Boreal Ballet Gold shoes

This is an initial impression of the Boreal Ballet Gold climbing shoe. I have only used them in the gym so far to break them in for the outdoor season, so all of my opinions are based on that.

Availability:  Good luck finding these in a local shop if you don't live in Boulder....they are not nearly as popular as they used to be. I had to order online (Backcountry/Mtn Tools/Neptunes).

Fit: I wear a size 10.5 street shoe, and have a Roman foot shape. I ordered a size 10 and a 9.5 from Backcountry, and kept the size 10. They are a snug but not painful fit, as long as I keep my nails short. They are fully lined, and I do not expect them to stretch very much, if at all. The lacing goes all the way down the toes, which I prefer, so they are infinitely adjustable. They also have a really thick padded tongue, so they protect the top of your foot in hand cracks. After a few sessions they really have molded to my feet, I can wear for 2-3 hours without any pain. They are very similar to the Boreal Ace (Peter Croft soloed Astroman in them) in fit and profile, so if you don't like the Ace, these might not work for you.

Performance/Face: These things really rock on small edges, very good support. The rubber compound (FS-Quattro) is maybe not a soft as I would like, but it is not nearly as bad as some other reports would have you believe. These shoes were much better than anticipated smearing on the textured climbing walls in the gym. I was able to do 5.9 chimney moves by just smearing. Quartzite will probably be a different story. These shoes do not do well if you try and hook anything...they are a very stiff shoe. But that isn't why I bought them, I have Cobras for that.

Performance/Crack:  My gym has multiple sculpted cracks (Nicros) that I was able to try these shoes on. 5.9 hand crack they excelled. Very little foot pain, they were absolutely solid. 5.10ish thin hands to rattley finger they were OK, but it was difficult to really work the toe into the crack, this is the lower limit for this shoe. Finger crack the toe profile is just too beefy to get a good purchase, you are just smearing the outside of the crack, which may work for lighter people, I'm 6'2 & 210 lbs.  Offwidth - these shoes are built for this. They really do well inside of a big crack, they are stiff and didn't slip at all inside the crack when I thrutched around. I was able to crank these into the crack to feel as solid as an offwidth can feel.  Plus there is enough ankle coverage to keep your skin on your ankle and not in the crack. This is the main reason I got these shoes, I have a couple of Valley routes on my tick list that include OW sections. These shoes would also be ideal for tiptoeing around on really small crystals like in the Needles of SD or perhaps the Monastery.

Quality: I can't really speak to their durability, since I have only had them a short while, but the fit and finish are excellent...really good. The seams on these are TIGHT, and I didn't get any hotspots or chafing anywhere. The pull tab is pretty beefy and reinforced so it looks like it won't be a problem. The side rubber is holding up well and not de-laminating at all. My old Synchros didn't last one trip with out peeling away from the leather and requiring glue, so these are a pleasant surprise. The weak point on these shoes is the laces. In some sized cracks they will contact the rock since they lace down so far. Just make sure you have a spare set when going on a road trip.

Cost:  Well these aren't the most expensive shoe out there, but they ain't cheap either. I paid about $160.

Comparison/Opinion: I also looked at the TC pro and Butora Altura, which are comparable in price. The TC Pro just straight up didn't fit my foot, no matter the sizing. Extremely painful in size 42 and sloppy in 43, so I guess I can't really compare them. The Altura is a much softer shoe compared to the Boreal Ballet Gold. They didn't strike me as an edging/OW type shoe, felt a lot like my Mythos in a high top. The back of the shoe also bit into my Achilles painfully when I cranked them down. I just didn't feel the same juju when I put them on. They also didn't fit my foot profile as well as the Boreals, even though they were the wide foot option. I'd say these compare well to the Kaukulator, which was my old crack shoe until disintegrating.

Overall I guess the reason I like these so much is that they really fit my feet well, with no dead spots, and very little pain. They deserve a spot in your arsenal of shoes if you climb any OW or need really precise edging shoes and you have a similar foot profile to me. So if the TC Pro doesn't fit your foot, try these.

I am 51 years old and have been climbing (off & on) for about 30 years.

It's nice to see an older shoe (these came out, what, 20+ years ago?) that can compete with the oh-so-popular-these-days TC Pro. I have to admit, I get a chuckle watching the new generation rediscover the benefits of a firm shoe.

I love these shoes. My street shoe is a size 10. I go a half size down (9.5) and resole with c4. I do the same with the boreal Aces. I go up a half size for socks. These shoes will take a beating and plenty of resoles.

Earl Finch wrote: I love these shoes. My street shoe is a size 10. I go a half size down (9.5) and resole with c4. I do the same with the boreal Aces. I go up a half size for socks. These shoes will take a beating and plenty of resoles.

I would do the same if someone still had access to C4 rubber. Since Adidas took over, rubber has not been readily available. I'll probably go with the Edge for a resole if it isn't available when the FS Quatro runs out.

They are comfy and nice to climb in all day but I hated the rubber that came on them. My feet slipped off more stuff in those shoes than any other. Maybe I'm just a bad climber though. 

Ashort wrote: They are comfy and nice to climb in all day but I hated the rubber that came on them. My feet slipped off more stuff in those shoes than any other. Maybe I'm just a bad climber though. 

I find they are good for small edges, and jamming.

Ashort wrote: They are comfy and nice to climb in all day but I hated the rubber that came on them. My feet slipped off more stuff in those shoes than any other. Maybe I'm just a bad climber though. 

No, it wasn't you. Borea;'s rubber back then WAS that slick.

That was on granite too, I will bust them out on the sandstone around here to see how they perform, but I may have resoled with another rubber already. 

John Wilder wrote: Wild, I didn't think they made those anymore...

I don't think Boreal has many rep's in the US any more, so you don't see as many Boreal's period any more. I am really impressed by the quality and craftsmanship of this shoe. Every aspect, from the stitching to the rubber contour and glue is perfect. They are starting to soften up a bit. They really do well on the local basalt edges, don't shed rubber bits when on a sharp dime sized hold. C4 tends to roll off these types of holds for me.

I am guessing that younger climbers concentrate more on bouldering and sport climbing than older traddies like me, and require a different sort of shoe. Since these are so beefy, and can be resoled, Boreal kind of put themselves out of business in this shoe niche. The Ballet's even do OK if you need to step into some etriers for a bit, they have enough of a midsole to prevent the steps from digging into your foot. I would avoid big walls, but are great for aid routes with some mandatory free climbing.  

Steve Smith wrote: I bought a pair of these last week and had to exchange for a smaller size. Street shoe is 11.5 and I found the size 11 too big for me. There was a noticeable gap between my big toe and the edge. I am hoping that the 10.5’s will fit better and feel more secure. For reference, my go to shoes for everything right now are size 10 Galileos.

It may be that your foot shape isn't ideal for the shoe as well. 

5.10's tend fits me really well (spires/coyotes/pinkies), due to the square-ish toe box shape though, so I would be surprised if this shoe doesn't work for you. I think it has a very similar last shape. I could be wrong.

My first climbing shoe was the Ballet, resole d them 4 times before letting them go.
Was using C4 on them, great shoe for cracks and offwidth.

Locker wrote: "Since Adidas took over, rubber has not been readily available"

POSITIVE RESOLES is fully stocked with ALL newer Five Ten Rubber (C4, Onyxx, MI6, High Friction, "Dot").

That said, Adidas is once again selling Five Ten C4 (4.2mm).

Super good news!  I'll have a pair for you in about 8 weeks (if the weather stays nice). Black Hills stone does a number on shoes.

With all of the negative press about the FS Quattro, you'd think Boreal would re-formulate their rubber or buy it from someone else. I don't think the stuff is terrible, but it sure isn't C4 or Onyxx either.

You do realize that the primary sizing for Boreal is in Brit sizing, which runs larger by about one number than US sizes.  Boreal is really consistent on sizes, but I usually look at the Euro size listing to find the right size.  So, for me a Boreal size looks like this: 6.5, 40.0, 7.5. The first number, which is usually larger and in bold, is the UK size.  For the record, I wear 39.5 in Sportiva, and 7 or 7.5 in 5.10.

Mustard Tiger wrote:

I was able to get out this weekend to try the shoes out, sized one down from street shoe. I found that it still ran large and I wasn’t getting the edging performance I need. I thought the rubber was a decent performer on the routes I climbed. It would probably be better with a resole, I’m sure. 

Over all the shoe worked out fine for casual climbs, great in hand sized cracks. The stiffness was nice while smearing or standing on knobs. Comfortable enough to wear for prolonged periods. If i had to offer advice about sizing, if you’re used to tight shoes and looking for performance, you’re probably better off sizing at least one size down from street shoe. I’m pretty positive the shoes would have been decently comfortable with that tightness.  I wish I would have taken it down 1.5 sizes. 

Tough luck on the sizing. It must be the shape of my foot, or your foot, that determines how far to size down. There is no way I can wear a size 9.5 much less a 9 (US) with a 10.5 foot. It would cripple me. The laces on 1/2 size down are spread about an inch apart already!

That said, I am still being impressed by this shoe for general climbing and in particular cracks.

Hobo Greg wrote: Rubber sucks, and theyre too stiff and bulky for anything but hand crack and up. That is where they shine, my favorite Creek shoe for #1 and bigger, and maybe for all day moderate routes, but it's too bad they aren't a better all around shoe. Sexy as hell and high tops rule.

Agreed, this is more of a specialty shoe for me. I will generally just pull on either Mythos or some many-times-re-soled 5.10 Spires or Coyotes. But those shoes are not comfortable in long splitter cracks, at least not for me.

More to add on this shoe:  did 10 pitches yesterday on three climbs(8 am to 4 pm) and had these shoes on almost the entire time. Took a break for water and snacks & removed them.
By the end of the day my feet were pretty sore, but not because of the shoes, but because I neglected to cut my toenails... two of the pitches were majority crack, with some face holds thrown in. One was a finger to hand, which these shoes did OK on, the finger portion was in a corner so you could just wedge your foot in the corner. When you moved to the hand crack on the face whole toe would go in.  The last pitch was about a 4"-10" OW/squeeze in stacked basalt columns.  The Ballet Gold rocked, I truly think it lowered the difficulty one whole grade for me. My partner was wearing Muiras, and he was like "Dude, that was a rad lead". I told him "It was the shoes!"  Since he was on a TR, he was able to do a lot more face climbing outside of the crack, whereas I had to put pro in and pretty much stay in the crack. The only bummer was a section where a wide stem would have gotten me off my arms and a needed rest, but the smearing ability of the native rubber just isn't that good.
really would be better with a re-sole with either C4 or XS Edge. I am a big fan of C4.

thanks

Locker wrote:
"would be better with a re-sole with either C4 or XS Edge. I am a big fan of C4."

Five Ten C4 vs Vibram XS Grip (Softer/more "Stick") and Five Ten Onyxx vs Vibram XS Edge (Harder, better for edging)

Comparing C4 to XS Edge sort of doesn't work,,,
.

My bad, I like C4/GRIP....But I have been happy as well with the XS Edge on a really tight fitting pair of Mythos I have in the Purple.

Locker wrote: "But I have been happy as well with the XS Edge on a really tight fitting pair of Mythos"

Have you tried Five Ten ONYXX yet? Some prefer it over XS EDGE...

No, but if a man of your stature is to say "Buck Rio you MUST try Onyxx on your next re-sole", I would be compelled to do so. 

Positive Resoles, right? Would you recommend the Onyxx on the Ballet's? What thickness would you recommend? The bottom rubber does not seem all that thick with the Boreal stuff...wondering how they would perform with a thicker pad of rubber?

So I would like a little more info on this stacking deal.  Do I wear them until they need new rubber, and them have it stacked, or send them in now and have them stacked?  I am about half way through the toe rubber right now, to when I would normally seek out a re-sole.  I effing love these shoes, by the way. there they are down in the lower left corner, along with the others, my new Pinkies are in there too, I really like them as well, but for different reasons.  

So does the re-soler sand down the original rubber so it doesn't get to high? Don't know if I'm saying that right. Frankenstein? I'm guessing the Quattro is 3.5mm + C4 3.5 mm = way too much between me and the rock.