What's your favorite thin crack shoe that can edge?

.75 camalot down with good edging ability. I usually wear TCs and they fit my foot real nice but find I struggle to jam them in thinner cracks.

Recommendations, suggestions, shit-talk?

Thanks a bunch.

the pink Anasazi lace-ups have always been my favorite for thin cracks and face.

Sportiva Mythos is not the best edging shoe, but great on slab and real thin. Getting old, may need a replacement. Any better than Mythos?

climbing friend,

there is no edge

only impurity of mind preventing solid footwork

there is no greater shoe

only effortless success with right way thinking

Any shoe that is built around a thin stiff fore-foot mid-sole.
So that it provides support to the point or tip of the shoe.
That is the reason for the down turned 'Point' shoes.
The tip of the shoe points in to the seam, focusing your
Force into the tip of the toe.

+1 for Mythos

katana laces

What are you planning to climb in these shoes?

I've had the the same question and haven't yet gone out and bought anything new.

I'll definitely be trying on a pair of Katana's once the paychecks start coming.

Where are you planning to climb and how hard? It makes a huge difference.

Indian Creek? The few edges there tend to be big enough to stick anything soft to. Mythos, Mocs, or Defy's work well there. Not edging shoes and anyone who says differently is a n00b. They are great for splitters though.

Granite? South Platte or something like it will require you to use a lot of the same techniques as IC but you'll have to do some serious edging or fall. This is where the dilemma lies. Do you choose to climb in the seriously jammable shoes and hope your edges hold out? I did that on the Bishops finger crack and worked way too hard for the send. Or do you put on the edgers and just deal with a bit less of a crack shoe? My wife wears Miura's on most cracks and sends hard. I can't imagine doing that in mine. I think her toes are numb.

I've got the green Anasazi's and they climb faces very well and are a very flat shoe. The times I've had to jam in them they were fine. They need an extra piece of thin rubber on the back though, otherwise your toes will be poking out the back after a pitch. Maybe they're a good solution? Synthetics don't tend to be terribly durable as a crack shoe though.

Old school Boreal Aces have a great thin crack profile and are board lasted. Maybe they're still made?

I worry that you can have one or the other. Great splitter jamming or great edging. To meet in the middle might compromise both.

Katana laces. I have mine only .5 euro down from my street shoe. I can really torque them in thinner cracks as though they were a soft shoe (mocs), but they still edge and stand on crystals very well. Crack experience is granite and basalt.

+1 for the five ten pinkies. My favorite shoe by far

I wear women's katanas sized comfortably, they keep your small toes pretty flat and edge super well. Amazing technical crack shoes. It's a shame they delaminate every time..

The Miuras aren't bad if you toes aren't bent too much inside.

But it all depends on shoe fit, I have a pair of scarpa technos, looked good at first, but over time, the rand stretched enough to stick out beyond the sole, the shoe was too narrow for my feet.

I just bought a pair of Muira's had been meaning to try them for years, and my TC's just got stolen from my car. So looking to still get solid foot jams out of these relatively aggressive shoes(compared to Mythos for example) i was pretty conservative about the sizing. I wear a size 11 in work boots and often a 10.5 if I want a more snug fit for sneakers. However I only purchased the Muira's at a size 43 and they so far have been great for crack climbing, although I am just getting back into climbing after a hiatus so I haven't actually been pressing the grades. But I am loving them. so +1 for muira's. Sure they will eventually get pretty voluminous for what I am used to but whatever.

Tenaya Masai will fit into thin cracks and have a stiff forefoot. They edge very well (esp after C4 re-sole).

When you guys say Miuras, I assume you mean the lace ups? Wouldn't want to jam much in the VS...

Those or Katana Lace seem like your best bet.

Appreciate the input.

To answer a couple questions:
I would love to get out to Indian creek more than a couple times a year but these shoes will mostly be climbing on Colorado and Wyoming granite (south platte, rmnp and Devils tower with a good bit of Eldo thrown in for good measure), which is why I'm looking for something that can edge as well.

I actually already own a pair of katana lace-ups but I sized them too aggressively for jamming. I'll look into getting another pair in a more comfortable size and check out the pinks as well.

5.10 Blancos

Yeah, actually the Muira Vs's are what I was referencing. They have been feeling great.

I'm a big fan of Katanas (Velcro). I use them to compliment my TC Pros for thin cracks. Same last, and more sensitive than the Katana Lace. I just tape over the lower Velcro so they survive wider cracks.

I have been very satisfied with the new Scarpa Vapor laces. Out of the box they edge really well. I size mine +1/2 size above street shoe size for flat to slightly bent toes. You might consider street shoe size if you have narrower feet or short toes. Eventually they soften somewhat and have less edging support, but then they smear really well.
This shoe has a thinner toe profile than the Katana Lace, which has quite a thin toe profile. I have been able to jam the tip of my big toe in .4-sized cracks and stand up on it. It is really comfortable, jams all sizes comfortably, sits pretty flat on the foot with a slight toe down-camber, and feels like velcro stuck to South Platte granite. It is also surprisingly sticky for a shoe with Edge rubber, which is certainly far from my favorite type of rubber for overall tackiness.
All in all, this is a slightly softer, less downturned Katana lace with a thinner toe profile and more sensitivity. I can't think of a better thin crack shoe that will give you this much comfort. I also can't think of a more underrated shoe on the market right now.

Kevin D. wrote:I'm a big fan of Katanas (Velcro). I use them to compliment my TC Pros for thin cracks. Same last, and more sensitive than the Katana Lace. I just tape over the lower Velcro so they survive wider cracks.