5.10 exum guide -- any real users?

Post climbing gear-related questions, offer advice. For classifieds, please use that forum.
User Avatar
MoapaPk

 
Posts: 7780
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 7:42 pm
Thanked: 787 times in 519 posts

by MoapaPk » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:47 pm

JHH60 wrote:
rhyang wrote:Some people have also been known to wear boots for the snowy / couloir / class 3-4 approach, and then switch to rock shoes for the climbing :)


What Rob said. If you're planning on ditching the overboots and crampons at the base of the rock anyway you might as well use appropriate stiff, crampon compatible, insulated boots and then ditch those at the base of the climb and switch to actual rock shoes.


Most of the places I'm planning are class 3/4, and may involve some long overland scree above the 3/4, which I would surely not want to do in rock shoes. And I'm thinking of blitzkrieg approaches, with the old Colin Fletcher maxim "a pound on the foot is 5 lbs on the back."

User Avatar
rhyang

 
Posts: 8960
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 8:55 pm
Thanked: 59 times in 38 posts

by rhyang » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:56 pm

JHH60 wrote:
rhyang wrote:Some people have also been known to wear boots for the snowy / couloir / class 3-4 approach, and then switch to rock shoes for the climbing :)


What Rob said. If you're planning on ditching the overboots and crampons at the base of the rock anyway you might as well use appropriate stiff, crampon compatible, insulated boots and then ditch those at the base of the climb and switch to actual rock shoes.


Actually, that's not what I said .. I get the impression that for the kind of stuff the OP is interested in, crampon-compatible insulated boots are kinda overkill. The OP mentioned Sill's L couloir. If you've ever been up it, you know what I'm talking about.

It's kinda amazing the kind of stuff people do in the Sierra in regular approach shoes. (ie. folks like Matthew Holliman)

btw I notice that asolo has another one might be worth checking out .. the lothar GV.

User Avatar
MoapaPk

 
Posts: 7780
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 7:42 pm
Thanked: 787 times in 519 posts

by MoapaPk » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:40 pm

rhyang wrote:On the subject of 5-10 exum guides -- I'd hoped these might work for me, but they just didn't fit. Not that I actually need more approach shoes :)


How did they not fit? Some 5.10s seem to have a wide heel area, compared to the toe box. I partly solved that problem on the camp fours by using shoes stretchers to widen the toes.

User Avatar
JHH60

 
Posts: 1244
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:59 pm
Thanked: 111 times in 91 posts

by JHH60 » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:22 pm

rhyang wrote:
JHH60 wrote:
rhyang wrote:Some people have also been known to wear boots for the snowy / couloir / class 3-4 approach, and then switch to rock shoes for the climbing :)


What Rob said. If you're planning on ditching the overboots and crampons at the base of the rock anyway you might as well use appropriate stiff, crampon compatible, insulated boots and then ditch those at the base of the climb and switch to actual rock shoes.


Actually, that's not what I said .. I get the impression that for the kind of stuff the OP is interested in, crampon-compatible insulated boots are kinda overkill. The OP mentioned Sill's L couloir. If you've ever been up it, you know what I'm talking about.

It's kinda amazing the kind of stuff people do in the Sierra in regular approach shoes. (ie. folks like Matthew Holliman)

btw I notice that asolo has another one might be worth checking out .. the lothar GV.


OK, not what Rob said. Whatever. If crampons are needed my guess is that something like Trango S Evos with hybrid crampons would be a lot more comfortable and secure than approach shoes with overboots and strap ons but then again, I've never used the latter system. You can ditch them and switch to whatever suits you. I do use 5.10 guide tennies on 3rd/4th when crampons aren't required and like them more than my Trangos, but I've managed 5.8 in the Trangos. YMMV.

User Avatar
Bill Kish

 
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2002 1:46 am
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post

by Bill Kish » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:45 pm

I climbed Matterhorn Peak via the East Couloir last May and Mt Lyell via the East Ridge last June in the Exum Guides. Both of those are basic snow climbs followed by a bit of class 3/4 scrambling. The shoes worked well for me, but they did get pretty wet from soft snow while approaching Matterhorn Peak in May. They are stiffer and slightly higher-cut than other approach shoes which allows them to work fairly well with strap-on crampons.

It would definitely be interesting to try them with those lightweight overboots in an attempt to keep them dryer in certain conditions.

User Avatar
rhyang

 
Posts: 8960
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 8:55 pm
Thanked: 59 times in 38 posts

by rhyang » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:59 pm

MoapaPk wrote:
rhyang wrote:On the subject of 5-10 exum guides -- I'd hoped these might work for me, but they just didn't fit. Not that I actually need more approach shoes :)


How did they not fit? Some 5.10s seem to have a wide heel area, compared to the toe box. I partly solved that problem on the camp fours by using shoes stretchers to widen the toes.


I have narrow bony heels. I think the toe room would not have been a problem, but the heel lock just wasn't working for me .. it was either ankle pain or toe pain. I haven't tried the camp four's.

The mad rock fury is another high-top approach shoe which is not too expensive. Their drawbacks vs. the exum's are round laces which tend to come untied (can be solved with aftermarket laces) and a tongue which lets in debris, even if you use gaiters. The floating tongue thing is kind of typical for a lot of approach shoes I guess. They do seem to dry quickly if they get wet.

After the original mad rock rubber wore out I resoled mine with 5-10 stealth dot rubber and have used them on a bunch of stuff. One thing I have noticed about dot rubber though is that it seems slick as snot on snow (if not using crampons). The exum's tread pattern is probably better in that respect.

I wish nike still made the cinder cone :( Nice friction, closed tongue, decent on snow, light. I'm trying not to kill mine too quickly ..

User Avatar
JHH60

 
Posts: 1244
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:59 pm
Thanked: 111 times in 91 posts

by JHH60 » Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:48 am

For those who use your approach shoes on snow, are they stiff enough for kicking steps without using crampons? Mine (5.10 guide tennies) are pretty marginal for that but perhaps other models are stiffer and work OK.

User Avatar
MoapaPk

 
Posts: 7780
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 7:42 pm
Thanked: 787 times in 519 posts

by MoapaPk » Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:06 am

JHH60 wrote:For those who use your approach shoes on snow, are they stiff enough for kicking steps without using crampons? Mine (5.10 guide tennies) are pretty marginal for that but perhaps other models are stiffer and work OK.


5.10s vary a lot, so does snow. I've kicked steps in Palisade glacier with approach shoes. The camp fours have pretty sturdy toe boxes, compared to the lighter 5.10s.

User Avatar
JHH60

 
Posts: 1244
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:59 pm
Thanked: 111 times in 91 posts

by JHH60 » Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:18 am

MoapaPk wrote:5.10s vary a lot, so does snow.


Sure - but I was thinking hard neve. My Chuck Taylors would work fine in soft stuff. :)

User Avatar
MoapaPk

 
Posts: 7780
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 7:42 pm
Thanked: 787 times in 519 posts

by MoapaPk » Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:21 am

Sure - but I was thinking hard neve. My Chuck Taylors would work fine in soft stuff. :)


I seriously doubt they would work well for that-- I'm thinking summer snow. I know there is a substantial variation from morn to afternoon, but maybe that is where the crampons fit in. Really, I'm not talking about serious steep couloirs.

no avatar
stth

 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:34 am
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post

by stth » Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:45 am

Today, I saw this pic on http://joelandneilsclimbingblog.blogspot.com:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ggQa6lrWIBg/S4QN4C5xHLI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/Futnu02indg/s1600-h/P1060769.JPG

Seems like the Exum Guide, as this pic from the same trip seems to confirm:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ggQa6lrWIBg/S2BucMwBdBI/AAAAAAAAAjo/xzOZNy_WrxI/s1600-h/IMG_4384_resize.JPG

He appears to using them with hybrid 'pons, any idea about that? Maybe a cut-out in the heel?

I thought this could be of interest here

PS: I can't get the images to embed here, so pls. follow the links

edited to get the links to work

User Avatar
MoapaPk

 
Posts: 7780
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 7:42 pm
Thanked: 787 times in 519 posts

by MoapaPk » Wed May 05, 2010 7:47 pm

Wow, the external heel counter does have a substantial indent at the top, so maybe you could attach that type of crampon. But the counter is basically dense PU foam, and the soles seem a little too flexible.

Previous

Return to Gear

 


  • Related topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests