comparing testarossa to genius

[daustin]

I haven't climbed in the no-edge shoes, but I'm a hardcore Miura laces fanatic. For me, Miuras hit the sweet spot after a few months of wear, when the edge has essentially been worn down and rounded -- at this point, I feel like I can "smedge" every hold, no matter how big or small, which seems to be what LS is after with the no-edge technology. So in that sense, I find the marketing at least somewhat plausible and I'm definitely intrigued by the Geniuses.

OTOH, I don't do a lot of climbing that requires continuous dime edging up a vert or slab face. If I did, I'd probably want something stiffer than the Miuras (or Futura or Geniuses), which is where I think the LS marketing is obviously over-reaching. In fact, I have a pair of Tenaya Ras as well as Five Ten Galileos for that exact purpose, though neither of them get much use (doesn't help that I down-sized each just a bit too aggressively!).

[Chris W]

I think Tenaya's website is actually pretty good. And speaking of cramming in toes for edging, I'm actually considering moving UP a size in my Ras. I had some real toe screamer sessions during my last ARC phase, where the first set is typically on my vertical wall on small (e-grips screw on sandstone chips and rails) edges. I also believe that feet, along with ears, tend to continue to grow as you get older. I'm only 34 though. Anyone had to change shoe sizes because of this?

[alexandra]

I ended up getting the Genius, since they fit my foot better than all other shoes I tried on except for the Testarossas (which are still the only shoe that fits almost perfectly but are too painful to climb in some times). I would describe them more like a hybrid between the Pythons and the Testarossas, they have better heel hook than the Pythons and are more comfortable on vert and slab than the Testarossas. I will climb in them more and report how the no edge technology affects my climbing, if at all.