La Sportiva Mythos Climbing Shoes
March 31, 2008
These have to be the most popular women’s rock shoes ever made, just from the number of people I see wearing them. I got kind of shouted down at our last Geargals indoor climbing session when I said I didn’t like these shoes much. And the shouting down wasn’t from just the other Geargals, either – pretty much every woman in the climbing gym was wearing these shoes. And all of them were climbing better than I, so that should tell us something. But I get to review them, so I have the final say. However, lest you join the dismayed chorus of loyal Mythos wearers, hear me out.
I did appreciate the flat sole, which made belaying while wearing the shoes tolerable (I’m one of those squeamish people who can’t stand running around on the stinky, germy, climbing gym mats barefoot, so I’m constantly changing footwear to give my feet a break from pinchy shoes) which was a nice change. It was also a nice change to not have to dance around frantically after every climb, desperate to pull my shoes off because of the toe-crimping pain that comes with the territory with curved-last shoes, but I felt that the performance of the Mythos left me a little cold. It seemed really mediocre, with kind of blah edging and not a lot of grip for smearing. I didn’t understand the appeal – and I guess I still don’t, for people who only climb indoors.
Well, I don’t care to climb indoors much. Frankly I don’t like it at all. So, when I headed to the crags, I brought these shoes along just for the hell of it. I had already made up my mind that I didn’t care much for them, but lo! When I applied the sole to the famously chossy Chugach crud that makes up our local crags, it stuck like a fly to, well, flypaper. The smearing was sublime. I could edge on tiny cracks and had no problem with foot jams. And when I got to the top of the crag, my feet still had feeling! They weren’t numb, they didn’t hurt! Amazing. I climbed in the Mythos the rest of the day, and now they are a permanent addition to my outdoor climbing gear. They are the only shoe I wear for climbing outside, and my feet don’t kill me at the end of the day! NOW I understand why so many people wear them.
I still dislike them at the climbing gym, but who cares? The climbing gym sucks anyway. I’d much rather be outside in the elements, free from gym mats crawling with athlete’s foot and other nasties, and have comfortable feet to boot. There is something about the La Sportiva rubber that just works on real rock and not on gym plastic. I think it is a conspiracy from La Sportiva to get people outside – and I can get behind that kind of conspiracy. I kind of wish they came in a velcro version for easier on/off, but then again, I didn’t have to take them on and off all day like I have to with other rock shoes, so it’s a fair trade.
