What have you climbed in approach shoes?
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I know someone who I have seen climb up to .11's slab routes at sui and tahquitz. |
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i heard some people in yosemite solo five nine in their five tennies. |
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Mostly Class 4. Sometimes 5.real-easy. |
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Parker Kempf wrote: I did cookie monster (5.12a in the valley) in sportiva boulder x mid’s awhile back, because you know, spray and stuff There is no way that grade is correct. It is not 12a... Routes like apollo reed, pumporama should be able with fitness to climb in highheels (at least between kneebars)I have climbed mid 5.12 at maple and other steep areas in approach shoes I did an silly invert offwidth thing in a pair of boulder xs I climbed epinephrine in approach shoes with a buddy I have the 5.10 approch pro and actually really like then. |
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Approach shoes today are better than the climbing shoes that were available when many classic climbs were first done. |
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5.10c in 5.tennies both friction and crack. |
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Cosmiccragsman AKA Dwain wrote: 5.10c in 5.tennies both friction and crack. Do you know of a place to still get the rubber? I can't find the resole kits, but i have some mid tops i'd love to resole. |
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I solo'd Steorts Ridge in Big Cottonwood in a pair of leather work shoes. Had rained the day prior and I saw some kids bail. So...went straight after work hoping to get some booty. They bailed from a loose (no longer there) single rusty pin. No booty. The climb was still pretty wet but I climbed it anyhow. Was a bit more stimulating than expected... |
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Chris Blatchley wrote:Chris. See my edit above your post |
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V4 in my camo crocs. 5.4 in my TX4s. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ |
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I climbed the Full Exum Ridge (5.7) on the Grand Teton a bunch of years ago in LaSportiva Gandas. I was barely a 5.8 leader at the time. I have seconded some harder things in approach shoes, but I want to be a point or two below my lead grade if I'm not in rock shoes and on the sharp end. Depends a lot on the nature of the climb, too. |
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When i was young i did 1st ascent of 2 pitch 5.9 in actual tennis shoes. I also climbed 5.9 in plastic ice boots. |
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Rob warden The space lizard wrote: i agree, but like, community consensus man https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105992940/cookie-monster |
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Did a 5.7 in the gym in flip flops. |
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climber pat wrote:I watched a guy free solo 5.11 in cowboy boots. Blew my mind, those things are slippery on the sole. if that was austin howell, i believe they were resoled with sticky rubber |
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Fritz Weissner on Never Never Land (5.10). Have a close look at the footwear. Yes he's on top-rope but he was 73 at the time. From Richard Dumais's "Shawangunk Rock Climbing" (1985). |
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Chris Blatchley wrote: They were head tennis shoes about 1980. I only had nuts and hexes too. |
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I did a 5.9 at Shelf in a pair of thin-sole tevas. The rock really bit in and felt solid. The foot jams weren't as nice... |
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Matthew Bertolatus wrote: Did a 5.7 in the gym in flip flops. When I set routes at the local University gym, I set in birkenstock knockoffs. Easy stuff, meant to be climbable in street shoes, but not just jug ladders. Usually came in as 5.6ish, by consensus. The intent was to let first time climbers discover a fun activity in the campus rec center, not scare the crap outta them. My first climbs were outside, 5.6, 7ish stuff. Columnar black basalt, super slick, so shoe rubber didn't matter much at all. I climbed in really cheap Keds knockoffs, which happened to work fine on positive footholds, and small enough at the toe to stuff in whatever was available. Sticky shoes weren't a huge help, until I got on different rock. It was the ability to edge (which I could do in those Birks at the gym) and stuff them into spaces street shoes wouldn't go, that let me keep climbing. Only a month ago, was I on my first real friction slab, five years in! Only 5.4,5 or so, but sticky feet really mattered.Best, Helen EDIT to add, got rid of the only approach shoes I ever had. Dot rubber was awful on cheat grass, lol! |
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Old lady H wrote: Cheat grass doesn't really pair well with anything. hate that stuff. I've gone up some 9+ slab in boulder X's, and 10- on basalt columns in TX2s. approach shoes are handy for easy solo circuits because you can bounce around to different routes without needing to change shoes. I led a wet 5.8 in Lone peak 4's last month. Do NOT recommend. |