Tons Of New Shoes Are Coming Out

Hey everyone, your local shoe nerd here. The announcement of Adam Ondra's new signature shoe with La Sportiva got me thinking about how there are a ton of new shoes that are releasing right now or are expected in the early half of this year, far more than I remember from previous years (or maybe I didn't pay attention). I've tried to compile a list below and they fall in to two major categories, updates and indoor/comp shoes. 

I think we are seeing rapid maturity in the comp shoe market, as really the idea of an indoor-specific shoe for modern comp climbing is relatively new. Over the last couple of years many brands have had one unique standalone shoe targeting this market like the Theory or Sensor and a number of redesigns of existing models like the Solution Comp and Shamen Pro. Now I think we are seeing more companies release a second or third standalone model for comp climbing, and making shoes with even more specific use cases than ever before.

Anyways here is the list of new shoes that are announced or have recently come out that I could track down:

La Sportiva: They just announced a new Adam Ondra signature comp shoe, and last year they announced a full redesign of the no-edge range which has not been released yet and includes a new shoe called the Mandala.

Scarpa: Just released updated versions of the Origin, Arpia, and Generator, as well as some cool limited edition colors of the VSR and Drago.

Evolv: Just released a new shoe called the V6, seems to be a high-performance all-rounder. They also recently released an updated version of the Zenist, and a new version called the Zenist Pro which is a bit stiffer and designed for comp climbing.

Madrock: The redesigned Shark III is releasing at the end of the month and is another shoe using their new moulding technology. They also recently released a speed climbing shoe called the Talaria with an interesting low-friction toe patch.

Black Diamond: They have announced that they are working on a signature shoe with Seb Bouin, but have not really put out any details or a release date as far as I have seen.

So Ill: Towards the end of last year they released a completely new line of shoes designed by Fred Nicole which seem reminiscent of old 5.10 shapes. I believe that this new line also steps away from the manufacturing partnership they had with Unparallel, and has switched to Vibram XS Grip for all the models instead of their proprietary Dark Matter rubber.

Unparallel: Recently released the new Flagship Pro as a new dedicated Comp shoe for their range that sits alongside the Souped Up from early last year. They also released the Qbit, a stiff bouldering shoe based off of the Regulus, but with a wider fit and new toe patch. Both of these models have a new harder rubber compound for the rands. They also released a new green color of the Up Mocc.

These are all the ones I have noticed. If anyone knows of any models I am missing please put them below, it's interesting to see how the shoe market continues to grow and change right along with changes in climbing as a whole.

I'm just waiting for a re-release of the Mariacher, Fire Classic, or Superatz.

Steve McGee wrote:

I'm just waiting for a re-release of the Mariacher, Fire Classic, or Superatz.

Me too, also waiting for a re release of the Black Diamond figure eight and a new stinkier Patagonia Capaline

I think the BD Method S is geared towards the i door side of things. Very interested in the AO Pro as a primary board/gym shoe. The shark 3.0 heel fin thing looks gimmicky to me though and looks like it would ruin the heel for most hooking but be great for heeling in on horizontal crimps.

Seems several athletes have jumped ship from the dying Adidas 5.10 to unparallel (yannick being the most recent). There were a couple models that popped up in the JMSCA Nationals this week that I haven’t seen on the high end of comps before too. Curious what the hot shoes of each brand will be this world cup/olympic season. Last year the finals were nearly all Drago, Skwama, and HiAngle, with some Chimeras and the Shaman Pro and some Ocun shoe being sported on Duffy and Grupper. The Theory seemed to not be adopted that well on the world cup circuit, given it is the “comp” shoe from LaSpo. Pretty sure only AO wore it, and he and Jakob both wore Solutions way more frequently.

The cause for the massive flood of gear is because things worn in the olympics for climbing have to be production units available to the public in the olympic year. Dems the rulez

I'm very interested in the new shoe Black Diamond is making with Seb since he is an outdoor sport climber. I got a pair of the new Qubit's and they do not fit nearly as well as the TN pro. They seem too wide/high volume, and I wish I could try on the low volume version to compare.

Scarpa is releasing a 'Boostic OG'. Link

james james wrote:

Scarpa is releasing a 'Boostic OG'. Link

This is the best climbing shoe news in years, for those that climb techy vertical granite.

Hope it's actually an OG Boostic and not watered down is some stupid way.

JCM wrote:

This is the best climbing shoe news in years, for those that climb techy vertical granite.

Hope it's actually an OG Boostic and not watered down is some stupid way.

Looks like it, because the current boostic also remains in the same catalog.

Wish scarpa would make all their heels narrower though.

John Clark wrote:

The cause for the massive flood of gear is because things worn in the olympics for climbing have to be production units available to the public in the olympic year. Dems the rulez

I did not know this! That makes a lot of sense. Also you are right despite all the comp-focused shoes coming out it does seem that many athletes still prefer their old reliables.

climbing00

I'm very interested in the new shoe Black Diamond is making with Seb since he is an outdoor sport climber. I got a pair of the new Qubit's and they do not fit nearly as well as the TN pro. They seem too wide/high volume, and I wish I could try on the low volume version to compare.

I am also excited to see what they make with Seb, however I bet there is no way it will fit my wide square feet. Sorry to hear the Qubit's do not fit you, but that means they have a shot of fitting me haha. If you like the fit of the TN pro then the Regulus would probably fit you better, only slightly wider but it is higher volume.

james james

Scarpa is releasing a 'Boostic OG'. Link

This is cool! It is interesting to see them re-releasing a shoe that they only discontinued a few years ago iirc. That catalog linked on UKC even says that it was wanted back by their best climbers, so it kinda seems like they are admitting they were wrong to redesign it. I wonder if this will make its way to the US or be only in the european market like the velcro Katana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcJk_5jc4-U

Sam Ehmann wrote:

This is cool! It is interesting to see them re-releasing a shoe that they only discontinued a few years ago iirc. That catalog linked on UKC even says that it was wanted back by their best climbers, so it kinda seems like they are admitting they were wrong to redesign it. I wonder if this will make its way to the US or be only in the european market like the velcro Katana.

I keep hoping Scarpa will release the Generator low in the US market. I've tried the mid on and I really like a lot about it, but hate the bulky ankle coverage. At some point, I'll probably give in and get the low from Oliunid.