How Long Should a Climbing Shoe Last?

After a few years of doing product demos, I am finding that I am asked some standard questions that require very professional and thought out answers. The big thing I find, is that by answering these questions with "WE", "OUR", or "US", my answers are more of a group effort apposed to just my personal opinion which is usually met with a lot less resistance.

The most asked comment/question I receive is,
"I have only had these shoes for 4 months and I am very unhappy that they fell apart so quickly, what are YOU going to do to help me"? Along with the comment is the usual upset look and the stare down. This is a fun situation in that, each customer is different in how they react to my "standard" reply.

"Standard Reply"
"I do apologize for how quickly your Evolv climbing shoes have worn out"
"How long have you been climbing in the Evolv product"?
"How long have you been climbing"?
"Are these your first pair of climbing shoes"?
"Did you happen to purchase them as a comfy fit(big)"?
"How many times per week do you climb"?
"Are these your only pair of climbing shoes"?
"Do you mostly climb indoors"?
Size of climber is obvious.

After evaluating the situation, I execute my answer as tactfully as possible.

"We at Evolv pride ourselves on producing the best product in the industry". Depending on how many days per week you climb, how many pairs of shoes you ware per that week, how often you climb indoors, what model of climbing shoe you currently own, and the size of climber you are.

Equation;
3 days per week + 1 pair + 3 days per week indoors + Defys + 200ish pounds = 6 months to 1 year, which is what the unhappy climber had them for.

I explain that, if they are learning how to climb, if their shoes are a "comfy" fit, if they climb 3 to 4 days per week indoors and if they are a larger(muscular) climber:), that the product may only last 6 months to a year or so. I explain to them about Evolv's Variable Thickness Rand and how that is designed to prolong the life of the climbing shoe, IF THAT SHOE IS TAKEN CARE OF PROPERLY. Keep the shoe out of the sun, wash the shoes from time to time, indoor climbing is very rough on climbing shoes, make sure the model of shoes you purchased, soft, stiff, etc. are a good pair for your size.

The best part of this story is that, right after my second unhappy Evolv climbing shoe owner, came this tiny young lady that wanted to thank Evolv for producing such a great, long lasting product.
She just purchased a new pair of Electras because her old pair of Athenas lasted her 7 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She climbed in them 3 days per week or so without any gaps in her climbing other than being sick a few times. CRAZY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do believe that Evolv produces the best product in the industry and if taken care of properly, the new answer when asked, "how long should the Evolv product last"?

SEVEN YEARS:)

Shoe Review - Evolv Pontas

So,

This week I want to give a somewhat unbiased review of the Pontas.  That's nearly impossible being a member of the Rocky Mountain Team Evolv, so I've stolen pics, info, reviews, compliments, and slander from all over the web.  This way you get a good idea of how people really feel about the shoe.

First, the specs - straight from the Evolv website:

PROFILE:	Asymmetrical toe profile (KA-1 last)
SOLE:	4.2mm TRAX® XT-5 high friction rubber
RAND:	2.2mm TRAX® duro-rand
UPPER:	Non-stretch Synthratek synthetic upper
LINING:	Cotton fiber lining
MIDSOLE:	MX-S 1.5mm 3/4 length semi-stiff
SIZES:	5 to 13.5 US men

      FEATURES:
- Designed for focusing and delivering power to the toe
- Non-stretch material for consistent performance
- Extended toe rand for toe hooking


They do come in a lace version which I'll cover in a different post.  One cool thing about these shoes is that you can get them in any color you want.  Check out http://evolvesports.com/flash_app/index.htm





My Personal take on them:

1. Love them for sport climbing.  
2. Love them for sporty Trad routes
3. Found out a couple weeks ago that they actually climb desert splitters quite well.  Better than I had expected for sure. I wish the synthetic material was a little more durable.  

My opinion on size is that you get them the same or slightly smaller than your street shoe.  I'm usually a 11.5-12 street shoe guy, and I wear these in 11.5.  They feel to me like a mid to high-volume foot works best, but the adjustment with the velcro eliminates most of that worry.  These shoes don't stretch, but they do break in a little.

I am certainly not the guy that climbs the steepest stuff. In fact, I generally shy away from caves, but I do enjoy techy dime edge routes with balancy moves.  The stiff midsole provides the right amount of sensitivity without giving up the ability to stand on credit card edges. It usually takes a day or so for the sole to break in to the sensitivity level I like.  Out of the box they can feel a little bricky.  They wear out fairly normally.  I don't expect any climbing shoe to last for more than 6 months of consistent hard climbing.  I haven't had the pleasure of sending a pair in for a resole, though I probably should. (You guys do know that Yosemite Bum and Evolv are in cahoots, right?) Overall, the Pontas is my favorite Evolv shoe. I'm on my 5th pair.  Apparently Chris really digs them too.  It's cool to know that these are the shoes worn on the FA of the hardest route climbed to date.

Chris Sharma climbing in the Evolv Pontas  (unknown photo credit)


Here are some more opinions from around the web:


Some dude on RC.com said: "I've owned this shoe for almost a year and it has performed great on sport technical faces and overhangs. Great for edging on small stuff. Breaking them in does not take very long. Shaped and sized almost exactly like anasazi velcros. I would not recommend them to climbers with a super wide foot or those used to size very small because the extra rubber on top will make big toes hurt like hell. Low volume feet get a much better fit from them.
I didn't give them 5 stars because in my opinion the rubber wears down faster than stealth, and THEY DO STINK, even if the rest of your shoes don't..
I wear US 9 on new mugens and anasazi velcros, also 9 for these ones"

Some dude on BC.com said: "Fits right, little stretch with the synthetic uppers, sticky rubber, good mix of stiffness and flexibility, I got these to replace my La Sportiva Katana's and have not been disappointed. Love these for techy trad and steep sport. My only regret is the SUPER sticky rubber seems to wear out a little faster than some other shoes."


Odd Foot on MP.com in response to "Worst Climbing Shoe Ever" post said:  "Evolv Pontas. I'm sure they're good shoes but they did not agree with my feet at all."  (I just want to point out that this was the only mention of the Pontas on that thread)

POST A LINK TO YOUR OWN PICS OF YOU CLIMBING IN THE PONTAS IN THE COMMENTS.

Get out and climb!!!!!!!

Kaelen Williams - Athlete Profile

Okay,  Today's blog is an athlete profile for Kaelen Williams, Rocky Mountain Team Evolv grass-roots team member and all around cool kid.

(picture stolen from facebook - sorry, no photo credits)

-Kaelen

Age: 19

Sex: male

Location: Boulder

Height: 5’10”-ish

Weight: 140-145

Ape Index: +3

Favorite Evolv Shoes: Predators!!! Rawr!

Favorite Crag: Ceuse or the Red.  Hard to decide…

Current Projects: a most-likely undone variation to Ken T’ank in Clear Creek which will probably go at .13d or .14a.

And now for the fun stuff, the serious stuff, and the ugly stuff:

Describe the first time you ever took a really big whipper:

 

I think I was about fifteen years old.  I was visiting my grandparents in California for Christmas and went to J-Tree for a day.  I was aboce the last bolt on a route that was .12b or so and there was this flared hand crack.  I was frantically shoving my hands into it, totally ripping my skin up, and suddenly they just shot out.  I probably fell about 25 feet, which is pretty routine for me now, but at the time it was a huge adrenalin rush.

Does your mom know about that fall?

She was belaying me, as a matter of fact.

Is it more satisfying to climb something uber-classic or get the FA on a 3-star route?

Hmm… I think it’s more satisfying to contribute something to the climbing community, even if it isn’t amazing.  Plus, three stars isn’t really that bad.

I used to keep a collection of worn out shoes in various sizes just for this reason. How many girls have you taken "climbing" on a date?  Tell me about one where you got lucky. Tell me about one that didn't go so well. Was it worth it?

Hah.  It never goes well…

Last time you were in the gym, what color did you project?  Did you get the send?

I did a neon-orange-camoflauge boulder problem that I had been trying for weeks.  

Has EZ ever invited you over to his house?  If not, how do you know he doesn't live in a van down by the river?

No.  I guess that must mean he does live in a van down by the river, right?

Scenario: You're at the crag and you look over to see the party next to you doing something incredibly stupid/dangerous. What would you do?  Not looking for you to advise other climbers just wondering what you would do.

That depends on the situation.  If they are still at a point where it is possible to fix the situation then I would try to give them advice and explain the danger to them.  Sometimes, though, it’s too late to really do anything and you’ve got to just sort of hope they survive, then try to talk to them afterwards.

What shoes did you climb in before evolvs? Did you know at the time those were made of babies?  Aren't you glad that Evolv is such an eco-friendly company?

The most recent shoe I used prior to Evolvs was La Sportiva.  Those poor babies… I still hear their screams at night.  

I hear you work at a pet store.  Do you have to clean up the poop?  Learn anything from the geckos? I used to have ferrets. Don't you love those little bastards? 

Yes, yes I do clean up poop.  Obviously I can’t divulge my secret gecko-beta.  I need some kind of advantage.  Ferrets are so cool, but we don’t have any of those right now.

Have you tried the GriGri 2?  What do you think?  Yeah, I know this blog isn't about Petzl, but they are one of your sponsors right?

I haven’t tried the GriGri 2.  I climb on a 9.4, which works fine in a normal GriGri.

Got any jokes?  People love jokes.  :)

My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana.  I said “No, but I would like a regular banana later, so yeah.”

Two-fer (two posts in a day dab)

I had to get that HERA banner moved down, It was messing with the fung shuey of the blog, so here's a laugh for you.  After we took down the evolv booth at the winter Oudoor Retailer Show, I couldn't just let this awesome banner go to waste. So I took it home and put it on my bed. :)  It stayed there a good 45 minutes until my wife got home.

So anyway,  I'll save it to give away as a competition prize or for hanging up at future Salt Lake City evolv shoe demos. I just wanted to show everyone how cool my bed was ... for 45 minutes anyway.

What would you do with a 55" x 55" evolv banner? 

HERA Climb4Life

Hey all,

We want to start out the first post on this blog by letting you know about an awesome event. Evolv is a proud supporter of the HERA Climb4Life events every year, and we want you to be a supporter too.

Last year's event in Salt Lake City was incredible and raised over $100,000 for ovarian cancer research and education. It's a great chance to come out and climb with Evolv Athletes and support a great cause.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the event in Salt Lake. I know we'll have a great turnout as always, and raise lots of $$$ to help save lives. In addition there are events in Boulder, CO and Washington, DC. Here's the info:

HERA Climb4Life • Save the Date!

The HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation proudly announces the 2011 dates for our three signature Climb4Life events:

Boulder, CO: June 24-25, 2011

Washington, DC: July 8-10, 2011

Salt Lake City, UT: Sept. 15-18, 2011 (our 10th Anniversary!)

The HERA Climb4Life events are truly unique experiences. Join us for these fun-filled weekends of climbing, hiking, running, yoga, and much more in beautiful settings with professional athletes and guides, as well as others like you who support ovarian cancer research and awareness initiatives.

Registrations will open soon, so get geared up for climbing and fundraising to benefit the HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to stop the loss of women from ovarian cancer by promoting Health, Empowerment, Research, and Awareness. For more information, please visit: www.herafoundation.org.

Hope to see you all there!

Some Pics from last year: