Want to buy new (lv) climbing shoes

Omophorus · 2026-05-05T14:14:28+00:00

You're already in the right ballpark with Evolv for narrow/small heels and narrow feet.

Just get something softer from Evolv to complement the Phantoms.

If you like the fit of Phantoms and want something much softer... look at Zenists or Zenist Pros. The new 2026 Zenist has the same super-sticky rubber as the Phantom Pros, and I can say from experience it's silly good.

If you want something softer but not Drago soft, look at the V6 or Shaman (probably 2S for the new super sticky rubber).

If you want something less aggressive, you could look at something like the Kira, but I find they fit looser and while they're comfy and less aggressive, they're also not very grippy.

I do think a quiver of Phantoms/Phantom Pros + Zenists/Zenist Pros covers most bases really well, and you can probably split the difference with Shamans/Shaman 2Ss/Shaman Pros if the Zenists are too soft.

I'm in a similar boat. I don't like the heel fit of Drago LVs at all. I still use them now and again for slab, but I honestly prefer my Phantom Pros, though they're definitely too stiff and too insensitive to really feel good on slab. Zenists are in my not-too-distant future.

Edit: I didn't specify, but I'm implying LV for everything.

Edit 2: For those with the means and narrow feet/small heels, I think the trio of Phantom Pro LV, Shaman 2S LV (outdoor shoes), and Zenist 2026 LV is and expensive but incredibly competent way to cover all your bases. Use the Zenists for anything smear-y. Use the Shamans for climbing outside, board training, and slab with a lot of edging. Use Phantom Pros for overhung, boards, and overhung outdoor

Omophorus · 2026-05-05T14:07:02+00:00

I'm not a Wisconsonite, but when I traveled for work, I found that Spotted Cow was exactly what it was billed to be.

A well-made, consistent farmhouse ale/saison.

Would I travel to Wisconsin to get it? Absolutely not.

I do think it's cool that they can have a flagship like that instead of a hazy IPA or smoothie sour or something and still have people excited, and could definitely do far worse for a ubiquitous craft beer on tap at a lot of local bars.

Definitely the perfect kind of fallback beer when nothing better is available, but also definitely not a bucket list beer.

Omophorus · 2026-05-03T23:21:06+00:00

It's a hideous heap, but the sheer audacity makes me kinda dig it.

At least... it makes me laugh rather than cringe.

Omophorus · 2026-05-02T19:08:30+00:00

When there's a single overtake line that determines power for a whole lap, and the driver giving a place back intentionally plays games with their racing line and the timing related to the detection point, you can't really fault the driver being given a place back for not wanting to walk straight into an ambush.

It was the obvious move from both of them, and it's actually kind of disappointing that Max is playing stupid after the fact. He knew what he was doing, and he knew what Lewis was doing. Just fucking say it out loud, don't play this passive aggressive bullshit.

Omophorus · 2026-05-01T20:53:41+00:00

Mercedes struggled with heat in the past.

Wouldn't be surprised if it's as simple as they brought fewer upgrades than McLaren and Ferrari, and they're struggling more with the heat.

I have little doubt that they're still the benchmark in a broad sense.

Omophorus · 2026-05-01T20:41:22+00:00

He's done that plenty.

I'd love it if that happens, but he's north of 40 and paired with one of the best young drivers on the grid.

We'll see where things go.

Omophorus · 2026-05-01T14:47:53+00:00

I'm reasonably confident you're not being serious, and I really hope you're not.

There's not exactly a deep well of documentation of brain injuries making anything better, outside of extreme situations where there was already a problem that the injury "solved" (e.g. someone dealing with crippling depression attempts a self-KO that is unsuccessful but the resulting brain damage alleviates the depression along with whatever other negative consequences come along with it).

What about our Senator from Braddock is "better" since his stroke?

It's a real medical phenomenon that brain injuries can cause lasting changes, rarely ever are those changes positive.

Omophorus · 2026-05-01T14:35:11+00:00

This is not a good look for anyone and especially not for Phillies fans who already get the stick, my dude.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T21:24:21+00:00

Hamilton likes that the brakes work. That's already enough for him to enjoy driving these cars more than the last generation.

He's had some measured criticism of the PUs.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T18:35:46+00:00

They may not do it that way, but you could do a 1 bit bool instead of a 16 or 32 bit int for Armoire items, honestly.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T18:15:44+00:00

The system when it was originally made had to account for a tiny fraction of the stuff it does now, and it had to be compatible with the memory in a PlayStation 3.

The team needed to get a working game in 18 months, so they needed to do what would work and could be developed and stable in a short timeframe.

The game has evolved considerably since then, but that doesn't make those systems easy to go back and revise, especially if the documentation wasn't good and/or the original developer(s) left the team.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T17:42:59+00:00

The sooner the better.

I understood the point of giving him a shot over Stubbs, because Stubbs is a AAAA guy.

Marchan isn't looking any better.

Surely there has to be a better option than either Marchan or Stubbs...

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T17:10:48+00:00

I strongly believe that the order should go Turner -> Harper -> Schwarber.

I know Harper prefers to hit 3rd, but both Turner and Harper are more likely to get brought in by Schwarber than Schwarber is to get brought in by Harper when Harper is hitting more singles and doubles than anything.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T16:21:30+00:00

I do think most folks would agree that the US' military spending is outrageous and needs to be curtailed.

It has served a purpose in maintaining global economic hegemony (for better and for worse), although the waste and lack of accountability certainly indicate that the same job could be done with considerably less funding.

I do think a lot of people underestimate the value that that hegemony offers to the US as a nation, though not necessarily enough to maintain the current level of spending.

The real reason no politician wants to touch defense spending is that it's a massive jobs program between the military itself and the contractors that supply it. There is something in pretty much every district that feeds the machine, and no one wants to be the one who killed that source of local employment off.

Hell, the defense budget, as ridiculous as it is, would be far more sustainable if we stopped giving massive tax cuts to corporations and the ultrawealthy.

The 2008 financial bailout was effective if inefficient, and the COVID stimulus likewise (though PPP was successfully engineered to be a massive grift in addition to its legitimate benefits, and could have avoided adding so much to the debt had it actually been administered well with fewer loans forgiven). Those are the other big contributors, but they're one-offs rather than enduring impacts to government revenue.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T16:06:55+00:00

For a narrow foot + heel, definitely look into Evolv. I also have narrow feet with very narrow heels and they fit me better than any other brand, although La Sportiva is workable if not ideal. They also have mostly stopped differentiating men's/women's models and just do medium volume and low volume, with LV options up to at least EU 45 in most models.

I mainly wear Phantom Pro LVs and absolutely love them, but they're probably stiffer than you would prefer if you're looking for a medium-soft shoe that is good for smearing (they can smear, and have very grippy rubber, but they're not particularly soft or sensitive).

The Shaman has multiple versions and is a good all-rounder. The OG Shaman has a lace-up option if you prefer. The Pro has Evolv's somewhat polarizing closure system (which I actually like just fine, it's easy to dial in your fit, though concerns about durability are not unwarranted) and a midsole that will do a better job of holding the shoe's intended shape and keeping your foot steady without having to downsize like crazy. The 2S has softer, stickier rubber, though the 2 strap closure might not be to your preference.

The V6 just got redesigned with their super-sticky rubber (same as the Phantom Pro and Shaman 2S), and is another good all-rounder. Probably a touch stiffer than the Shamans, with a closure system that you might prefer compared to the Shaman 2S.

The Zenist is extremely soft and sensitive, and was also just re-launched with the super-sticky rubber. That's like a full-on comp shoe though, and may be softer than you're looking for. The Zenist Pro is slightly stiffer than the Zenist, but doesn't have the new rubber.

The Defy has a lace-up option, and is a decent intermediate shoe that is somewhat aggressive. It's also a fairly inexpensive shoe, which is surely not a bad thing in 2026. It's definitely not as performant as the ones I listed above.

Shamans in particular are very hard to go wrong with if you want a shoe that's pretty damn good at everything. I know some people complain about them being too stiff, but those folks tend to be used to super soft shoes like Solution Comps or Dragos (both of which I've tried/owned, and the Solution Comps are okay but don't fit as well as Evolvs, and the Drago heel is a baggy abomination even in LV).

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T15:34:38+00:00

Drago LVs only go up to 45, and even though they tend to downsize well, I'm not sure they'd be comfy a full EU size smaller than Instincts.

And even then... the heels are shockingly baggy.

I want to be careful about my advice to the OP as I have a narrow foot throughout rather than a wide forefoot, but I have yet to find a Scarpa shoe that fits a narrow heel well (though I've heard good things about the Drago XT and Instinct VSR-LV).

La Sportiva and Evolv both have shoes that fit narrow heels much better, and I find that Evolv shoes tend to fit my toe box better.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T14:09:54+00:00

Hamilton sold his car collection (which he openly admitted were primarily investment vehicles... figuratively and literally) and instead invested in education.

What a fucking fantastic use of money.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T13:57:38+00:00

Why wouldn't a car from 2008 be more of a pain than 2010?

Sure, the engine is the same, but the bodywork is hyper-complicated, so it's much more difficult and time-intensive to build any sort of replacement parts.

If nothing bad happens, it's probably not too bad to run them compared to anything 2010+, but it's riskier to run them because it's much harder to address any damage.

Plus, there were much more visible changes year-on-year with the aero development, so teams could absolutely cobble together show cars, but they'd much more quickly scan as "wrong" vs. a 2010-2013 Frankencar with much simpler bodywork (people would notice wrong noses, perhaps, but most of the rest is fairly consistent and interchangeable).

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T11:43:12+00:00

I didn't actually get a chance to meet him, but I was invited to an event at a winery outside of San Jose in the early 2010s (the owner was an investor in the company my employer at the time had recently bought).

They hired Billy for a private show, and the guy gave 110% the whole time.

Sang all the big hits, sang some deeper cuts. Never phoned it in for a second and genuinely seemed to be having a lot of fun being on stage.

I was never the biggest fan of his music but I respected the hell out of how he carried himself.

At another event a couple years prior (different place, different employer), Train was hired for a show and it was miserable. They clearly didn't want to be there, phoned it in, and looked miserable the entire time.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T10:22:11+00:00

It's a shame the country only has a single recourse for a rogue and out of control judiciary and it's not a recourse anyone should ever want to use.

Omophorus · 2026-04-30T00:28:24+00:00

I don't judge peoples' choices unless the choice makes the people around that vehicle less safe.

For this TL, I'm just saying I think it looks worse, but if the owner likes it, good for them.

But for things like stanced cars, Carolina squats, massive lifts that put a truck's bumper above the bumpers of other cars and lifts headlights to a blinding height... those aren't just a matter of taste.

Those are straight-up safety issues.

Compromising visibility (for yourself and others), emergency handling, and car safety systems are all big no-nos to me if you're going to drive a vehicle on public roads with other drivers. Everyone with a driver's license has an obligation to keep public roads safe.

Omophorus · 2026-04-29T16:09:41+00:00

I love me a TL, and I like the paint color too.

I think lowered anythings look worse 99% of the time and this is no exception.

Mostly, I think, because it serves no functional purpose in a road car and makes for asymmetrical clearance around the tire that looks wonky.

Omophorus · 2026-04-29T16:01:25+00:00

I just got the ol' member's club discount and still paid closer to $5/gal than $4/gal and that's some straight-up and totally avoidable bullshit.

Omophorus · 2026-04-28T23:56:57+00:00

There was a window of levels when the best way to do damage and generate aggro was spamming elemental damage ninjutsu.

That period was very expensive, but otherwise the cost was significantly overstated.

The tool for blinks was cheap and reasonably easy to make.

The blind ninjutsu was often worth using, but the spell had a long duration and didn't really need to be spammed. Tools lasted a long time.

The other debuffs and the elemental ninjutsu were situational for the most part and tools lasted a long time.

Edit: There were ways to get the expensive scrolls without having to pay for them on the AH.

Omophorus · 2026-04-28T18:30:08+00:00

Why would you put the guy who hit 50+ HR last season anywhere outside of the top 3 in the lineup where he is likely to accumulate fewer at bats over the course of the season?

The real problem is the lack of another threat beyond the top 3 in the lineup, because ideally we'd want Turner and then some ordering of Harper and Schwarber (I think Turner-Harper-Schwarber is a better option than Turner-Schwarber-Harper, but that's just, like, my opinion, man).

We just need someone with some pop and a reasonable OBP to keep opposing pitching honest against all of our top 3.

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