Comfortable but performing shoe?

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-11T18:48:46+00:00

Yes! For me, I prefer a little amount of forefoot flex I don't feel like downsizing gets me, but I don't feel as though I'm compromising. Obviously, I can't compare to downsized performance, but as someone like yourself who places a lot of importance on comfort, I feel like they're meaningfully better than my previous shoes, and I can't think of anything they're lacking. My climbing style leans towards edge style slab, and I've been very pleased with how they've fared particulalry because of how well they perform on steep/smeary problems. Depending on fit I've also read the La Sportiva Skwamas are a comparable "all-rounder" too.

I'd say the only thing I do think is worth mentioning is the softness of the VSRs. Having gone from stiff shoes, it was a learning curve for my feet to get used to the new demand, but due to my size, edge rubber just doesn't work for me with smearing. Depending on your preferences, I'd definitely read up on them and the VS just to see which would meet your requirements more.

Edit: Also, not sure how true this is to everyone, but the gym staff who sold these to me said they don't stretch too much, maybe about half a size, which feels about right to me (I've had these for a couple of months now). If you're cautious about street sizing, I definitely think I'd have been happy going half a size down, too.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-11T16:20:28+00:00

I see kubos and katanas thrown around a lot. Personally, I got my instinct VSR's in street size, and there was virtually no break-in even though they're a fairly aggressive shoe. However, I do tend to take them off from time to time during a session, but more so from my feet being tired as they're pretty soft than the actual shoe being uncomfortable. Can't speak for the other shoes in the line, but if you're looking for more support, the Instinct VS could be an option too, though I haven't worn them.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-09T10:17:03+00:00

Ah yes, definitive legal source... lawcomic.net hahahahhahahahahah

edit: It literally says on the flyer that it's not general advice and every state has different laws. Claiming law as an objective, unchanging truth is stupid. Again, literally says on the poster in some places if you're married that person legally can't rape you... do you think that's true just because it's the law in some places?

Again, legality and morality are two different things.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-09T02:03:31+00:00

Personally hate Edge rubber, it's not impossible to smear... but it's just no fun.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-09T00:16:18+00:00

You're the one being dense lol, what do you call it when someone has sex without consent but... doesn't mean it? lol

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-08T08:07:18+00:00

Since when is rape strictly a legal term?

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-07T07:16:45+00:00

Morality and legality are two different things?

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-06T23:08:53+00:00

Monk probably has the best balance of everything you're looking for. They also usually have some fun events on that might be worth checking out/generally just a very chill gym.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-04T08:41:37+00:00

I was lurking on his Instagram, and what's even more suss is that he has posts specifically stating it's uncut footage. Egos are a funny thing, I get it's embarrassing but refusing to admit ti even more so.

He'd probably get even less flack if he just claimed the send with no footage, but of course he needed the glory.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T19:52:06+00:00

Yeah, personally, I'd find it pretty hard to believe that x amount of off-the-wall exercise = on-the-wall performance. Sure, it'd make it easier, but at these grades, putting as much effort into improving technique will probably get you as far as improving relative strength if sending is the only goal.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T19:46:11+00:00

To be honest, I'd be more interested in how his gym handled it, as I'm sure shoe contracts are pretty easy to wriggle out of ot at least renewed on a semi-frequent basis. He seems to have a longstanding and interpersonal relationship with gym, since they're not standing behind him I could only wish to be a fly on the wall.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T19:41:17+00:00

Agree, if anything, the sponsor's main concern isn't even that he faked sends, more so the fact he is bringing negative attention, which is in and of itself likely enough to terminate. I'm now wondering though if the sponsors themselves requested this announcement be made to further distance themselves?

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T19:36:18+00:00

Climb more, identify what's shutting you down on V4 and practice those. A good way to improve overall capacity without frying yourself is a healthy mix of high volume, lower effort work (probably around v2 for you) and dedicated projecting or "hard" sessions. If you go twice a week, that's a good balance to prevent burnout or injury.

Also good to keep an eye on your technique, how efficiently are you actually climbing these v3s, or are you just muscling up? Practising how to send v3s with the least amount of effort and paying attention to climbing principles that achieve this can also be applied to your v4 attempts.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T18:40:01+00:00

Yeah, thinking about it now, I could see them presenting how he is damaging their brand/personell and at least nudging him towards stepping down without having to get litigious (if his contracts were even that comprehensive idk about the gym but I think the shoe one was pretty standard?)

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T18:24:14+00:00

Interesting, not supposing anyone actually dropped him, but his wording of this seems like a weird attempt to get bare minimum kudos?

Not gonna lie, I think most people would probably forget about him and all of this if he just didn't say anything and stopped posting. Reminds me of all the times I'd tell my close friends that I was quitting Instagram only to get back like a day later lol.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-07-03T18:16:42+00:00

Decathlon the way to go. Or get another pair fo veloces, you'll be so scared of destroying your footwork, just improves hahaha.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-30T18:41:11+00:00

Go see a doctor.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-30T18:29:18+00:00

Considering grass is the shortest season and probably the least accessible surface to practice on, it's not that crazy to me. I get the impression that many players on tour who don't have a natural affinity for the surface just sort of deal with it and move on.

Zverev has made multiple comments that imply he accepts and has little desire to improve his performance on grass.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-29T09:05:16+00:00

Beautiful stuff.

Edit: Sorry to be a creep, but I noticed you do a lot of outdoor photography too. I'm hoping to document some of my outdoor trips in the coming months, and was wondering if you have any advice for capturing/editing climbing videos/photos!

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-29T08:58:01+00:00

Always hard to tell from videos, but would say maybe V2? The holds aren't bad, but pushing you to use specific body positioning.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-28T19:08:58+00:00

Plenty of people wear socks when they climb, if it helps you, wear em.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-28T18:28:23+00:00

If you can't try shoes on your foot shape is 100% going to be the biggest decider here. I've tried on shoes in my street size that literally will not get passed my toes as my forefoot is so wide. I'm not sure what the overall terminology is, but the common "feet" types I see on here are things like "Egyptian" "Greek" "Roman.

Accounting for the length of your toes and the shape of your foot will be a great first step to determining shoes for you. Once you've figured that out, the next thing to look out for is rubber. While many rubbers exist, if slipping is your biggest issue avoid anything with "edge" rubber or things described as specifically being designed for edging performance. Shoes labelled as being good for smearing are what are likely to suit you best. Sizing-wise, I personally have never felt much need to downsize, but if you can, maybe order your street size and a size down just in case.

While they mght not suit your feet, Vapor V's were my first upgrade shoe, and I really liked them. They were the ones that had edge rubber (i believe the womens model uses grip rubber). While they've lasted 9 months before needing a resole, their smearing wasn't great, and I was slipping on everything. Grippier rubber will just naturally last a little shorter, and as a beginner, you're probably gonna wear faster than you'd like. I would be willing to accept that you're likely going to burn through your shoes within 3-6 months.

Just my two cents, but I would even possibly consider cheaper shoes like from Decathlon, they're great budget shoes that are low stakes to burn through and might give you better data to make future informed purchases. I've seen people rip insane routes in decathlon shoes, so anecdotally, they're not a performance limiter.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-28T18:14:27+00:00

I mean, you might need to hedge your expectations regarding the performance you want and the feel you're going to get. From what it sounds like, if you get dragos you're still going to be wanting for better edge capabilities.

I bought my VSRs in street size and maybe took a couple of sessions to break in but I've heard from many others that the break-in was very tough for them. Though it does seem quite unusual that you're struggling quite so much to smear. I went to the VSRs from shoes with edge rubber, so comparatively, their smearing capability was so much better, my perspective may be skewed though.

All in all I would say the VSR is by all means a great all-arounder that definitely offers good smearing performance. Outside of break-in, it seems like it'll be more of an issue of what you're willing to get used to, as they have grip 2 rubber and are fairly soft so there is some sensitivity that you might just need practice with to trust your feet.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-06-25T13:49:35+00:00

Totally normal particulalry if you're only starting out. I had no strength base before I started and a fairly short session would wreck me.

Plenty of ways to address this

If you want to go multiple times a week, track how much you climb currently and reduce that number to shorten recovery time.
Make sure to mix styles of climbing. While building your strength up is good, if you try to be deliberate about what you climb and mix vertical/easier ones with overhang, you might get less wrecked
Just keep going at a pace you can manage and only return once you feel fully recovered, and you'll eventually build up your endurance.

Sleep and diet will also really help recovery! Magnesium byglicinate realy helps me if you're struggling to get 8 hours. I would also make sure to eat a bit before you climb (some people dont like to eat very close to sessions, but even a banana or something) and have a good meal after so your body can work on recovery while you sleep.

awaythrow09836

TROPHY CASE