Superlight approach/decent shoes for Alpine climbing
|
I'm in the mood to upgrade my old 5.10 approach shoes. For sport crags they are ok, but they are heavy and bulky. Anyone have recommendations for a lightweight shoe that is good for 4th class alpine ascents and descents. Sticky rubber would be welcome, but I"m more interested in something super lightweight that can be clipped to my harness or stuck in my small daypack for the climb. Most of the easy 5th class stuff I will rope up anyways. |
|
I've never tried these, but they are super light: |
|
I was going to suggest the Cruzers. Love them. Used them on several alpine climbs. Super light. If you're bringing rock shoes the easily clip to your harness without taking up much space. I once did a 10 mile round trip approach to an alpine climb in them, with a pretty heavy pack. That was a bit much for those shoes as I was craving a bit more support at the end, but anything less, I love them. |
|
Check out Luna sandals. Vibram soles. Comfortable and super light. I throw them under my chalk bag and forget they are there. Plus they are handmade in Seattle. Also the straps are made of tubular nylon webbing. Pretty sure you could build an anchor with them. |
|
I like my Altra Superiors and they are super cheap these days (because a 1.5 version came out). I did the Upper Exum on the Grand in them car-to-car and they worked out well, even on the 5th class parts. I've done a bunch of longer approaches in Red Rock, NV and 4th class mountain routes in MT. I trail run in them too (up to 20 milers or so). They have removable rock guard insoles, super comfy with socks or sock-less, and pretty light, zero-drop but still with cushion. |
|
+1 for Cruzers |
|
I often use a very cheap, very, very light pair of running shoes if there isn't any rock climbing on approach. Some of these are so light they seem made of helium. |