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Climbingshoe.com Terabyte
By John Walter
Let me start off by saying that I have always disliked climbing slippers.
My first pair of slippers was a first generation jobber that had a slingshot
rand that you actually pulled up over your heel once your foot was in
the shoe. This caused excruciating pain. And being only a beginner climber
at the time, I think it tainted my view of slippers. To me slippers were
extremely uncomfortable and not as durable as shoes. Plus, I thought that
I would never need more than one pair of shoes for climbing
I look back now and realize the error of my thinking. I have at least
4 pairs of shoes that I will use depending on the type of climbing. And
since I was a beginner when I used my first pair of slippers, I didn't
know how to use my feet. I also didn't realize that slippers are highly
specialized shoes for intermediate to advanced climbers.
Having been tainted, I initially hated the Terabytes from Climbingshoes.com.
They were painfully tight when I first tried them on. The slingshot rand
kept my toes screaming at me. I was tempted to put them back in the box
and send them back. However, after wearing the Terabytes for 5 minutes
at a time while I was at work and sitting around the house they stretched
enough for me to want to try them on the rock.
The Terabytes are well suited for steep, pocket climbs, overhung bouldering,
and working the plastic. The asymmetrical toe and turned down last edges
very well and the pointed profile make it great for those small pockets.
The upper is unlined split suede leather that stretched nicely to conform
the shape of my foot. The Lycra covered neoprene and the slingshot rand
keep your foot locked in comfortably. Even though my toes are still curled
over, the shoe feel comfy, provided you don't climb on some sick slab.
On my last trip to southwestern Utah, I used the Terabytes on the steep
sandstone climbs and boulders. They performed well on the tight edges
and steep, incut holds. After couple of heel hook moves, I noticed that
after the shoes stretched out, the heel felt just a little bit sloppy.
Enough to make me use extra care in those situations.
Summary
The Terabytes have changed my opinion of climbing slippers.
I reach for them regularly when heading out to climb on plastic. The Terabytes
are another great shoe from climbingshoes.com. At only $74.95 they are running
about $15-20 cheaper than other comparable shoes and are a killer value.
John Walter is Climbing Editor at GearReview.com.
For more information, contact:
Climbingshoes.com
Boston, MA
888-899-ROCK (7625)
info@climbingshoes.com
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