LA SPORTIVA TC PRO - 2009 Gear Guide

Using skills and knowledge honed on El Cap’s burliest free walls, Tommy Caldwell helped design the new La Sportiva TC Pro (sportiva.com). 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.