What are the best Approach shoe?

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Sun Jun 05, 2011 6:31 pm

I'm saddened that Darija doesn't consider bright-colored approach shoes to be the height of fashion. Even her winter boots are a drab color. :(

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Sun Jun 05, 2011 7:43 pm

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Daria

 
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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by Daria » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:47 pm

I used to be a size 10 but went up to size 11, because my feet flattened out a bit. Something I am concerned about.

To say that a woman who wears size 11 shoes is a bit "sasquatchian" is a bit sexist LOL

Actually I love bright colors. I picked up a new pair of trail runners and they are neon green. I also have a bunch of stuff in my closet like red shorts with large white polkadots and various other things along those lines.

I've used my regular asics running shoes to crampon up steep slopes and front point (abbot, feather peak, black, etc.) It works. Doesn't feel the most secure but if you tighten the crampons up they stay on.
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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:59 pm

Daria wrote:I've used my regular asics running shoes to crampon up steep slopes and front point (abbot, feather peak, black, etc.) It works. Doesn't feel the most secure but if you tighten the crampons up they stay on.


Doesn't it kill your feet to tighten them that much? I also tend to walk out of crampons when they are on soft-soled shoes. It's fine when you are on summer snow with some give, but absolutely creepy when the snow is hard.

I do see a lot of women's large size shoes on sale -- just as I also see lots of W XL shirts and upper body garments on sale.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by Daria » Sun Jun 05, 2011 10:03 pm

Actually my experience with shoe size and sales is that they NEVER have size 10 range and above left during sales, but always are on sale for size 6 and 7 and other silly sizes like that.

I've used running shoes cramponing up and down hard snow too in the summer-feather couloir was freakishly hard last summer.
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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:13 pm

Look on the bright side-- you probably don't need snowshoes.

Actually, size W 11 is just about M 9. Not really big feet.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by nickmech » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:32 am

Getting back to the OP, how is the camp four or others for waterproofing? I need a shoe that can take snow and glacier crossing with a lightweight crampon.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:38 pm

The Camp 4's are nubuck leather with holes punched through; not waterproof at all, and not open enough to drain if submerged. The lace-to-the-toe style also ensures that the tops are pretty much unprotectable with gaiters.

NOTE though that Five-ten makes a very similar model, Exum Guide,
http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-de ... e-twilight
with "water-resistant" uppers (ankle length), supposedly made for strap-on crampons. We had some feedback about them; they still get wet in a day of use on all snow. You will want to put a small amount of urethane (e.g. seam grip) on the seams anyway, so the threads don't pull out when abraded.

I've partly waterproofed my camp fours with the nik-wax water-based stuff -- several applications, and it did seem to stave off the leakage for a while. The Exums don't lace as close to the toes, but still go down a lot, and don't have the super-frictional toe rand (as I see, maybe I'm wrong).

I haven't worn my camp fours for a while, mainly because they get so hot (for me) and stink so much, but also because they tend to shrink up in between uses (I get them totally wet with sweat), and it takes a painful day to break them back in. I wish I had gotten shoe-stretchers (called, oddly enough, shoe trees, even when individual) from the get-go, and used them in the camp-fours between wearings. The heel counters have also been bashed up a lot, and I have to re-coat them with urethane to cut down the abrasion. The pronating foot has really deformed the heel.

I can fit some of the thicker neoprene socks in my camp fours, but they are tight on the toes. I've worn camp fours with older Black Diamond strap-on ten points, and have to be very careful to get the crampons sort of looser fit in length (than I like), else I will walk right out of them. I think crampons with a higher back strap would be OK.

I have low-volume feet, and the eyelets lace up really close on those. Most five-tens are designed for higher-volume feet.

Edit: grammar
Last edited by MoapaPk on Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:07 pm

FWIW, I just got a pair of inov8 griproc 325, which are called approach shoes. I can't test then fully for a while, since I am still on the mend from surgery. I've walked around the block and wore them while running up and down 1000 concrete stairs at the high school.

First impressions:
--very light and comfortable (1lb 9oz per pair, M 9.5, slightly heavier than advertised)
--probably not very durable
--don't feel as snug as the camp fours (of same size) near the toe, more flexible near the toe
--lace-to-the-toe, but you have to go out of your way to pull the toe-lacing tight
--probably a lot better for running
--will soak quickly, but even with good fit, I can get a 3mm neoprene sock inside if I loosen the laces.
--good for low-volume feet (a plus for me).

The rubber doesn't "feel" as sticky, but still have to go somewhere to test them on sandstone ramps.

Price (~$130 US) a bit too high-- I normally go through several pairs of approach shoes a year.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:08 pm


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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by spiritualspatula » Tue Jun 14, 2011 3:40 am

MoapaPk wrote:
NOTE though that Five-ten makes a very similar model, Exum Guide,
http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-de ... e-twilight
with "water-resistant" uppers (ankle length), supposedly made for strap-on crampons. We had some feedback about them; they still get wet in a day of use on all snow. You will want to put a small amount of urethane (e.g. seam grip) on the seams anyway, so the threads don't pull out when abraded.



Is that a rubber rand on the toe, or what is it made of? Hard to tell if its rubber or different colored nubuck. I tend to do lots of jamming which just annihilates nubuck.
I see Scarpa just started making their own version of that... http://www.scarpa.com/scarpa/products/CLIMBING/CLIMBING-APPROACH/p_72555-350. I've never worn 5.10 so not sure of fit, but at half the price of the Scarpa version they're mighty tempting. Also, I like the heel protection on the 5.10's, because there is only limited rubber on the backs of the Dharma and the Zen's I have, and that foam around the heel is pretty fragile and the only part of the shoe I've messed up.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by FRhoderick » Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:47 pm

I loved the Vasque Pingora, but for some reason they stopped making them, Considering the Zen as a replacement. My $0.02

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:29 am

MoapaPk wrote:FWIW, I just got a pair of inov8 griproc 325, which are called approach shoes. I can't test then fully for a while, since I am still on the mend from surgery. I've walked around the block and wore them while running up and down 1000 concrete stairs at the high school.

First impressions:
--very light and comfortable (1lb 9oz per pair, M 9.5, slightly heavier than advertised)
--probably not very durable
--don't feel as snug as the camp fours (of same size) near the toe, more flexible near the toe
--lace-to-the-toe, but you have to go out of your way to pull the toe-lacing tight
--probably a lot better for running
--will soak quickly, but even with good fit, I can get a 3mm neoprene sock inside if I loosen the laces.
--good for low-volume feet (a plus for me).

The rubber doesn't "feel" as sticky, but still have to go somewhere to test them on sandstone ramps.

I did wear them for one trek over snow. I put 3mm neo socks inside, and gaiters on top, then strapped microspikes over the outside. Feet were toasty (in fact too warm). Should have brought crampons.

Price (~$130 US) a bit too high-- I normally go through several pairs of approach shoes a year.



Update --

The fit has been great-- the high lugs in back have been pretty good for quick descents on steep talus. I've coated all the seams with urethane, and have recoated parts of the boots. Lots and lots of talus and scree-skiing, and they are wearing out on the sides of the uppers a bit quickly, even though the soles seem pretty good still. The grip seems to have improved a bit as I've worn them, but I've mainly been on sticky rock. Definitely not as sticky as 5-10s.

I've road-run in them on 6 mile circuits, 2x in the last few days. At least as comfortable as my running shoes.

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by Steve Pratt » Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:57 pm

Any one with experience with Mad Rock approach shoes, like the Fury? Can't beat the price, and look equivalent to five ten's. Is there anything wrong with them?

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Re: What are the best Approach shoe?

by MoapaPk » Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:08 am

Steve Pratt wrote:Any one with experience with Mad Rock approach shoes, like the Fury? Can't beat the price, and look equivalent to five ten's. Is there anything wrong with them?



The Fury is reviewed in SP Gear.
http://www.spgear.org/gear/1913/fury.html
Stiff soles, good for crampons; dot-pattern tread, which tends to slip on talus, but good for rock. But lots of bulky material on inside (near front of toes), which gave me blisters. Essentially I had to wear them with protection for the tops of my toes, typically 2mm neo socks in colder weather.

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