Alex Honnold’s Shoes
If there’s one climber who doesn’t need an introduction, it’s certainly Alex Honnold. He became a household name after the release of the Academy Award winner Free Solo documentary and forever entered the pantheon of climbing legends with his epic climb of El Capitan.
While climbing shoes don’t make climbers, they can amplify one’s qualities or get in the way if they are not suitable for the terrain. As such, Alex Honnold’s collection provides good insights on how to pick the right tool for the job. La Sportiva, the leading climbing shoe brand in the world, sponsors him.
| Model | Climbing Styles | Climbs |
|---|---|---|
| La Sportiva TC Pro | Big wall & crack climbing | Freerider (Free Solo route), Fitzroy Traverse (Patagonia, Argentina), The Nose (speed record with Hans Florine on this classic El Capitan route) |
| La Sportiva Miura VS | All-round | Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome (Yosemite), Moonlight Buttress (Utah), Wet Lycra Nightmare (Yosemite), Sendero Luminoso (Mexico), The Mandala (boulder problem in California) |
| La Sportiva Solution | Sport climbing | Arrested Development (Nevada) |
| La Sportiva Skwama | Gym climbing | Honnold partners with Movement Gyms, a network of indoor climbing facilities in the US |
| La Sportiva Xplorer Mid GTX | Approach | These are the shoes Honnold and Caldwell wore to reach the Fitz Traverse. |
Stiffness: Soft
Best Uses: Indoor, Outdoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
These unassuming slippers are the secret weapon of many boulderers and sport climbers. Great on...
Stiffness: Soft
Best Uses: Indoor, Bouldering
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
The Evolv Shakra is a low-volume comfy downturned shoes with great sensitivity for steep...
Stiffness: Soft
Best Uses: Indoor, Outdoor, Sport
Level: Beginner, Intermediate
The Evolv Defy is a comfortable, sturdy and vegan entry-level shoe for beginners. Its soft...
Stiffness: Stiff
Best Uses: Indoor, Outdoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
The La Sportiva Miura VS is a performance shoe for hard climbing that excels at...
Stiffness: Balanced
Best Uses: Indoor, Outdoor, Sport, Trad
Level: Beginner, Intermediate
Evolv Elektra is a beginner-friendly climbing shoe designed specifically for female...
Stiffness: Stiff
Best Uses: Indoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
The Five Ten Hiangle is a comfortable and affordable (but less durable) performance shoe by...
Stiffness: Soft
Best Uses: Indoor, Outdoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Intermediate
The Butora Gomi is similar to the Scarpa Vapor but with a soft grip rubber and a more flexible and...
Stiffness: Balanced
Best Uses: Indoor, Outdoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Intermediate
The La Sportiva Kataki is a versatile and sturdy climbing shoe with plenty of support for...
Stiffness: Balanced
Best Uses: Indoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Beginner, Intermediate
The La Sportiva Kubo is a comfortable shoe with a moderate downturn for beginner and intermediate...
Stiffness: Balanced
Best Uses: Indoor, Bouldering, Sport
Level: Beginner
La Sportiva Oxygym is a beginner-friendly machine-washable shoe for indoor-heavy...