If the shoe fits, wear it!
Written: Aug 28 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive and comfortable.
Cons: Not uncomfortable enough for some people.
The Bottom Line: La Sportiva Cliff shoes are comfortable enough to wear for hours on end while offering performance enough for most climbers.
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| mschlocker's Full Review: La Sportiva Cliff Climbing Shoe |
My La Sportiva cliff shoes have taken me from 5.0 climbing all the way to 5.11 climbing. I bought these shoes as my first pair of climbing shoes simply because they fit and they were inexpensive. La Sportiva shoes tend to fit narrower feet. Perfect for me. After over two years of climbing my opinion is the better the shoe fits your particular foot, the better the shoe is. If you buy brand X because it is supposed to be hot stuff, and it doesn't fit right, you are in for a world of discomfort and poor climber/shoe symbiosis.
The most shining aspect of these shoes is that I can wear them all day if need be. While my friends are taking their shoes off between climbs to let their screaming toes scream, I am not really even thinking about my feet. Especially for a long day of outdoor climbing or long climbs where you really can't take your shoes off for hours on end these are great shoes. Buy these shoes if you climb volumes of moderate routes in a day. Buy something more aggressive if you must redpoint that one 5.impossible. Comfort does come at the price of some minimal slop / rolling of your feet in the shoes in edgey situations, but this is not bad enough to complain about.
As far as performance goes, they offer good support for your foot being somewhat stiff, and offer relatively little sensitivity being thick. The extra thickness adds to the lifespan which can be important if you climb a lot. In many situations sensitivity only really means pain so being thick is not all that bad contrary to hardcore belief. I have climbed up to 5.11 in these shoes, so I cannot complain on their performance. I can see how a crazy cambered shoe would edge better but I cannot even stand to have those things on my feet in the store let alone for a day of climbing. I have stood on microscopic flakes in my Cliffs many a time, so I will call that good enough for me.
I believe that these shoes are very well made and are very durable. I wore them for a year before I needed my first resole, climbing about every other week at the time I finally blew a hole in the rand (toe). Instead of buying new shoes, I was so satisfied with these shoes that I sent them in for a resole.
By the time for my second resole I had put two years of progressively harder climbing into these shoes. At the time I had a trip coming up with no time to resole (and I will) so I went out and bought the Cliff's expensive brother, the La Sportiva Mythos. The Mythos give your feet more sensitivity, or feel of the rock. They offer less support resulting in tired feet. They are also skinnier top to bottom so it is easy to jam them in cracks. I would say that when I get my Cliffs back from the resoler, I will be wearing them on my longer climbs and longer days. The more exacting Mythos will be reserved for bouldering days where foot support and comfort are not paramount. Cambered shoes? Maybe when I hit the 5.12 range, until them I don't think the discomfort is worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80
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Epinions.com ID:
mschlocker
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 0 members
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