I am looking for some advise from those who have used the Mistral climbing shoe in the past.
I have blown through the toe in my shoes and am now having to replace them. I've already had them resoled with much success over a year ago. What shoe do you recommend that has the same sort of fit and feel of the old Mistral? I have tried on several from La Sportiva and 5-10 without much luck. It might be that I've forgotten just how uncomfortable new shoes feel and just need to bite the bullet.
Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.
GWG
Mistral Climbing Shoes
I love La Sportiva Miuras. They're quite painful to break in but they are totally worth it. I used to wear Mythos and they are super cozy so if that's what you're looking for those may be your best bet....good shoe, too. The Miuras edge better, though.
Does he have a strange bear claw like appendage protruding from his neck? He kep petting it.
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Horatio Felacio
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air canada
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Joe Finney
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I learned a few things working at a shop and selling climbing shoes:
1) If you're going for a really tight/good fit, you really need to try on the actual pair of shoes you're going to buy. Climbing shoes are all hand made and can differ a lot from pair to pair. e.g Luigi at the Scarpa plant comes in to work and starts a run of size 40s of such-and-such model. In the morning he's feeling good and pulling the leather and rubber pretty tight against the last. At lunch he has a couple of glasses of wine, and that afternoon, he's a bit tired and he isn't pulling the leather quite so tight. He's still making size 40's, but you'll notice the difference in fit. If you try on a pair at a shop, then mail order it, don't be surprised if they feel a lot different when they arrive. The 'molded sole/rand' models out there will lessen this factor.
2) Your feet are different than other people's/Get the shoes that fit the best. Well, duh. There are going to be lots of models of shoes that work well for almost everyone else, but suck for you. Feet vary a lot and the super tight fit of climbing shoes exagerates all those little differences. Take advice like "Model X is the best shoe I've ever worn - you should get 'em!" with a grain of salt. Factor in everyone's feedback on shoes, but remember that it's your feet and your style of climbing you're trying to fit. Also, if you are comparing a few models of shoes that are all in the ballpark for what you want the shoes to do, get the shoes that fit the best - not the ones with the best color scheme or the ones that Billy Climbinhard wears in the ads or what the magazine recomends.
1) If you're going for a really tight/good fit, you really need to try on the actual pair of shoes you're going to buy. Climbing shoes are all hand made and can differ a lot from pair to pair. e.g Luigi at the Scarpa plant comes in to work and starts a run of size 40s of such-and-such model. In the morning he's feeling good and pulling the leather and rubber pretty tight against the last. At lunch he has a couple of glasses of wine, and that afternoon, he's a bit tired and he isn't pulling the leather quite so tight. He's still making size 40's, but you'll notice the difference in fit. If you try on a pair at a shop, then mail order it, don't be surprised if they feel a lot different when they arrive. The 'molded sole/rand' models out there will lessen this factor.
2) Your feet are different than other people's/Get the shoes that fit the best. Well, duh. There are going to be lots of models of shoes that work well for almost everyone else, but suck for you. Feet vary a lot and the super tight fit of climbing shoes exagerates all those little differences. Take advice like "Model X is the best shoe I've ever worn - you should get 'em!" with a grain of salt. Factor in everyone's feedback on shoes, but remember that it's your feet and your style of climbing you're trying to fit. Also, if you are comparing a few models of shoes that are all in the ballpark for what you want the shoes to do, get the shoes that fit the best - not the ones with the best color scheme or the ones that Billy Climbinhard wears in the ads or what the magazine recomends.
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