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Review of Current Crop of High Top Climbing Shoes

Original Post
Doug Hutchinson · · Seattle and Eastrevy · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 311

(Post edited 4Aug2014 to correct some sizing info)

I have been psyched on the renaissance of high performance, all day trad shoes over the last few years – especially high tops and have been patiently waiting for someone else to pen the review comparing all the various high tops out currently. But, I have slowly acquired all three of the current crop and now have no need of a review so here goes mine. Warning, this review is LONG-winded and very subjective. I paid retail for all these shoes, have at least 20 days in all of them and make no attempt at one of those “objective” but boring reviews that drop a lot of tech specs but do not really say anything useful.

Since all gear reviews are inherently subjective and biased, here is my deal: I am a gear whore who considers rock shoes and ski boots my most important pieces of gear. Been climbing for 25 years and love all types of climbing but really like long alpine rock and ice routes. I have a med-wide forefoot and a medium-sized ankle and prefer stiff and flat-lasted shoes. Started climbing in Boreal Aces and Ballet Golds (how the times have changed that someone could have actually attached “Ballet” to these board-lasted beasts!), moved to Five Ten Ascents, and then have happily settled into the Five Ten Anasazi line for most types of climbing. With the discontinuation of the Five Ten Southwest, I have been actively searching for the perfect all day trad shoe for the last six plus years. Moccasins fit my foot the best but are too soft for my liking to use outside the gym. Mythos are too narrow and too soft for me. The Anasazi VCS is my all-time favorite shoe but has too much heel tension to wear for more than a few pitches. Hence my long, sordid journey into the new crop of high tops. Taking the discontinued Five Ten Grandstone and the somewhat dated but still manufactured Boreal Ballet Gold off the list, the three current shoes in this category are the Evolv Astroman, Five Ten Anasazi High-Top and La Sportiva TC Pro.

Evolv Astroman – Designed in collaboration with Peter Croft, these “PC Pros” definitively best mimic the appearance of a throw-back high top from Croft’s heyday - in a good way. Of the three shoes, they are the stiffest, provide the most support and ankle protection and appear to be the most durable (but I only have 20 days on them); but not surprisingly, also are the most insensitive. The microfiber lining and the split padded tongue make them the most comfortable of the three shoes for me. I am impressed with the stickiness of the Trax rubber (I am a C4 snob), not as sticky as the Anasazi’s C4 but way better than the TC Pro’s Vibram XS Edge – probably most similar to Stealth Onyx = durable and relatively sticky.

They are relatively wide-lasted and have the highest toe profile so thin hands and smaller cracks are not ideal for this shoe. This shoe starts to shine on #1 Camalot-size cracks and wider. They are the best shoe for heel-to-toe jamming in wider cracks since they are so stiff. They also edge the best of the three, especially after the the TC Pro’s break-in and round down, these seem to maintain their stiffness and edging ability. Conversely, they are the worst at smearing or anywhere you really need to feel the rock. At $145 and durable, this shoe is value sweet spot of the three.

Five Ten Anasazi High Top – Oh, where to begin my relationship with this shoe? As I stated in the intro, I am huge Five Ten Anasazi guy (and own more Five Ten approach and Mtn bike shoes than I care to admit; Charles Cole should give me a dividend for the acres of Stealth rubber that I have purchased over the past 20 years). I love the fit, the rubber, the synthetic material, the made-in-America bit and have been longing for Five Ten to finally make a high performing but comfortable all day trad shoe. So many misses in this department for Five Ten recently including the Piton, then the revitalized but beginner-performing Newton, then the Grandstone, and currently the Anasazi Guide. When the specs on the Anasazi High Top were leaked a few years ago, they seemed too good to be true: C4 rubber, ankle protection and Velcro for easy off. Then came an early, mid-production shift from the original synthetic upper in a garish yellow to a more classic grey leather – for a nod to more comfort. Be still my beating heart, it looked like Dean Potter and the boys in Redlands had me in mind when they designed this shoe! Unfortunately, the reality was nowhere near the fantasy.

“Anasazi” is a very confusing and overused model line name since it refers to the last shape but can mean something as soft as the Moc to as stiff as the Blancos or Guides (and the Guides seem to have a much different toe shape compared to the rest of the line). I wrongly assumed that the High-Top would come in at the stiffer end of the spectrum but really feel close to the soft Mocs (or discontinued Piton). I bought them in my normal, all-day size and they felt sloppy and edged poorly after a quick break in period of a few days. These need to be sized tight to perform well which is not how I want to size an all-day shoe. The three Velcro straps are both long and bulky and make for a somewhat awkward fit because they define where the upper flexes or doesn’t flex (again, the low-top VCS fit me like a glove). High tops are, by their nature, harder to get off at the belays and although the Velcro makes it easier, the weird fit the straps cause makes me think laces are better for high tops.

They are softest of the three shoes with the best rubber so smear the best. They have a relatively low-profile toe so work well in narrow cracks, maybe .75 and up. They do cover your ankles but offer the least overall support and ankle protection of these three shoes. If you love the Mocs but want ankle protection, this could be a great shoe for you. If you prefer stiffer shoes for cracks, I would look elsewhere. I somewhat assumed this shoe would come and go from production very fast given what I thought was a tiny market, but REI started to carry them so I am actually starting to see them out and about now. However, they may already be discontinued based on a quick internet search.

Sportiva TC Pro – This is the shoe that started the revolution and is clearly the sales leader in the high top category. Designed by Tommy Caldwell and loosely modeled on the Muira (I assume), this is shoe seems to be one of the most common shoes used by big boy climbers in trad bastions like the Valley and Squamish. Several climbers I know consider it The.Best.Shoe.Ever. If this is you, I am a little envious but also assume that you may have not owned a really great shoe. Of about every 10 climbers that have used this shoe, 9 love it and 1 considers it overrated. I fall in the overrated category. But, and this is a big but, if I had to climb in only one of these three shoes, this is probably the one I would go with because it is the best all-arounder – good at everything but exceptional at really nothing except mid-sized cracks. At $180 and based on my experience with their durability, this is the worst value of the three.

I was an early adopter of this shoe and bought my first pair within a few months of their release. I was immediately underwhelmed, to put it mildly, with the performance of their hard/non-sticky Vibram XS Edge rubber. The idea seemed to be to have a shoe that can stand on small edges without rolling by using a stiff midsole coupled with hard rubber. I would have to go back to Boreal Aces from the early 90s to find rubber that performs as poorly as these. I couldn’t wait to get to my first resole to repave them with C4 but right before I could justify a resole, the liner split at the seam going up the heel making them unbearably uncomfortable. The rands around both sides of the mid foot also started to delaminate too. Sportiva was great about a warranty replacement but buying the most expensive shoe on the market to have it fall apart before the first resole was a little disappointing to say the least. As soon as I got the replacements, I did have them resoled with C4 which essentially made these shoes cost close to $220!

The tongue is a comfortable mesh-covered perforated foam that breaths well, but other than the tongue, there is nothing innovative I can see about this shoe. Even after many, many all-day routes and after my second resole, I still find the shoe a little uncomfortable probably due to the plain lining but especially due to heel discomfort. A benefit to high tops is, since they extend well above the heel, there usually is very little pressure on the Achilles tendon (which is a common complaint against low top Anasazis). I find the sling shot type rand crossing over the heel on the TC pros starts to really hurt my Achilles. The fact the lining stitching goes right up the back of the heel doesn’t help either (which is where mine split on my first pair). Usually I need to take off other rock shoes after a few hours due to toe pain, but it is heel pain in my comfortably-sized TC Pros that causes me to need to rip them off after a few belays. I am not a fan of the modified Mythos-style lacing where the lowest-most eyelets are missing and the lace wraps around itself which makes replacing the laces such a pain (and a shoe designed for cracks will always need to be re-laced). Also, since high tops are harder to get off, a speed lacing system or metal eyelet for the top few holes (like the Astromans) would be a nice improvement. No one would call my ankles flabby (I think), but in some positions I find my flesh rolls over the top of the shoe which is really a ¾ top, not a full high top. I know, I know that I am really piling on the abuse here, but the “sage” color just adds to the overall uninspiring package for me – it appears tired and faded when brand new and just gets more sickly-looking with age.

So, how the hell do they climb? Like the Astromans, jamming mid-sized cracks is a pleasure. The TC Pros have an impressively low toe profile which make them work well in cracks as narrow as 0.75” – not as good in thin cracks as a Moc or Mythos but still impressive. They are touted as being incredibly good at edging which was relatively true at first, but I feel the Astromans are a tad better at edging (neither are nearly as good as Anasazi VCS or Blancos – RIP). After a long break-in period, I feel the Pros became less and less good at edging and the “Permanent Power Platform” didn’t really feel all that permanent meaning they are getting a little sloppy (meaning their performance, mine still fit relatively tight and did not stretch all the much although others have reported a fair amount of stretching). Although they are “asymmetrical” the toe shape is the closest to being symmetrical (point closest to the middle of shoe) so I feel like my big toe is the least “powered-up” of the three (toe position is a huge part of a way a shoe performs but entirely personal). New and with the original rubber, they were insensitive and not good at smearing but after resoling and with some break-in, they smear adequately.

Sizing (all three shoes) – (Note - I originally posted an incorrect size for my TC Pros and edited to correct so posts that follow will make less sense now). This is the question that always gets asked following internet shoe reviews, so here goes – I am a 9.5 in street shoes. I own a 9.5 in the Astromans but maybe could have gone with a 9. I own a 9.5 in the Anasazi High Tops but a 9 or even an 8.5 would have been better. The 8.5 (41 Euro) TC Pros are still pretty snug but are sized perfectly after a year break in although I wish they were a little bigger for long routes. For comparison, I am an 8.5 in Mocs (a little tight), 9 in the Anasazi VCS and Blancos (performance fit), 9.5 in an Evolv Pontas and Scarpa Techno X (both multi-pitch fit). All three of the high tops fit my med-wide foot well. I assume someone with a very narrow foot would not like any of them. It would be hard to differentiate which is widest or narrowest in the forefoot or heel so I will not even try. I feel like the heel fit and the position of the toe in the three shoes is bigger differentiator in these high tops than the volume/width.

Summary (and plot twist) – Instead of one of the typical magazine-style “all these shoes are awesome!” assessments, I feel that all these shoes are good, not great, and none are perfect. I kept buying the next high top that came along with the hope of ending the madness and living happily ever after with one. When I got to the point of needing to replace my second pair of TC Pros, I could not really see myself getting a third pair so I took a sight-unseen shot at the new Scarpa Techno X. It is not a high top but as close as I have found to the best does-it-all shoe out there for my foot shape and it is so comfortable! It has a sweet micro-plush liner and some extra padding above the toe which makes them comfortable at jamming even though they are less stiff than the TC/PC Pros. I love Scarpa ski boots but hardly ever see their rock shoes in the states. Given their lack of market penetration in the US, the Techno X probably will not become a widely-used classic here but after only about 10 long days so far, I think the high tops will now only come out on routes with chimneys and off widths and the Techno Xs will be my new go tos on all other multi-pitch routes.

drewp · · Vegas · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 1,616

do you have any sizing/stretching info on the Techno X? Are they breaking in at all?

Doug Hutchinson · · Seattle and Eastrevy · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 311

The Techno Xs are breaking in and stretching like I would expect for a leather/lined shoe = stretched about 1/4 size after 10 days and I assume will end up stretching maybe 1/2 size total.

vincent L. · · Redwood City · Joined Jan 2005 · Points: 560

I've been using Evolv Astromans for about a year now . I have experienced almost no stretch at all with them . They were initially quite stiff , and I was looking for just a smurfs nut hair worth of stretch to make them a bit more comfy , but so far no stretch or give at all.

Overall I like how they climb , so I guess it's my fault for assuming they'd break in a bit more...

Mike Belu · · Chicago, IL · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 135

I typically am comfortable after break in in a size 12 in 5.10 anasazi or stonelands. Had to size up in Astroman to 12.5.

Did you also find that you needed to size up in astroman? They can be found on sale for 20% off lately, just FYI.

pokey · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 25

Your TC Pros are losing their edging ability because they are sized way too loose and are stretching out. I am surprised they didn't feel floppy after just a couple days. Everyone I know with TC Pros size them at least 1.5 EU sizes down, including myself. The break-in period is long and hard, but necessary, and over time they will stretch enough for your toes to fit flat. TC Pros stretch a TON.

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125
pokey wrote:Your TC Pros are losing their edging ability because they are sized way too loose and are stretching out.
Hilarious, I actually missed it in the review and was scratching my head on how any pair of Evolv can be good at edging compared to TC Pro (even if it's been resoled w/ the soft C4), not saying TC Pro is the best edging shoe I've ever worn.

Which is why I think shoe review is pretty useless w/o specifying the routes you feel like they climb well on: edging/crack climbing is all relative. FWIW, I thought TC Pro was the perfect single pair of shoes for something like Wunsch's Dihedral (Breashear's start & freeing the slab) and would be perfect for the Crucifix (had I gotten them on time) and many other Valley multi-pitch. Yes, it doesn't smear well, but that's typically not the hardest foot moves and you really cannot have both top-end smear and edging performance.
Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55

A big problem for me is the slingshot rand - why do they have to be set so high that they bite into the achilles and then also "bag" down on the actual heel? Does anyone really have a heel shaped like this? On flat toe fit shoes I'm not sure there is a real need for an aggressive heel rand at all. On shoes fit very very tight for maximum performance I understand but an all day trad shoe can (and should) be more relaxed and still climb well for all but the hardest of hard men. Especially on what would be called "alpine" routes where one might be wearing socks this makes for an uncomfortably long day.

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450
pokey wrote:Your TC Pros are losing their edging ability because they are sized way too loose and are stretching out. I am surprised they didn't feel floppy after just a couple days. Everyone I know with TC Pros size them at least 1.5 EU sizes down, including myself. The break-in period is long and hard, but necessary, and over time they will stretch enough for your toes to fit flat. TC Pros stretch a TON.
I definitely had that experience with my first pair of TC's also...they do stretch a good amount, and getting the second pair tighter has made for a very significant improvement in performance on small holds.
bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065

Alot of what gives the miura vcs, katana lace and the tc pro its "edging" capability is the P3 and the vibram edge rubbah

When you resole them with c4, IME the stiffness and edging goes doen signifcantly, at least it did on the miura and katanas

Vibram edge is absolutely and utterly fine if youre used to it, tons of "normal folks" use it in squamish every day on granite

And tons of top climbers use it on all types of rocks including honnold when he solos

;)

Sirius · · Oakland, CA · Joined Nov 2003 · Points: 660

Great write-up, appreciated it.

I own the TC Pros and the Anasazi hightops.

I'd hoped that one would become my all-day shoe for the long stuff I like to climb in Yosemite (ranging from standard fare like Serenity-Sons, Steck-Sal, Freeblast, the Cathedral stuff, etc. to easier and more obscure stuff on less-visited formations).

After about a year with each, neither is my go-to for all-day stuff. Just too uncomfortable to keep on for 12+ hr days. I still reach for the Mythos for most long stuff.

TC Pros main uses: anything that I'm going to be heel-toeing on; anything that is .10+ or more and less than 8 pitches; some winter days at the lower-canyon crags. The Miuras used to be my Cookie/Arch shoes, but now it's the TC Pros because no other shoe I own performs better. The only reason I don't wear them on everything is because after 8 or so pitches, they hurt if you don't take them off. Not true of my Mythos. I'd never wear these up, for example, the Reg on Half Dome. So much 5.9 doesn't really need it, and I don't suffer at all in the Mythos. I'd never take them to the High Sierra. I'd definitely take them up, say, the Moratorium, where I'd be at my limit and the pitch count isn't too high.

Favorite thing about the TC Pro: The performance. The fit, for me, is boner-inducing quality, which makes the performance that much better. Like a glove. Also heel protection. I lead the Hollow Flake two summers in a row, the first time in the Mythos, second time in the TC Pros. The utter carnage made me queezy the first time, bloodbath; not a scratch the second time (though admittedly I was less gripped and climbing better).

Favorite thing about the Anasazi hightops: still searching for what I like best. Perhaps they haven't broken in for me, but they are painful after one pitch of climbing. I sized them at my street shoe size. I used them for four or five days at the Cookie + Arch, suffered, and have mainly used them at the gym since then to preserve my better shoes. They hurt if I try to use them on anything thinner than a handcrack. Bad toe-box for me. Luckily, got 'em for about $49 at a Christmas sale.

My twist ending: I'd happily trade any pair of shoes I own for a new pair of Acopa Aztecs, my all-time favorite all-day shoe, but alas... Maybe I wouldn't trade the TC Pros, I guess.

splitclimber · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 18

thanks for the great review

just picked up a pair of TC pros - now I read your review and I'm wondering if I should downsize. I have a wide foot so it's hard to find a good fit and these shoes fit really nice with no downsizing.

Question:

Once they get worn in, will I feel too much space in the toes if I don't downsize. They feel pretty perfect right now but the smaller size means I have bent toes in a new pair. I'm less worried about some lateral stretching since my foot is so wide.

I already have a pair of tight katanas for when I need that kind of shoe.

thx in advance for any input.

edit: got most of my question answered in this thread
mountainproject.com/v/la-sp…

Doug Hutchinson · · Seattle and Eastrevy · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 311

Good - listen to what those other people said in that thread - not me!

I sized my TC Pros for all day comfort (used on the Nose, Grand Wall, Beckey Chouinard, ) which is 1 full US size below my street shoe size and after many, many days they are still a little snug because of the sling shot rand.

Sizing is so important and so personal!

Bryan Gall · · New Castle, CO · Joined Sep 2002 · Points: 260

I miss my kaukulators...sniff, sniff.

K R · · CA · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 50

When you say Anasazi high tops are you referring to the Anasazi guide shoe?

Quick google says probably not. I wonder if that shoe is better.

Also pretty sure I've seen Alex Honnold climbing solo 5.11 in TC Pros so it should say something if a guy is willing to trust his life to a shoe that you claim doesn't perform well. I was told it's a modified katana lace which is known to perform well.

Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55
Bryan Gall wrote:I miss my kaukulators...sniff, sniff.
Me too - that's the only shoe I found in 32 years of climbing that actually fit my feet. Wonder if that same Last is used in another model? One that doesn't have such a slingshot rand like all the new climbing shoes - those things kill my heels.
Billcoe · · Pacific Northwet · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 930

DOUG: OUTSTANDING WRITE UP! Totally on the money as far as I can tell. I want to add that if you think your Mytos fit like soft silk (mine do), the TC Pros may or may not fit as well. They DO NOT fit me as well, and I have pain in a few my toes. Pretty strange.

Next, the Acopa JB, the non-reviewed high top, gives the Astroman a run for your money on stiffnessand insensitive. Jaybro loves them, and he's an off width master. Buying the JBs won't make you a Jaybro though. The JB's tend to run small for the size. Note that they are still available used, and the whispers are that someone is looking to "get the band back together" and we may see Acopas again soon...ish.

And as an aside since you mentioned Scarpa, I have 2 pairs of Scarpa Thunders that fit as well as any all day trad shoe I've ever owned. Well, as good as anything since 2nd rendition of the Boreal Fire back in the 80's.

Larry · · SoAZ · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 50
Doug Hutchinson wrote:The TC Pros have an impressively low toe profile which make them work well in cracks as narrow as 0.75” – not as good in thin cracks as a Moc or Mythos but still impressive.
I do not find this to be true. This statement throws the whole review into doubt.

Quoting donini on that other site, "Try getting a TC Pro into a tight Red Camalot crack....might be good for general, multi pitch trad but for thin cracks....nope."
T-Bob · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 50

Bill or wrote "Well, as good as anything since 2nd rendition of the Boreal Fire back in the 80's."

That's the fit and stiffness I've been looking for ever since.

K R · · CA · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 50

Larry, I would say the TC Pro made a point of attempting to keep the toe narrow, and it is definitely more narrow than some of my shoes. It's no moc, tho, in terms of narrowness, and that's why I'm glad I also have the mocs. Also I can definitely recall getting my TC Pros into C4 #1 crack... Granted I climb pretty easy trad, so maybe the general slabbiness of the routes I climb contribute to my ability to get the toe to work for me.

Locker · · Yucca Valley, CA · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 2,349

Boreal "Ballet Golds".

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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