Share2009 Gear Guide: La Sportiva TC Pro
Using skills and knowledge honed on El Cap’s burliest free walls, Tommy Caldwell helped design the new La Sportiva TC Pro. Made to shine on such mega-endeavors (or any trad line requiring comfort and high performance), the TC Pro combines advanced edging and crack capability with all-day wearability. The keys: a thinly padded, mid-height upper that covers the ankles; perforation in the leather uppers for ventilation; a padded toebox; and a Vibram XS Edge sole that gloms onto everything from smears, to crystals, to micro-edges. On the burliness front, the TC Pro’s flat lacing gulleys protect from abrasion, reducing the amount of exposed lace in the forefoot. Meanwhile, a double-thickness rand ups durability and jamming performance.
- NEW-SCHOOL MID TOPS
Designed to cover the malleolus (aka, your ankle bone, oft bloodied in meat-grinder wide cracks), the TC Pro guards against skin abrasion via its lightly padded leather uppers. - PERMANENT POWER
In the midsole, the patented Permanent Power Platform (P3), with 1.1mm Laspoflex, balances edging power with acute feel, perfect for dime-edge marathons. The P3’s rand system starts under the toes and wraps around the foot, maintaining the shoe’s aggressive and powerful downturn. - TOE FRIENDOS
Open-cell foam laminated to the Pacific lining lessens the painful scrunch and bunch that afflicts your toes on long, thin cracks. But fear not — the foam is strategically placed so as not to impede sensitivity.
Comments