Today, in light of the fact that I won’t be able to climb for a few weeks due to finger injury, I decided to go shopping for climbing shoes.  Like most things I do, I researched the shoes I was interested in and asked a couple of questions to my great magic 8 eight ball in the cloud — Twitter.  From all of that, I came down to three shoes.

Evolv Defy

Initially my first choice was going to be the Evolv Defy.  I was able to find these at several stores, unlike my initial second and third choices.  When I tried them on, they felt true to size and comfortable.  I felt like I would be able to edge with them easily, but was a bit skeptical of how they would smear.  This feeling was seconded by some of the feedback I had received from other climbers who owned them or that knew people who owned them.  

Five Ten Galileo

My second choice going into today was the Five Ten Galileo.  After seeing the shoe review on Podclimber, I became interested in them.  They seemed like a good fit for someone like me.  I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Stealth Onyx rubber, they are reported to be comfortable, and they aren’t overly aggressive in shape.  The only problem is, I have yet to try them on.  No store I went to in Seattle carried them, and I went to 3 really good stores.  My climbing gym even said they couldn’t order them.

Five TenAnasazi V2

Finally, my third choice, based upon a recommendation from a pro, were the Five Ten Anasazi V2.  These are very similar to the Galileos, but a bit more technical.  After traversing the city, I was finally able to find these shoes at my climbing gym (where I should’ve started the search).  I tried them on and they seemed to be sized a bit smaller than I am used to.  I usually wear a 10 in climbing shoes and a 10.5 in street shoes.  In the Anasazis, I need an 11.  They definitely felt like I could accomplish anything I wanted and more in those shoes.  The Stealth Onyx rubber felt sticky and stiff.  The heel cup was a bit uncomfortable on my feet, though.

While I really wanted to buy the Evolv, I had to admit to myself that one of the main reasons for this was all of the good things I’ve heard about the company.  Still, they felt like good shoes and I don’t think they would’ve been a mistake to buy.  The reason I didn’t get them ultimately came down to my opinion of the rubber as I tried them on combined with word of mouth.  In a similar fashion, having a pro climber personally make a recommendation about  a shoe stroked my ego a bit.  I almost bought the Anasazis just so I could say that I was talking to Steph Davis and she recommended them.  Ultimately, though, I decided to order the Five Ten Galileos.  I think they fit me and my climbing a bit better.  The reviews I read talked about their comfort and durability, which, for a gumby like me, are critical.  And, let’s face it, I’m not going to be climbing 5.13 or v7 in the next couple of seasons.  It is more important for me to have a shoe that isn’t uncomfortable when I’m standing too long on a ledge halfway up a 5.9 learning what “lead head” means.  

Really, I don’t think any of these shoes would be bad decisions.  With that being said, I think I’m making the best one.   Reading the reviews and talking to people has taught me a lot in a short time about what to look for in a climbing shoe.  However, the most important thing I learned was not about equipment, and, trust me, I love equipment.  The most important thing I learned was about community.  I feel like I already knew this about climbing, but it really got driven home today.  Climbing is a special sport.  The movement, the excitement, and the nature are all great, but the people make it really special.  Just over Twitter, I had several people, from company reps, to sponsored climbers, to unsponsored, but passionate climbers all giving me their best information.  It is nice to be a part of a community that seems, for the most part, to want everyone to have a good time.  

This doesn’t seem to happen so much in other sports — especially with the pros.  I love riding my bicycle.  I even do a video podcast about bike commuting.  However, not once has Lance Armstrong engaged me in a conversation on Twitter (and, yes, he’s on there) — much less gave me tips on selecting a bicycle.  I’m not blaming him.  I know he’s busy.  On the other hand, having a professional athlete that I look up to and respect actually take an interest in my experience of the sport to the extent that she would, not only make a suggestion, but follow up with me about a shoe purchase says a lot.  

I’ve read some discussions about whether or not sponsored climbers are really good for the sport.  Well, I can’t speak about all sponsored climbers, but I know in my case, never has sponsorship money bent spent any better than Five Ten’s sponsorship of Steph Davis.  Maybe if Lebron James started climbing, Five Ten might be able to sponsor him and sell a shit ton more shoes, but the way that sponsored climbers like Steph Davis interact with regular, even beginning, climbers like me makes the sport a better sport.