Dow Williams wrote: Noticed recently, not voluntarily mind you, that I get along just find descending a scree laden peak barefoot.

Got any pictures of this?

Next time you are out here, I'll pay for your meal and drinks at Agave, IF you will descend BAREFOOT a certain scree slope on La Madre Mountain.

MoapaPk wrote:

Dow Williams wrote: Noticed recently, not voluntarily mind you, that I get along just find descending a scree laden peak barefoot.

Got any pictures of this?

Next time you are out here, I'll pay for your meal and drinks at Agave, IF you will descend BAREFOOT a certain scree slope on La Madre Mountain.

No, I would not take such a stupid photo really.....felt bad enough losing my shoe and admitting it in writing. Descending a Canadian Rockies peak without a shoe is a lot more difficult than a NV or UT peak...sand being the key element there.....cactus being a reason I would sure not descend without natural light though. Mt. Wilson for example would be a breeze actually. Tell you what, I will take a photo of my foot in some sand, show it to you, you buy my drinks at Agave and we call it even.

Dow Williams wrote: Descending a Canadian Rockies peak without a shoe is a lot more difficult than a NV or UT peak...sand being the key element there.....cactus being a reason I would sure not descend without natural light though. Mt. Wilson for example would be a breeze actually. Tell you what, I will take a photo of my foot in some sand, show it to you, you buy my drinks at Agave and we call it even.

Not so fast! I'm not talking about a sandstone peak. You have to earn the Manhattans.

MountainGear has a sale on La Sportiva right now -- some with sticky rubber.

Go to http://www.mountaingear.com/ and click sale | footwear

Hi, I have both the Five Ten Camp Fours and the Scarpa ZEN. Both are awesome but quite different. The Scarpa is beautifully made with nice materials and is more of a low profile shoe than the Camp Fours (ZEN can climb low 5th class no problem, one can stick them into holes and cracks). So the ZEN is best for climbing rock (stickiest vibram sole I have seen) but has enough tread for traction on dirt. The Zen also hikes well (enough cushioning) but has more protection from sharp rocks than the Camp Fours. The Camp Fours are much wider in the sole and have more volume which makes them very stable and have a very sticky sole which incredible in rock but the shoe is quite wide so its sometimes harder to manouver it in very tight spots (it has just enough tread depth for dirt). The Camp Fours hike very well even with a pack and have more cushioning than the ZEN but a tad less protection from sharp rocks (although more than most trail running shoes). The Five Tens are built ok, they dont look great but have proven durable. If they get wet they take a while to dry. I would like the Camp Fours to have more padding around the heel but overall they have proven comfortable for 6 mile hikes in rough terrain.