Tenaya Climbing Shoes

reboot wrote: 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.

so i amuse you? what, like a fucking clown?.... i guess i haven't watched any penis enlargement commercials, so i will leave the expert comparison to ..... sorry, you pitched an underhand ball and somebody was going to hit it out of the park at some point.

anyway... you make some interesting comments. i was definitely surprised that it edged so well, given that the rubber is substantially softer than the onyx on my galileos and that i wasn't wearing them super tight. you are familiar with the type of climbing i generally do, so... what can i say?

one thing you mention, the whole xsedge thing. i think that rubber licks donkey dick. it is more like hard black plastic. it edges ok (i still think onyx edges better) but the smearing/friction is absolutely terrible. again, i think onyx completely kills xsedge for this type of application. i also haven't found xsedge to be that durable, particularly considering how hard it is. for example, my intis with the xsgrip have probably 5 times as many pitches on them as my katana velcros with the xsedge, and the rubber on the intis is in better shape. part of this could be attributed to climbing more cracks in the katanas, although i have climbed a decent number of cracks in the intis.

i have done a decent number of routes on nubby granite crystals that are somewhat similar to vedauwoo, but maybe less sharp. the soles on the intis didn't get trashed. to be honest with you, what doesn't get trashed at vedauwoo?

i think i would describe the intis by saying the design is quite simple and straight forward, yet effective for general face climbing. the shape is simple and doesn't rely on altered foot geometry (ie radical downturn or torsional twisting). the toe has a nice point to it that enables fairly accurate placement into small pockets or restricted edges.

sorry i'm not more help shumin :(

Hmm, I'm not sure I'd call these a Spanish delicacy. Clearly I have had a different experience than most here so I figured I would post up my thoughts

For reference I almost exclusively sport climb on limestone, my current go to shoe is the Miura VS, and I also use sportiva Cobras and Miura lace-ups

I bought a pair of Inti's last fall after trying them on in the store and thinking they were very comfortable for how snug they were. I wanted the Ra's (because of the cooler colors), but they were out and the salesman said the Inti was the slightly more narrow version which probably would fit my foot better anyway. Since then they have gone from my primary shoe, to a warm-up shoe, to a gym-only shoe, to an "in the gearbox at home" shoe. I have tried them on vertical techy routes and very steep routes of different styles and found them to perform poorly on all.

Part of the issue is that I think the shape of the shoe and the focal point of pressure are quite different from the sportivas. It's hard to explain but I felt like the toe was more toward the center, and when I weighted the foot I had the feeling that it was rolling out of the placement. They are much softer than expected, so I was never as confident standing on small edges as in the miuras. They didn't feel as sensitive or as sticky as cobras. Worst was steep face climbing where I felt I might as well just campus because I had no confidence toeing-in on pockets or edges.

Having said that, I am interested in seeing how their new model performs. In the mean time I will be sticking to my sportivas

slim, I feel like you keep getting in the crossfire between killis & me. I knew killis was responding to me even before he explicitly called me out & I over-sprayed w/ my words when replying in a bad mood.

Unless the shoes fits you better than anything else, I don't believe a plain climbing shoe design would work magic; maybe there's something more subtle going on than meets the eye (ex: Katana lace looks less aggressive than Miura lace out of the box but retains its shape much better). Regardless, I'll go try on a pair when I'm back in the front range, just out of curiosity than anything else.

As with the whole rubber thing, I'm mostly in agreement w/ your observation (although comparing rubber on different shoes are problematic & rubber that seems good on a brand new pair of shoes may quickly prove to be too soft once the sole gets softer). As for Edge, I couldn't wait for the rubber to wear off on my Katana lace to resole w/ Onyx. All else were not equal, but I can definitely tell the difference between my 2 Moonlight trips 4 months apart. Still, I do know a few people who like the Edge better & if you have to climb on warm/hot rock, I do believe it edges significantly better than Onyx. My experience w the old Grip was that chunks of it likes to come off @ Vedauwoo whereas the similarly soft C4 would leave more of a smeary mess. But then I sent my hardest on a new pair, old stock Mago with the Grip rubber.

reboot wrote:slim, I feel like you keep getting in the crossfire between killis & me. I knew killis was responding to me even before he explicitly called me out & I over-sprayed w/ my words when replying in a bad mood.

ha, no worries man. i was just trying to use that famous quote from goodfellas, and generally giving you a hard time.

it is really interesting how different people view different shoes. for example, jorde likes the miura VS. i've worn them a couple times, but they felt kind of weird - almost like there was a wad of rubber under the toe. the toe box feels big and square to me for some reason. a lot of my friends love this shoe. i think they might be better for that type of edging where you are high stepping and reaching your toes around aretes, or other obstructions. i think what i am feeling as a wad of rubber would actually help in those cases.

for that dead flat edging on a mirror like face with tiny edges or knobs i still feel most comfortable in my galileos. it took me a while to trust them as they are quite stiff and not sensitive, but if you place them carefully they are very solid.

i haven't worn the katana lace yet. i have had several pairs of katana velcros, primarily for desert cracks, as well as for general granite crack climbing where i still need to be able to face climb fairly well (ie squamish, etc). i have heard a lot of good things about the lace version, hopefully i will get to try it some time. i am definitely looking forward to getting my velcro pair resoled though. if the laceups are really downturned i will probably have problems, for some reason the arches of my feet IMEDIATELY cramp up like a mofo in down-turned shoes. this completely sucks, as it really limits my options for steep shoes.

when i bought the intis i was looking for a comfy warmup pair and they felt the most comfortable of the numerous shoes i tried on that day (that kid at the bent gate worked his ass off, poor bastard). i was really shocked though at how well they climbed, particularly compared to what i was expecting.

different strokes for different folks i guess.

reboot wrote:slim, I feel like you keep getting in the crossfire between killis & me. I knew killis was responding to me even before he explicitly called me out & I over-sprayed w/ my words when replying in a bad mood. Unless the shoes fits you better than anything else, I don't believe a plain climbing shoe design would work magic; maybe there's something more subtle going on than meets the eye (ex: Katana lace looks less aggressive than Miura lace out of the box but retains its shape much better). Regardless, I'll go try on a pair when I'm back in the front range, just out of curiosity than anything else. As with the whole rubber thing, I'm mostly in agreement w/ your observation (although comparing rubber on different shoes are problematic & rubber that seems good on a brand new pair of shoes may quickly prove to be too soft once the sole gets softer). As for Edge, I couldn't wait for the rubber to wear off on my Katana lace to resole w/ Onyx. All else were not equal, but I can definitely tell the difference between my 2 Moonlight trips 4 months apart. Still, I do know a few people who like the Edge better & if you have to climb on warm/hot rock, I do believe it edges significantly better than Onyx. My experience w the old Grip was that chunks of it likes to come off @ Vedauwoo whereas the similarly soft C4 would leave more of a smeary mess. But then I sent my hardest on a new pair, old stock Mago with the Grip rubber.

To All- I live in NC, no stores with good shoes...so have to order online! I own the 5-10 Coyotes size10.5(for slab, c4 rubber is sticky, but sole has no midsole and rigidity, to stick), I also own a pair of Mythos 42.5( which seem ok on vertical, but hurt on slab/smearing, because I have wide feet at pinky toe!!) I have tried the Anasizi lace( too small and heel way too deep!) Also, tried the Muiras in sizes 43.5 and 44 (the 44 felt ok till put on rock, then toe cruching time!) So, now trying the Katina lace 43 and TC Pro's 43! The TC Pros seem tight and foot goes numb in 30min and the Katantas seem to fit alittle better a few hot(pain points in ankle back an big toe& pink when pressure put on them...Man, I wish I cold just buy new feet (Narrower)...If anyone has any advice in shoes or sizes...I would be greatfull!!!! My toes bottom out in both new shoes and I have not tried Tenaya's yet but thinking about the Ra's or Amigo?

Hey guys!

I was fortunate enough to demo a pair of the Ra's this weekend at the AAC Cragging Classic in North Conway, NH. I spent the better part of the morning and afternoon testing them out on NH granite from the slabs on Whitehorse to some of the steeper routes here in the valley. I found them to be pretty comfortable..a bit narrower in the toebox as I am used to the Scarpa instincts (plenty of room for my wide forefoot and narrow ankle. I did feel a bit of a pressure point in the heel after the third or fourth pitch on Whitehorse..however..hanging belays on slab will tend to do this. This is where the beauty of the Velcro strap comes into play. A quick pull of the tabs and the shoes loosened and problem solved. They performed quite well on the slabs, I am a fan of xs grip rubber and found it to be more than sufficient on the bulletproof granite we have here in northern New Hampshire. The shoes are quite a bit softer than the Anasazi VS and so I was a bit leary to switch to both inside and outside edges on steeper terrain as they felt a bit more like a slipper. That being said, they held an edge quite nicely but did lack the support that a stiffer shoe like the miura vs or Katana. I did not send these into cracks or pockets so can't report back on that. I was able to stick them into small shallow seems and stemmed quite a bit experiencing no slippage or lack of purchase. No question the design forces the weight over the big toe...and this is immediately noticeable the second you slip these on. Padded tongue is comfortable, they don't breathe particularly well and I wish the hell came up a bit higher over the heel bone. All said and done I didn't feel that these are world changers necessarily,but...they did everything that they are designed to do and did them well. They were very comfortable and very precise on the thinnest of edges and performed nicely on slab at all angles. I am buying a pair to replace the Anasazi VCS's and will report back once I have had them for a season. Ultimately, i am Very impressed with this shoe..kind of harkens back to the old Boreal Vector days...

Anyone have details on when the Oasi will be available stateside?

cnadel wrote:Anyone have details on when the Oasi will be available stateside?

Bent Gate (in Golden, CO) already has it in stock in the store.

I have a pair of Maisai's. I bought them because they fit MY foot nice and snug - no dead or pressure spots - and all day comfort. I wasn't looking for a specialists shoe. They climb like climbing shoes - rubber is the same as everyone else pretty much. I'm not a 5.15 hard man - and for me fit is king. I wanted these for long, all day, multi pitch routes and for that they are great. That said they also worked just fine on a couple sport routes right at my limit on thin edges - which for a comfort fit shoe is pretty solid. My feet don't hurt in them after 7 or 8 pitch routes - they climb just fine - what else do you want in a climbing shoe? A good climber will climb well in a Tenaya and a bad climber will not - pretty simple.

Chris Rice wrote:I have a pair of Maisai's. I bought them because they fit MY foot nice and snug - no dead or pressure spots - and all day comfort. I wasn't looking for a specialists shoe. They climb like climbing shoes - rubber is the same as everyone else pretty much. I'm not a 5.15 hard man - and for me fit is king. I wanted these for long, all day, multi pitch routes and for that they are great. That said they also worked just fine on a couple sport routes right at my limit on thin edges - which for a comfort fit shoe is pretty solid. My feet don't hurt in them after 7 or 8 pitch routes - they climb just fine - what else do you want in a climbing shoe? A good climber will climb well in a Tenaya and a bad climber will not - pretty simple.

Hey...I have been interested in trying the Maisais, but don't know if they will fit my wide feet...do you have wide feet? I have tried lots of shoes from Anasizi 10.5(heel too deep, too narrow), Murias 43.5(crush my toes, Mythos 42.5(I use and work ok on Vertical, but abit narrow without having too much lenght for slab), Coyotes 10.5(seem to fit my foot better, but No Stiffness!), Reccently ordered the Katana 43(which seem better than other profromance shoes in Toe Box, but not enough comfort for multi-pitch), TC-Pros 43, I supprized that the seem Narrow(Not, comfortable as avertized...might try TC-Pros in 44?) So, as I try to step up my proformance in a bearable cromfort shoe...with my wide feet(at pinky toes)!!! Now, I was able to size down to fit sung in the Nago's, but it is a very flexible shoe! I have been thinking of a pair of Tenaya's, like the Ra or Maisia's(1st choice, they look wider in toe box?)...But Don't know any place to try on or website that will take returns, if they don't fit! Only found them on Tenaya's site...which I would have to Guess the right size or money gone!!! Wonder, if your feet are narrow to wide...or if Maisi's runs Wide, Small? What size did you go with compaired to other shoes? Thanks, for your and all understanding! I hate, having to write/ask/bother others...but kinda stuck with my wide feet!!! Thanks for any/all advise, maybe it will help others with same problem!!!

Jason - I bought mine from Trango here in the US. Talked to the guy on the phone and had them send two pair with the ability to return one pair - they were great to work with and zero hassles with the order or the return. Will they fit your wide foot - there's really only one way to know and that's to actually try them on. I have a fairly wide forefoot and narrowish heel and they fit fine. A little bite in the heel the first couple pitches but then fine. Call Trango - talk about sizing for what you want - the guy I talked to knew how they fit compared to my Muiras etc and sent me two sizes to try. I'm real happy with them. I think I'd go with a little bit larger size than a Muira.

Short review:
They perform and comfortable well out of the box. Teneya Ra smells bad, remind me of Evolv shoes. I can't wear them anymore because they smell so bad.
Given the current climbing shoe markets, I rather break in a pair of La Sportiva or Five Ten than to deal with the smell.

Tenaya shoe demo at Inner Peaks in Charlotte tonight, they have a few of the Tenaya models in stock.

VaGenius wrote:Divnamite, The Ras are canvas lined. They exfoliate the hell out of your feer when climbing. The good news is, they wash easily with your jeans or tee shirts, use Woolite gentle detergent and it won't mess with the rubber. The smell is gone after a wash. If you hate the shoes that much, send em to me, I'll pay shipping. I wash mine after every four or five uses. It's the same method I use to get the stank out of evolvs and Anasazis.

How about $75 shipped to you? Size 9.5. 50% off retail. Used for maybe 10 days in the gym and outside.
Your woolite must have special formula because you are the first person who successfully got rid of the stank from Evolv.

quick review of the tatankas.... i bought a snug pair, they felt absolutely great on my feet. very comfortable despite how snug they were.

then i climbed in them. can't use them. they have absolutely no torsional stiffness. even on medium sized edges, the inside edge of the toe would start bending upward. after 1 pitch, when i took them off the toes were absolutely deformed like a pair of curled toe wooden dutch boy shoes. it was crazy. my wife totally laughed when she saw them. i literally had to bend the toes back down to their original position.

also, while this was happening, the outer edge of the shoe started rotating around my foot and pulled my pinky toe underneath my ring toe. this was somewhat painful, and obviously didn't bolster my confidence. when smearing they were constantly creeping off the holds. they literally felt like i was trying to stand on a bowling ball covered in vasaline.

another observation (that somebody above mentioned) is that the shoe is too symetric laterally. this brings the point of the shoe too much to the center, and when you place your toes on a hold, it feels like the ball of your foot is getting in the way. it is really weird, and really compromises the edging power. maybe this would be helpful to people who have really long middle toes(???).

after really analyzing them, here is my assessment. i think these things died the "death by committee" during design. its like one person wanted them to be an anasazi lace up. one person wanted them to be a miura. the last person wanted them to be a mythos. as such, they don't do anything very well. honestly, they climb like a pair of floppy beginner shoes. an expensive pair of floppy beginner shoes. climbing magazine recently gave these things the 2 thumbs up, but i couldn't disagree more.

its kind of like the designers don't understand how a lineup of shoes should operate. slippers should be the softest. there should be a few options for velcro ranging from soft to fairly stiff and varying in agressiveness. there should be maybe 2 pairs of laceups - a really agressive pair and a super stiff pair. a laceup should be that last resort, where you need to get midieval and lay the hurt to the footholds.

I thought I was the only one who thinks Tatanka is too soft.

For those who love their Tenaya, I got both of them for sale, 9.5. Used for about 10 days each in the gym and on the rock. How about 50% off retail?

I have a pair of Tenaya's and really like them. They are not as comfortable as Mythos, but are stiffer and they edge much better. I recently had my Mythos resoled with the Onyx rubber and feel that the Tenaya's stick much better. I would buy another pair of them for sure.

I also have the Masais, they are a size 14 which may be a half size too big but they still climb really well.

This weekend there was a tenaya demo at the buttermilks and I got to try the Ra and Oasi, the 13.5 Ra fit perfectly (my true street size!) and the 11.5 Oasi fit, so 2 full sizes smaller!!! I don't know why they can't size the shoes more consistently, but I can say the Oasi is a very comfortable shoe still and climbs AMAZINGLY.

Tenaya needs to do better advertising, these shoes are the most comfortable shoes that can still climb well. If I didn't have an almost new pair of solutions I would but the Oasi today.

Any suggestions for a Tenaya style that might replace the Katanas I currently use in the gym? They are a couple of resoles beyond their lifespan already. I was thinking maybe Intis?

Mark E Dixon wrote:Any suggestions for a Tenaya style that might replace the Katanas I currently use in the gym? They are a couple of resoles beyond their lifespan already. I was thinking maybe Intis?

I've replaced my 10+ pairs of Katanas with Inti's. They are my favorite thin-edging shoe. Performance-wise they're very similar to Katanas, but with less deadspace around the toes (that depends on foot shape to some extent though). Compared to other Tenayas, I think they are a bit narrower in the toebox than the Ra, which makes them tighter/more precise/less long-term-comfy.

I prefer Ra's for the gym, because they are a bit looser on my foot. They edge plenty well for the gym, plus you can still curl your toes around incut holds and wear them for an hour without your toes screaming. FWIW, Ramon Julian won a world cup in Ra's, so they definitely perform well on plastic.

If you have a relatively narrow foot (or you like a tighter gym fit) I would guess Inti's would be good in the gym, but they aren't downturned at all so they aren't really meant for toeing in on things (which I do a lot of in the gym). I've never used mine in the gym, so I'm speculating.

I think the Oasi's are the best gym performer, but its a top-end shoe, which I normally wouldn't "waste" on gym climbing. However, if I were trying to do really hard gym bouldering (like a comp or something), the Oasi would be my shoe.

Hope this helps!