mclay
Junior Member
Posts: 96
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Post by mclay on Aug 19, 2017 12:30:57 GMT -7
Just started a new macrocycle that will take me until the end of the year after several months of not training and I'm ARC-ing in a different pair of shoes this time - an old pair of 5.10s I got in a package deal from a guy that climbed 10+ years ago. They still have a good edge on them but these are the most straightforward shoe I've ever trained in.
Normally I have done the ARC sessions in a pair of Muiras or my beloved Edelrid Typhoons, but they are both being resoled at the moment. The book states that you should always train in the best shoes possible so I'm curious how others mange this aspect of training. I can't imagine spending 30+ minutes in your tightest, high-performance bouldering shoe!
The difference between the last ARC cycle, mostly in the Muiras, and this time with the old-school shoes is clear. But I think the less grippy and less edgy shoes have me focusing on my feet more.
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Post by tetrault on Aug 21, 2017 5:12:55 GMT -7
For me, "best possible" includes a comfort factor, as well as a terrain factor. If I wore a stiff, ultra tight shoe for 30 min straight, my feet would be in too much pain to put full weight on. Therefore, those would not be the best possible shoes for the task at hand. Also, for the more vertical terrain, I don't feel that a downturn is all that beneficial.
That said, I don't want old, oxidized tires that don't quite fit the wheels to be on my car no matter what driving I plan to do. A flat, lace up shoe with a proper fit and new, quality rubber is what I go for while ARCing.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 21, 2017 16:07:08 GMT -7
Ya, the idea is to NOT use some old blown-out warmup slipper or other clownshoes that are totally useless for technical climbing. I use a pair of high-quality edging shoes (Tenaya Inti) or steep-climbing shoes (Tenaya Oasi), depending on terrain, but up-sized 1/2 size from what I would wear for an outdoor project. You definitely have to consider comfort, but you want the shoes to be well-fitting, in good shape, and designed for the type of terrain you are ARCing on.
Aside: when I started training I ARCed in 5.10 Moccasyms, which is pretty much the worst possible choice--bad at just about everything except jamming, which I almost never did while ARCing. (However, perhaps that made my toes stronger?)
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Post by jetjackson on Aug 23, 2017 20:04:27 GMT -7
So I have about 3-4 pairs of Miuras running at any one point in time. 2 of them are resoled and have been resoled a couple of times, and I use those for volume sessions in the gym. When one pair is resoled I use the other, etc. Then I have a pair that are close to new, that I use for climbing projects outdoors. I also have a pair of solutions that I limit boulder in.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 24, 2017 9:47:30 GMT -7
So I have about 3-4 pairs of Miuras ... I also have a pair of solutions ... I'm surprised you're able to climb so well in such shoddy footwear
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Post by climber511 on Aug 24, 2017 11:02:53 GMT -7
I use a pair of Tenaya Iati for both ARC and regular sport routes and love the way they climb but my God are they a pain to put on - especially when sweaty. The tongue is attached too far back and when I adjust the straps to fit they will not loosen up enough to allow easy entry. It's a terribly designed tongue and closure system in my opinion and I will likely not buy them again because of it.
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Post by Chris W on Aug 24, 2017 20:49:52 GMT -7
I had the same issue when I had the Oasi, as well as when I tried on the Iati at Waterstone Outdoors. Apparently it's not too common, so we may have similar feet. I use the Ra for slabs and smearing and some vertical ARC edging, but I use the Tarifa for my steep and super technical stuff. I don't have the same issue with the Tarifa because they lace up. It has a slightly similar neoprene attached tongue thing, but I don't have any trouble with it, while the Oasi and Iati were so frustrating that it was a deal breaker. I love my Tarifa's
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Post by jetjackson on Aug 24, 2017 22:14:56 GMT -7
So I have about 3-4 pairs of Miuras ... I also have a pair of solutions ... I'm surprised you're able to climb so well in such shoddy footwear I rocked up for an ARC session last night, turned out the gym was running an auto-belay comp - most EWBANK points in an hour. Won myself a free sleeping bag... was wearing my blunt, resoled Miuras too.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 25, 2017 15:58:58 GMT -7
Awesome! What perfect timing. What would you have won with good shoes?
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Post by jetjackson on Aug 25, 2017 16:49:59 GMT -7
Ha ha! Actually I came first and broke the record, previous record was 356 points, I got 389... I think I can crack 400 next time reasonably easy. The issue is that you are waiting in line. If it was an empty gym and I didn't have to wait, I think I could crack 500 points. That being said there aren't that many performance sport climbers down here in Victoria, Australia though, so it's not a hot bed of competition. You should have seen the reaction I got when I asked some of the local trad climbers for advice on which grips to train on the hangboard for climbing at Araps Honestly though, what grade are you ARCing at that shoes become that significant an issue? I would have thought that it would need to be somewhere around the 5.12+/5.13- mark before blunt shoes are going to spit you off.
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Post by Chris W on Aug 25, 2017 19:52:37 GMT -7
I was kind of shooting for the whole "perfect practice makes perfect" thing with my ARC shoes. I'm not in the 5.12 range ARCing.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 26, 2017 7:53:52 GMT -7
That's exactly right, the idea is to practice well, rather that reinforces bad footwork habits by using bad shoes.
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