As per the title, I’m looking for a shoe that will fit my oddly wide shaped feet and have a stiff sole on them and do me up to E3.
I have high arches and narrow heels and can get away with what I have for a few hours but for longer routes and wearing them day after day I’d like something a little more comfy. I’d love to be able to go somewhere and try them on but not really an option just now so looking for some recommendations of things that might be suitable.
Cheers
Sportiva tarantulas perhaps,?
Scarpa Maestro doesn't seem narrow to me, but not sure about platypus feet. I climbing in 43.5 which is a technical/snug all day fit and the same size as most other scarpas.
My foot is mid-wide (10.6cm) and 27.2 ish long.
I am finding my Scarpa Instinct lace ups superbly comfortable and great feeling and performance.
As above - La Sportiva Tarantula - not really stiff, but comfy and very good for the price. I have an pair of last generation LaS Miura that are my tight fitting shoes - half a size up in Tarantualas and I have to wear socks to get a snug but comfy fit
I reckon I've got slightly wide feet and was looking for a new pair last month. after a few recommendations I went for LS TC Pros and I've very happy with them. They initially felt a bit tight but have broken in nicely after only a few days out with them. They are pretty comfy now after a couple of weeks of use. They are very stiff.
For size I am usually 45 in boots. I had old 5.10 Blanco's which were 44 as were my previous rock shoes as well. I went with 43.5 for the TC Pros and that has worked out about right.
I got a pair of TC Pros in the US a few years back, but much prefer the Masteros for typical UK trad. More sensitive. Both edge similarly, but less of a leap of faith with the Maestros.
> My foot is mid-wide (10.6cm) and 27.2 ish long.
You have my feet!
You couldn't recommend me a decent walking boot, fell running shoe and trail running shoe could you?
I wear Ocun Ozone Plus on my clown feet and they seem to do the job. Not sure about wearing them for a few hours however, although I can keep them on between climbs or for a while whilst belaying.
I've also got Scarpa Vapour V's for longer all day comfort, can happily leave them on for hours but they're less aggressive than the Ocun's.
unfortunately not produced anymore, but a lot of shops seem to still have them. Millet Hybrid, three straps and comfy as hell. Still good enough for punter like me to get up cracks upto high 6s and even the occationsl low 7 (french sport grade).
Aye, have tried the Maestro on before and didn’t quite fit properly unfortunately as it seems like a decent shoe.
Probably the answer I expected but a bit reluctant to drop that much on a pair of climbing shoes. May have to take the plunge and see how they feel on my feet.
Cheers for the info.
> As per the title, I’m looking for a shoe that will fit my oddly wide shaped feet and have a stiff sole on them and do me up to E3.
I have fairly short, wide feet, and I've been climbing long enough to have tried lots of makes and models. I settled down for many years with Anasazi VCS but didn't like them post-Adidas takeover, so switched to Scarpa Instinct VS and VSR - I have a pair of each, and really get on well with them, especially the VSR.
I would warn against the Tarantulas which have been recommended above - they fit a wide foot, but I found them really clunky and insensitive. No surprise there, really - they're a more or less entry-level shoe with thick rubber. I would think for Extremes you'd want something a little more sensitive.
Might be a bit of a curve ball due to the slightly odd shape which only fits some feet, but I'm currently growing to really like my new Boreal Ace's which are board lasted. Great for edging with lots of support. I bought them due to busting my ankle last year and having also damaged my big toe during the accident. Wasn't sure to start with as I hadn't had boardlasted shoes since, well, my last aces 20 years + ago! Really appreciating having an almost flat foot in a shoe...
Yeah, I've been leaning towards trying the Instinct Lace as I prefer laces to velcro. Thanks for the info, good to know.
Ocun Jet.
> Might be a bit of a curve ball due to the slightly odd shape which only fits some feet, but I'm currently growing to really like my new Boreal Ace's which are board lasted.
They're slip lasted: http://www.borealoutdoor.com/products/details/11280-ace
Ha - bloody hell so they are! Anyway, quite a different shoe to anything I’ve had in years. Much much stiffer, maybe less sensitive but very supportive…
I use Boldrini Tigers - currently available at £74 on Epic TV. Good edging and superb rubber. Resole well. I’ve got two pairs of 43 and a pair of 43.5 that I wear for mountain days
Got a pair of these for indoor stuff and find them way too soft for any meaningful long days trad climbing unfortunately.
Fair enough - they're the widest shoe I've found in the forefoot. Shame you don't get on with them for long days. I find that I don't really need a stiff shoe for long days, so maybe that's why I get on with them.
Sorry for the late reply. La Sportiva Trango Evo S in 44.5 for a boot. Saucony Peregrine in a 45 (iirc) for trail running and Scarpa Crux or TX4 in 44.5 for approach shoes. Don't really do fell running, sorry!
Cheers! 😃
I have a pair of Instinct Laces and VSRs in the same size, I find them as stiff as each other. The Laces have stiffer rubber but softer upper, VSRs softer rubber but stiffer uppers. Results in the same stiffness IMO, but I find both lack stiffness for vertical/slabby routes. Climbing last weekend on Snickersnack on Gable and felt like I've pulled my calf muscles from tensing my toes so much.
Have you tried the Maestro Mid as well?
I ask as I tried both on side by side and came away with the Mids. The normal Maestro just didn't feel right at all, whereas the Mids felt fantastic and I can happily keep them on for many hours at a stretch.
I don't know what is was about the normal Maestro that felt so uninspiring; they were just wrong and not comfortable. In contrast the Instinct VSRs I use for bouldering are far more comfortable, with the Maestro Mid another step up again for all day use.
Interesting. It takes careful lacing and a bit of ignoring something in the fit of the maestro low tops (sometimes they sit weird and kind of fold over my pinky toe) but once a pitch in I can wear them all day.
I shied away from the mids, 1. Because I already have TC Pros and wanted something slightly more sensitive and, 2. I'd read they were less supportive than the lows?
But you reckon the fit is better? I'll need to keep that in mind if I ever need to replace them. Do like the ankle protection for cracks.
I spent a wet morning in V12 trying on lots of shoes to find the best all day shoe and their take was that a number of people had noted a difference in the fit between the lows and mids. The higher lacing on the mids allowed me to pull them in nicely all the way down the shoe in a way that the wide opening on the lows didn't offer. A bit weird really as they are the same shape lower down!
As to support they certainly felt stiffer on the board in the shop and Robbie Phillips said the same in a Scarpa blog a year or two back. I should add they don't feel clumpy, but I don't climb hard so YMMV...
What shoes have you worn that you deem are unsuitable? The reason I ask is that shoe shape can have a massive effect. I'm happy wearing Miuras all day because the fit is perfect for my feet, yet I'm a VS leader and they're an E10-capable shoe.
I have a really weird experience with maestro lows. I have a Scarpa foot - and things like the instinct lace (the old red ones even better) fit like an absolute glove. Vapours which are a bit narrower, are not bad. I have some arpias for indoor bashing, and my bouldering shoes are stix.
But every time I put on my maestro's (8.5 I think, street 9-9.5), I am just exhausted climbing. They are surprisingly soft, narrower than any other Scarpa shoe save the booster, but with no sensitivity. I end up over gripping and getting exhausted because I have no confidence in my footwork. I put my 7.5 instinct laces back on - and yes they're tighter, but I suddenly climb normally. They're sort of neither here nor there - they feel like climbing in approach shoes - whereas i suppose I was hoping for something more like climbing in b3s.
Initially I had the same issue with TC Pros. I just couldn't fathom how *anyone* would be able to climb hard in them. After a week of slowly learning to trust them I found I could relax and stand on some surprisingly small holds. It was all about blind trust!
While I don't find the fit of the Maestros perfect, I definitely don't find them soft - and I do find them more sensitive than TC Pros, but obvs less than most other scarpa. In fact, I did a back to back comparison of them, vapour velcros (new) and the new boostics on a very footwork intensive E6 that's I've been pissing about on recently. Maestros were fine, vapours to soft (a lot of people say they're good for edging...) and the boostics were great - but I wouldn't wear the on multipitch (unliek the old ones).
I like the Tarantula for the fit (wide forefoot, long toes & small ankles) & the velcro for quick change. But they don't grip as well on polished grit as my aging beginners 5.10 Spires. If climbing up to E3 surely need something more techy?
I have been climbing in a pair of the updated 5.10 Grandstones (equivalent to TC Pro) the past year and although they are a bit narrow for my foot shape, they've stretched quite well and I can wear them for 40+m pitches without too much issue assuming it's not super warm. I've adjusted the lacing on them to give me a bit more room as well which has helped recently in the warm weather, as long as I lock down the lacing at the top and then take them off at belays I'm fine. Over the course of the years use they've lost a lot of the edging ability they originally had and I've noticed them rolling off of holds they used to stay on.
I've just bought a pair of Boreal Lynx, albeit too small but will half a size up, and they seem to be a good fit for my foot shape.
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