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Fact: I have fat big toes. Pointy, downturned rock shoes aren’t my friends. But I wear them because of their promise of precision and power. After two months in the Women’s Ra—adapted (slimmed down) specifically for the female foot—I’m convinced they’re an all-around performance shoe that doesn’t sacrifice comfort. The buttery, Stretchtex microfiber upper and pillowy tongue canceled out pinch pain, while a rubber strip over the toes protected my piggies in hooks and jams. I drove the asymmetrical toes into the smallest of pockets and steadied my foot on the micro-est of chips thanks to the double midsole (this is one of Tenaya’s stiffer offerings), which, when paired with the 3.5mm XS Grip outsole, provided high-test precision and sensitivity. (The only ding would be that, given how rigid the shoes are, I sometimes slipped off smears, especially during break-in.) Two thick Velcro straps and dual heel tabs make them easy to pull on when you’re eager—or late—to start crushing your projects.
$150, trango.com
See more of our top climbing gear picks in the Gear Guide 2019: Editors’ Choice Awards, and listen to our latest podcast for an interview with Black Diamond’s climbing category director Kolin Powick.