Tenaya Climbing Shoes

I contacted trango thru their webpage with some general questions on the masai and sizing. I had a nice exchange going with Adam (he's the guy in the videos describing the shoes on their website) about what shoes i have right now and what size i wear in them, what i don't like about them, etc... If you have specific questions, i wouldn't hesitate to contact them, they were very helpful.

I ended up ordering a pair of Masai's, I'm expecting them to arrive next week, I'll post up my thoughts after i get some miles on them.

Tomorrow night! Get psyched!

Wednesday March 13th 5-9pm t the BRC!

I promised a review on the masai too, but haven't been able to climb in the pair i got yet. I've got some Achilles heel bursitis going on and can't even really get the shoes on. The toebox is low volume, an reminds me of the evovl Pontas: Flat, Narrow and pointed. The heel is low up the back, lower on the Achilles than any other shoe I own. The arch is high, possibly too high as it makes the shoe sag under my heel (and hit precisely where my bursitis is)

Shoe Demo Thursday, April 18 in Fort Collins! Tell your friends!

Shoe Demo!

Killing In The Name Of wrote:I tend to be verbose, so here's a big surprise to you, Gentle Reader. Got the Ras. They are Excellent. Like a non-painful Anasazi Velcro, precise like a Miura, totally happy with the sticky Vibram used, smeared on black glass on some very slick varnish with ease. Have tested them out on half a dozen techy, slick, footwork-intensive climbs in Red Rock. They perform well and feel even better. My new favorite shoe.

What size did you get them?? I'm a 42 in the anasazi velcro, should I get a 42 Ra's too?

I went deep water soloing in Thailand with my Tatankas and they recovered perfectly. I think they may even fit better now (could just be in my head). I love them on the southern sandstone. I really like this shoe for vertical sport routes. I wear a full size bigger in the Tatankas 42 1/2 than my Miuras 41 1/2. This shoe has proven it's durability to me and i would recommend trying them out.

You guys have almost convinced me, I think my next pair of shoes may very well be a pair of Tenayas.

Killing In The Name Of wrote:I bought two pairs of the Tenayas, and have put a shit ton of pitches on them over the last few weeks. They fit amazingly, climb as hard as my best 5.10s, the rubber is sticky as hell and haven't had a single slip yet. I've been preferring the Ras for performance and the Masais for comfort, but the Masais are a half size bigger, so that may be more an indication of wiggle room than a decline in absolute edging ability. These are great shoes. I can't see someone who likes Miuras or Anasazis not liking these. They're really, really good shoes.

ah, shit, you just might have convinced me. what size do you wear in miura and what size did you get for tenaya?

killing you should try the tatankas as well. I really liked the ras but i like the tatankas even more.

ah, freak. I can't stand the anasazi at all! I'm gonna see if I can test out a pair of them.

Monomaniac wrote:Jason, Based on those criteria, I would recommend the Tenaya Ra. Its wider than the Masai, but still perfect for multi-pitch trad climbing. They're a great "all-around" shoe, but still perfectly capable of edging on really tiny holds. I've worn mine all day while trad climbing with very little discomfort.

Thanks, I bought some Mythos 42.5 for comfort and easier, all day climbs....also order a pair of Muiras in size 43.5, they fit snug, but not cramped...but after reading everyone's comments I think I will probably go with Tenaya's RA or Maybe the Amigo(not avalible in US) which very simalar but a laceup... I've never owned strapped (velcro) shoes... how does the Ra fit on wider feet??? What size Ra would anyone, recommend??? I have 10 1/2in. feet measured, wider than normal feet (at pinkie toe) shoe size 10.5 and 10.5 in 5.10 Coyote laceups (for Friction)...Thanks, for any/all advice on the Ra's in Size's/Fit/Info in comparison to the other climbing shoe's/ Sizes Listed above!!!! Climber are an alsome Family, and seem MOST all are Kind and Helpful...Wish all the Best!!!

Jason,
I have really wide feet and the Ra's fit me great without pain or excess pressure. My street shoe size is 9.5 and I am using 8.5 Ra's. They are comfortable enough for long routes but I do tend to take them off at belays if possible. I use the same shoe for one pitch routes that I'm projecting.

well, i figure it is about time i chip in my .02....

i bought a pair of intis several months ago. i primarily bought them to be a comfortable pair of warmup shoes. my 5.10 galileos are my go-to shoes for really thin edging and/or hard face climbing. i have a pair of not-so-tight galileos for warm ups, but they are still fairly uncomfortable.

i tried on a couple sizes of the intis at the bent gate in golden. i bought my pair a half size larger than the tightest i could wear. they felt pretty comfortable. i figured i would use them for routes up to 11a or so.

first day out, i put them on and head up a smooth 5.8 granite route. right off the bat i was like, whoa, what the hell. they were not what i was expecting. i was sort of expecting a toyota corolla, and they felt more like a 911. the grip on the rock was literally almost making my feet stumble. it was pretty wierd. i was impressed.

so i did a few more routes and started pushing them a bit. damn! i was really surprised. the rubber was excellent, with great smearing ability. they also edged well, despite not being super tight or super stiff. they felt reall 'accurate' for lack of a better word(?). previously 5.12 was the domain of my galileos. the intis have pretty much taken over. i think i have only switched over to my galileos on a couple really heinous edging routes since i bought them.

the thing that impresses me the most is how well they perform while being so comfortable. with my tight galileos, i have literally 3 or 4 pitches per day in them before my toes are fried. a lot of times i have to ice my toes that night so that i can climb the folowing day. i have had many days with 10 to 15 pitches in my intis, most of these days climbing a lot of routes with really demanding face climbing.

these things have completely and utterly defied my expectations.

How is the sizing on the Masai? I'm a 10.5 street shoe, US 9 / euro 42 in la sportiva.

Call me a skeptic but I remain unconvinced (and in all fairness, probably will be until I try a pair myself).

I've never found Anasazi/Galileo, or really, any Five Ten shoe to be particularly impressive. In the Sportiva/Scarpa camp, I'm not a diehard fan of Katana Velcro or Vapor Lace/V. The Katana velcro isn't a bad crack jamming shoe, but I still have a couple old pairs of Vipers that are better for that purpose (& really, if I can comfortably foot jam a crack, it probably isn't that hard, so who cares how well the shoes perform?) If sized for edging, they are like the Muira lace: they work well until the shoes are fully broken in: by then the last has softened quite a bit for hard edging. The Vapor (both lace & velcro), IMO, has too much toe box volume to size somewhat comfortably & still edge well (the last, though holds up better than Katana velcro, also softens & looses its aggressiveness fairly quickly).

So, who has compared the Tenaya models against the likes of TC Pro, Katana Lace, Muira Velcro, Solution, Boostic, Instinct VS, Mago? It's not that I don't climb in other shoes, but these are about the only models I'm willing to pay top dollars for. And without a way of getting the Tenaya models for more than 20% off + tax (problem of a small distribution network), they need to be on par or better than these Sportiva/Scarpa models for me to consider trying.

reboot wrote:Call me a skeptic but I remain unconvinced (and in all fairness, probably will be until I try a pair myself). I've never found Anasazi/Galileo, or really, any Five Ten shoe to be particularly impressive. In the Sportiva/Scarpa camp, I'm not a diehard fan of Katana Velcro or Vapor Lace/V. The Katana velcro isn't a bad crack jamming shoe, but I still have a couple old pairs of Vipers that are better for that purpose (& really, if I can comfortably foot jam a crack, it probably isn't that hard, so who cares how well the shoes perform?) If sized for edging, they are like the Muira lace: they work well until the shoes are fully broken in: by then the last has softened quite a bit for hard edging. The Vapor (both lace & velcro), IMO, has too much toe box volume to size somewhat comfortably & still edge well (the last, though holds up better than Katana velcro, also softens & looses its aggressiveness fairly quickly). So, who has compared the Tenaya models against the likes of TC Pro, Katana Lace, Muira Velcro, Solution, Boostic, Instinct VS, Mago? It's not that I don't climb in other shoes, but these are about the only models I'm willing to pay top dollars for. And without a way of getting the Tenaya models for more than 20% off + tax (problem of a small distribution network), they need to be on par or better than these Sportiva/Scarpa models for me to consider trying.

I own Solutions, Boostics, Feroces, Vapor S, Katanas, Katana Laces, and Muiras. I'm ordering a pair of Inti's out of simple curiosity and a desire to find a marginally better fit for my feet. I am very picky about performance in shoes, but also wear them at a far more comfortable size than most. I'll update you in a few days when I have worn the Inti's.

I only decided to pull the trigger because I found them for 20% off w/o tax at backcountry.com. This puts the Inti into the sub $100 range; far from top dollar for a climbing shoe.

How does the Ra, Inti, Masai compare to Katana Lace and Vapor V (I have both)? To me, the Vapor V is a little less precise than the Katana Lace. Other than that I found them somewhat similar in fit, feel, stiffness, and performance. Of course, right now my KL with C4 sticks to everything a bit better than my VV with Mystique, and softer too. It was a closer match when the VV had XS Grip 2.

the inti is kind of hard to describe. when you try it on in the store, it doesn't have that slightly downturned dagger sort of feel to it. it really just feels like an ordinary comfortable shoe. i think that is one of the reasons i was so surprised with how well it climbs.

Not so easy for me try a pair out in the store here on the East Coast. For a test drive, I will have to order a pair online. That is why I am asking before parting with $100. Is this so unreasonable?

How about a shoe demo out East, Monomaniac?

SirChips-A-Lot wrote:I should've just called out 'reboot' by name. Simpler. Sizing seems consistent with Anasazis, fit is way better. You still have to order them and find out for yourself. VCDS (Vaya Con DioS, I'm doing lame internet anagrams now too)

If any of you can actually describe the shoes in intelligible terms instead of marketing b.s., (the shit reads like ads for penis enlargement), I may have been convinced.

As it is, I've seen almost zero detailed description of how it performs. It edges well, huh? In what way (is Tommy gonna be psyched on the Dawn Wall with this or do they only edge well for 5.noob routes)? It climbs crack well...What size, & how? The rubber is sticky? Compared to what under what condition? It fits your foot? Great, what is your foot shaped like?

Btw, Tenaya says it used XS Grip, which Sportiva/Scarpa both used for a while, but deemed it not very durable & decided to change to Grip 2/Edge. I've used shoes w/ the older rubber. It's more stable than C4 Stealth in warmer temps, but it certainly wasn't my preferred rubber for edging, apparently neither was it Tommy's (Eric @ R&R had told me Tommy was asking him for harder compound when all of Sportiva shoes came with it). The rubber also gets destroyed like nobody's business on the Vedauwoo's sharp granite. Funny none of you clowns experienced that, huh?

Really, if Tenaya is a widely distributed brand, I'd never have bothered w/ mp.com.