EVOLVing Interests

Truth be told, Evolv was always a brand I liked in climbing. My first shoes were the Defy’s. My first chalk bad would have been Evolv, if the store had any in. Pretty much, it was either Prana or it was Evolv. I like their style. I even have them adorned on my camera bag.

I began to drift away though. I have a very powerful nose and Evolv has a history of being incredibly smelly. I couldn’t keep them in the house. Or the car. Or in the neighboring yards. They were finally laid to rest after a mishap where desperation placed them in the laundry.

Check me out thuggin on this v1! That's the face of concentration.

After destroying my Defy’s, I went for another pair my friend Kyle recommended, the La Sportiva Solutions. Great shoe… not for me. The Miura’s from the same company did the trick. After that, I stuck with La Sportiva and picked up some Python’s. Super Downsized. Too much in fact. But I loved them. Sadly, they fell prey to sloppy footwork and now need to be resoled.

Sorry for the history lesson. I like to over-share. When the python’s bit it, I was debating getting another, larger pair, or trying something new… Enter the Shaman. I see them everywhere. Apparently they’re made from magic carpets and stitched together from the hair off a Unicorn’s mane. They grant special powers like herculean strength, ninja like reflexes and other such bad assery. And each pair was personally blessed by Chris Sharma himself. At least, that’s what the rumors say.

But seriously, these shoes are supposed to reinvent the wheel according to people who own them. The concept of downsizing like a Geisha is no more with these bad boys (which look like Goku from Dragon Ball Z. Total plus, as he’s a personal childhood hero of mine.).

I tried on a couple pairs that were approximately my size before taking the plunge. They all felt awesome. Like I could dominate the world as long as my feet got inside the shoes. Plain and simple. I ended up going a bit smaller… but I knew these were it. One shoe to rule them all (one for each foot.).

These were going to make me an Evolv fan boy again. Not as sensitive as the Pythons were. And not a huge loss, all things considered. I do like that the platform was such that I could pop onto the tips of my toes with no pain, making all the ballerinas jealous. And they fit like a glove. The three straps really let me custom fit the shoe to my foot. One exception being the heel. But I’ve yet to find a shoe that properly hugs my funky feet to 100% satisfaction (Python’s had the best heel, just saying.)

Sadly, I’ll be waiting to try these beautiful ladies out (yes, my shoes gender swapped.) on the wall as my left hand is still bummed up from my fall. :( But soon! Until then, I’ll Plie the night away. And I’ll enjoy my shiny new t-shirts. And the chalk bag… well, that’s replacing the one my athlete’s mangled.

Here’s to hoping recovery continues to go quickly so I can let you know if these shoes help Toto and I get out of Kansas… or back to Kansas? Nevermind.

Goodnight,

James

Wait. I lied. I’m grabbing some local climbers to do some photo test shots here in the next little bit of future. Stay tuned for that. :)