 4-4.5mm of it, which helps it hold its own on edges, as opposed to creeping off in the way that soft shoes are often guilty of. The exact amount of rubber they use depends on the shoe's size, so the smaller your foot, the thinner the rubber (in order to compensate for the fact that lighter climbers don't need as much support). Another benefit of the extra rubber is that it takes longer for the sole to wear out, which is a real money saver if you're climbing indoors a lot.

The Indo also features a sizeable rubber toe patch, as you'd expect from a shoe designed with indoor bouldering in mind, and with the way climbing walls are setting problems these days these are becoming more and more essential.

Summary

Just as the Crux did, the Indo strikes a nice balance, managing to feel technical without being too aggressive. As a result, it's fun and comfortable to climb in, but not to the detriment of performance. It's definitely best suited towards indoor bouldering, but is equally capable outside if you're on a rock type for which stickiness and sensitivity are a benefit. The price of the Indo is pretty competitive too, as there aren't many shoes of this spec for £120.