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The Pronk, a true crack climbing shoe

Original Post
Danny Parker · · SLC, UT · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 120

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a project I’ve been working on for a while now.

If you know me, you’re probably aware that I’ve been obsessed with crack climbing for the last 14 years. Over that time, I’ve tested and modified countless shoes in search of the perfect pair for climbing cracks.

Last year, I decided to take it a step further and started building shoes from scratch with the goal of creating a true crack climbing shoe. After months of prototypes, testing, and failures, I’m finally creating a shoe that can heel-toe cam in a 9” crack and comfortably jam everything down to a BD 0.4 (tight fingers).

I’m absolutely loving them. They’ve helped me climb routes I never thought I had any business being on, and I think it’s finally time to try and share them with all of you.

I’ve sent prototypes to manufacturers and am getting ready to place an order once everything meets my standards. To help me gauge interest, I’d love to get an idea of how many of you would be interested in trying out a shoe like this.

If you're interested, please sign up for the Pronk email list: Sign up here

If you’d like to learn a bit more about the shoe and see what it’s all about, Climbing Mag just did a writeup about it: Pronk article 

Thanks everyone! I hope you’re all sending in this lovely spring weather. 

bearded sam · · Crested Butte, CO · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 145

As a former small business owner who was making my own product, I’m bumping this for you and signing up!

Ben Zartman · · Little Compton, RI · Joined Apr 2024 · Points: 0

All I'm sending this spring day is good wishes toward you.

Hope this turns into something awesome.

Cherokee Nunes · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2015 · Points: 0

The shoe business is tough. Best of luck! Look forward to seeing a production version of this. 

Mr Rogers · · Pollock Pines and Bay area CA · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 72

Super cool Parker! Love the hole in the market youre trying to fill. Signing up.

Curious as how dimmensions and usability for the bottom end of the intened functional size might be effected by foot size.... is there a noticibale difference in say a 13/14 flippers like I would wear, compared to a more normal humans size 10?

Danny Parker · · SLC, UT · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 120

Mr Roger’s, 

For sure there’s going to be variance with you massive footed folk;) 

The Pronks were designed to form to the natural shape of the foot and will be limited by which foot they’re dealing with.

My wife’s women’s size 7 Pronks get a pretty good jam in 0.3 cracks for example. I just wanted to give the most average example of jamming potential with my 9.5 sized shoes.

Hopefully you have some thick hands that can climb #4 and 5’s to counter your abilities in the small sizes.

Cory N · · Monticello, UT · Joined Sep 2018 · Points: 1,118

Danny are you telling me that I won’t need to carry around 2 pairs of shoes for a great day of crack climbing? Pronk me up! I pretty much only climb cracks and am obsessed with cracks. Let’s go!!!!

jordand · · Seattle, WA · Joined May 2012 · Points: 100

These would be instant buys for me. Which manufacturers are you considering?

Jabroni McChufferson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2024 · Points: 0

Very cool!

Connor Hale · · California · Joined Feb 2022 · Points: 4

Danny, assuming the pronk was built around your foot, could you describe the general shape of your foot? For example toe type (Greek, Roman, Egyptian), wide or narrow heels and forefoot, etc? Or perhaps other shoes which fit you well (besides alturas).

Danny Parker · · SLC, UT · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 120
jordand wrote:

These would be instant buys for me. Which manufacturers are you considering?

I’m talking with a couple and waiting to see who can manage the best quality. All of them are in China and currently everything is paused with the tariffs. I looked at making them here and the prospect of doing so would likely double the costs. I’m trying to keep these comparable in price to everyone else (~$160). 

Richard Randall · · Santa Cruz · Joined Jun 2016 · Points: 0

So cool! What's the Pronk etymology?

Do you have any solution in mind for helping people ensure they get the right size of pronk on their first order? Maybe it's just a table to map your TC pro size to your pronk size, since many interested folks will have TC pro's. Or you could try to convince 1 or 2 climbing stores in often-visited destinations to carry a range.

Also, probably best to offer a worst-case price range rather than an aspirational goal of $160... seems easy to get crucified if factors beyond your control drive the price beyond a number you once committed to. Especially if people have put money down. On the other hand I would expect the fair price for a pair of small-production-run specialist shoes like these to be higher than the generalist crack shoes on the market that already benefit from various economies of scale. 

Chris Henry · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2020 · Points: 51

Very cool project - Signed up!

Ryan Havanas · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Jun 2023 · Points: 0

This is very off topic but I love the name. A fan favorite baseball player for Cleveland in the 2000s, Travis Hafner,  had that as his nickname and it's giving me nostalgia. Supposedly it was a portmanteau of Project and Donkey. I'd instantly buy if I was a crack climber at all. Your stoke is contagious and it's what I love about climbing. 

jordand · · Seattle, WA · Joined May 2012 · Points: 100
Danny Parker wrote:

I’m talking with a couple and waiting to see who can manage the best quality. All of them are in China and currently everything is paused with the tariffs. I looked at making them here and the prospect of doing so would likely double the costs. I’m trying to keep these comparable in price to everyone else (~$160). 

Gotcha! None of the incumbent shoe manufacturers then it sounds like? Given how niche this use case is I would expect to pay more than $160 for these, and would gladly do so if it meant better quality/durability/fit (which I hope would come with partnering with a manufacturer who has made climbing shoes before).

mountainhick · · Black Hawk, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 120
Danny Parker wrote:

 comfortably jam everything down to a BD 0.4 (tight fingers).

L Kap · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 105

Very excited to learn about this! I just went looking for a shoe with a thinner toe box than my beloved vintage shoes (fires, trad masters, ballet golds). TC Pros don't fit my feet. Ended up with women's Katana lace ups but don't love the split sole and downturn in wider cracks. Signed up for the pronk mailing list.

Danny Parker · · SLC, UT · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 120

Thank you everyone for the interest! There’s a lot to cover here and apparently I’m limited by the number of responses per day.
My goal here is to bring them to market in a form that I myself would buy. This means a high quality, high durability shoe, built by professional climbing shoe craftsmen with enough information about sizing to feel confident about a purchase. Based off my pre-tariff conversations and research I’m sure I could do this at a price that wouldn’t scare away the dirtbags. 

Ultimately though, I’m in such an early stage that there’s still a LOT to figure out, and if I can’t get enough interest over the next few months this project will likely die and remain one off shoes for close friends.

So if you’d like to keep the Pronk dream alive, give me a follow on IG (@desertdannyp), sign up with the email list, or just share my dream with anyone who’d be interested. There will be a lot coming in the next few weeks and I’m stoked to show you all how these things climb. 

Todd R · · Vansion · Joined May 2014 · Points: 56

Sweet nice work! Also signed up! Psyched to see where this goes.

The tariff thing totally sucks. I'm also dealing with it with a project I'm getting off the ground. I hope it works out / doesn't screw you out of being able to produce this. 

Ike Miller · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2021 · Points: 25

I really hope you make these, Danny! I also wanted to say that I bet they would REALLY catch on over time once you get them out in the world. Once folks at the Creek and other crack destinations see other climbers jamming .5 cracks, everyone's gonna want a pair!

Ricky Harline · · Angel's Camp, CA · Joined Nov 2016 · Points: 147

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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