Butora Icarus Approach Shoe Review
Our picks for the best gear of 2020.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
The narrow-lasted Butora Icarus combined backcountry toughness with après-climb style, making it the perfect approach shoe for alpine bouldering and alpine approaches mixed with city-time. Our tester talus-hopped in Eldorado, kicked snow steps in the high peaks, and bouldered along a crag base. “The NEO Zone flat climbing surface provided ample edging power,” he said. Meanwhile, the shoes’ stiffness provided reliable support on long approaches, and the suede upper and mesh tongue kept out debris. Plus, the sticky NEO Fuse sole with 360 rand “made a technical/scrambling descent a cinch.” MSRP: $129