ABS Shoes

hi first post here.
I was watching the ABS 14 broadcast (can be found here: lt11.com/tv/ ) and noticed that there were quite a few mad rock shoes being repped. Not sure what model they where though-perhaps the conflict? Also could be the shark or demon. Seems like mad rock has closed the gap on high performance shoes. Or it could be that they just sponsor a lot of people.

Other things i noticed:
Obviously a lot of LaSportiva Solutions and Team 5.10s-probably the most popular shoes.
Also saw some Blackwings and Dragons
Interestingly didn't see any Evolv or Scarpa- though i could have missed it-the Evolv Shaman is touted as being an elite shoe and the Scarpa Booster/Boostic and Vapor V seem like they could be high performers.
Also didn't see any Pythons which seem like a popular shoe on the cool kids around my gym.

Just interested in what the pros are using these days. Anyone see any other shoe being used?

probably the new shark 2.0s

who cares who is sponsored by who.....

shamans > everything

Haha...looks like you were the target for their advertising, and it worked! Mad Rock has and always will be way inferior to any other shoe company, no matter who wears them. Who cares what those kids are wearing, its an indoor comp for gods sake!

Well these guys are still climbing pretty hard with mad rock shoes, so they can't be that bad right? Also there were quite a few climbers there-they can't all be sponsored can they? Someone there has to be wearing shoes because they like them.

Sippy wrote:Interestingly didn't see any Evolv or Scarpa

Most of the guys Scarpa sponsors are alpinists, so not that many of the top boulderers wear them. Evolve doesn't sponsor as many guys as Five Ten or Sportiva, but I think I saw a few pairs of Shamans when watching the broadcast. As for climbers who aren't sponsored, the Shaman is often not considered as elite a shoes as the Solution or the Teams.

Sippy wrote:Well these guys are still climbing pretty hard with mad rock shoes, so they can't be that bad right? Also there were quite a few climbers there-they can't all be sponsored can they? Someone there has to be wearing shoes because they like them.

Sharma put up multiple horizontal V13-V14s using Moccasyms. Its more the climber than the shoe, regardless, I've never been a fan of Madrocks, they seem cheap, not to mention the ClimbX knock-offs.

Scarpa rock shoes are really great and don't get a lot of credit. Check out the Instinct slippers, velcro, or lace. I have the slippers and they are an amazing fit and performer.

Brad Caldwell wrote:Haha...looks like you were the target for their advertising, and it worked! Mad Rock has and always will be way inferior to any other shoe company, no matter who wears them. Who cares what those kids are wearing, its an indoor comp for gods sake!

Do you know how this sport/industry works?
Your local crag is going to most likely be protected and further developed by 'lil suzy that's at your local ABS comp right now and funded by dollars from those shoes.

Mr. Holmes wrote: Your local crag is going to most likely be protected and further developed by 'lil suzy that's at your local ABS comp right now and funded by dollars from those shoes.

I'm not sure how you came to this conclusion, but my local crags are protected by taxpayers (i.e. forest service, blm) not sponsorships...which I feel is true of most places Colorado westward.

It also seems like they would switch up shoes for different problems. Probably for the more slabby vs. overhung routes. What makes a shoe better for a specific type of climbing? It seems to me that the only "quantifiable" characteristics of a shoe are the stiffness and downturn Am I wrong?

Joshw97 wrote: As for climbers who aren't sponsored, the Shaman is often not considered as elite a shoes as the Solution or the Teams.

thats just silly dude. based on what, your observations in the gym? pics you saw in urban climber?

youre talking about 3 different shoes with 3 different lasts - obviously people are gonna wear what fits/works for them.

sippy - if you have flat feet you might prefer flatter shoes like anasazi velcros, moccasyms etc. if you have high arches you might find a downturn fits you better. at that, there are also different levels of stiffness.

example: the teams + shamans are shaped similarly. the teams are WAY more sensitive, while the shamans are stiffer and offer a little more support. id say the solutions were the best of both worlds, if they didnt have the durability of wet tissue paper. i prefer not to spend $170 on shoes that disintegrate.

so would you say that a stiff shoe is better for certain things than a soft shoe? or is it just a preference? because it seems that for every type of climbing there are shoes of varying stiffness that all claim to be good.

depends on the individual 100%. i'll take stiffness over sensitivity personally...the teams are great shoes and probably the most sensitive pair on the market, but are painfully thin to use... unless you have the BMI of an anorexic teenage girl

there is no 'easy' way to figure out what works for you, without trying different brands/models. you should try a bunch on in the shop, and see what fits best on your foot with no dead space.