These were the first pair of climbing shoes that I ever bought. Since then they've helped me with climbing everying from underhanging bouldering problems, to fingercrack 5.12 routes. I own several other pairs of shoes, but at the end of the day when the 'ol feet are getting sore, I always end up going back to these. They've developed along with my ability. They've been resoled w/ C4 as well, but the shoes have held up awesome.

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Madrock shark LaSportive Cobras 5.10 Xray 5.10 Dragon

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These are my first pair of rock shoes and I couldn''t be happier. There isn''t a whole lot of climbing here in the state so I have to stick to the indoor scene mostly. The shoes grab and give me great bearing when I''m trying to do some dyno move. I was really impressed with the price. I thought I would have to spend some major cash.

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I love these shoes. They were the first pair of rock climbing shoes I ever bought and they're the ones I almost always wear even today. I got them mostly because of the price; as a newbie climber in 1997, I sure didn't feel like dropping $130.00 on shoes when I didn't even know if I'd stick with the sport.

What do I like about them? They are comfortable...really comfortable. I can wear these all day at the crags and not have to take off my shoes between every pitch like so many others do. I did a 6-pitch route on The Pear in Lumpy Ridge, CO in some tight-ass 5.10 Altias, and I was miserable, wishing I had brought my Saltics instead. I don't buy on the notion that you have to have to have rock shoes that are so tight that you can't feel your feet, and the Garnets, while really snug on my feet, have enough give in them that I still feel like I can walk at the ned of the day.

Drawbacks: the rubber that comes with the shoes is not quite as tacky as I Like. I've since had them resoled with C4 and they climb great!

Please note that I'm not your hardman gymnast climber, someone who cranks 5.13 in the gym. I'm your standard 5.8 leader who likes to get outside and enjoy the climbing and not worry about squeezing every last drop of performance out of my shoes. If you're looking for a shoe that will maximize your climbing ability at the expense of your personal comfort, then these may not be right for you. But if you're looking for an inexpensive pair of comfortable all-around climbing shoes, then these fit the bill.

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5.10 Altia
Boreal something-or-another