BOOSTIC R

Ouch!

My hardest routes outside tend to be vertical with crux moves on thin edges and crimpers. The Boostic R, because of its touted stiffness, sounded like the ticket for me, so I ordered up a pair. The reviews led me to choose my normal Euro climbing shoe size: 42.5, which was slightly larger than what was recommended for a performance fit. No way was I ordering a pair too small that I would have to return. When the shoes arrived and I pulled them from the box, I was struck by how tiny they looked. It seemed doubtful that my feet, US mens size 9.5, were going to fit, but I was wrong. Sort of. After a bit of effort, I did manage to stuff my right foot into the shoe, but I knew almost instantly that I could not climb in these. Standing in the shoe was impossible. As long as I was sitting I was okay, but as soon as I stood up and weighted the shoe as if I were edging the pain shot way above the “You’ll climb better if your shoes are comfortable” threshold. Perhaps going up a size or size and a half would work, but I will be returning these shoes. For reference/comparison, I wear for a single-pitch performance fit the Scarpa Vapor Lace in 42.5 and the Acopa Merlin in US M 9.5. I wear the La Sportiva Finale (blue and grey) in 41.5 for multi-pitch.

Best edging shoe

This shoe edges better than any I’ve used. It’s pretty amazing what they will stick to, and the stiffness offers great under-foot support for long pitches with tiny edges . When I tried them on out of the box, I was worried they’d be entirely too small (toes were slightly curled) but remarkably, while climbing, they are perfect! Don’t be dissuaded by how they feel when you first put them on. For reference, I am a women’s 8.5 (street shoe) and ordered a size 40.

Great fitting edging shoe

size 44 fits me perfect! I wear a size 44.5 for street shoes, my dragos are size 44 and my generator Mids are 43.5. Also wear La sportiva solutions in 43. These are exactly what I'm looking for in an edging shoe and look forward to using them in yosemite and smith rock this fall!