2019 Climbing Shoe Review: Tenaya Mastia
All-Around Adepts
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Fit
The Mastia had a forgiving fit that made testers wished they’d sized down more—two full sizes off their street shoe versus the usual 1.5 for Tenaya. The anatomically shaped Mastia is broad across the arch before coming to a rounded toe.
Specs
Downturned, mildly asymmetrical shoe. Microfiber uppers; unlined footbed; 2-D Multi-Layer Stretchtex midsole; thermally molded heel; 3.5 mm Vibram XS Grip outsole (half/split sole).
Pros
Excellent at smearing and toe-hooking thanks to friendly flex. Light, breathable summer shoe that was precise on overhanging limestone, with reliable edging power for lighter climbers that focused more on the second toe—an interesting fit. Sensitive heel. Large Velcro closure patch let testers tweak fit back and forth to be either toe-
or heel-focused.
Cons
Softer midsole/split-sole design had shoe deforming slightly and made standing on edges strenuous for our larger tester.
Field Notes
The Mastia is an interesting shoe, more high-volume than Tenaya’s other offerings, with a rounded—almost blunted—toe that’s been sculpted for edging. It’s also a soft shoe, which means that lighter climbers will likely feel greater control and support—one tester, a petite woman, raved, “The Mastia was excellent on overhung limestone—you can’t get much more precise than that,” after using it on the smooth dolomite of Wild Iris and appreciating how fluently the shoe stood on micro-spikes and flossed into pockets. On the other hand was our muscular male tester, who noted rolling on edges, though he had sized his shoes large. The Mastia also scored high marks for its sensitive heel and big toe-scumming patch, as well as for smearing—the same flex that can make edging strenuous also means sticky, glommy smear-work. As a performance all-arounder, the Mastia strikes a solid balance between comfort and power, making it a great choice for difficult multi-pitch, bouldering, and long, varied sport pitches.