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willwang93
Nov 20, 2013, 9:34 PM
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Hey guys. I was wondering if anyone had any input on the Shaman's ability to heel hook?
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brinosaur
Nov 20, 2013, 10:20 PM
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The shamans have lots of rubber around the heel cup and are well suited to techniques such as toe and heel hooking -- but that's not what matters. Like any other shoe, they'll only be any good if they fit your heel (and the rest of your foot!) properly.
Find a retailer or gym that sells Shamans and try out a number of sizes for yourself. It's the only way to really answer your question.
(This post was edited by brinosaur on Nov 20, 2013, 10:22 PM)
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willwang93
Nov 21, 2013, 12:30 AM
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Yeah I see what you mean; I'll definitely check them out.
I'm using a pair of Scarpa Vapor Vs right now, but there's a bit of dead space in the heel cup which is making it difficult to hook effectively. However, I don't think I can downsize anymore because my feet will literally start bleeding if I do. Do you think the heel cup just isn't for my foot then?
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granite_grrl
Nov 21, 2013, 3:03 AM
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willwang93 wrote: Yeah I see what you mean; I'll definitely check them out. I'm using a pair of Scarpa Vapor Vs right now, but there's a bit of dead space in the heel cup which is making it difficult to hook effectively. However, I don't think I can downsize anymore because my feet will literally start bleeding if I do. Do you think the heel cup just isn't for my foot then?
Yeah, sound like a not ideal fit (I won't say a bad fit, because you can get away with a bit of heel slop as long as you're not doing mad heel hooks).
It sucks, but you'll have to go out and try on a bunch of shoes to find what fits you.
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Pedrolius
Nov 21, 2013, 11:16 AM
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Just bought a pair of Shamans, and their heel isn't terrible...
I wear size 8.5 UK street shoes. I can get down to a 37 (very bad purchase and painful decision on my part) in la the sportiva cobra.
I got the 42.5 in the Shaman. A lot of Five ten shoes the heel has a big air pocket in the back. Same with some other brands, though not La sportiva (except they are usually to narrow for my feet).
The Shaman has a very small air pocket for me. It's almost nothing but it is there. Ive climbed three days in them now, used heel hooks and a few heel toe cam whatever you call its... and had no problems.
They are a uber aggressive shoe though which forces you to size so your toes are in an um... fist?
In saying that, for me the 42s were super painful, the 43s were too loose, and 42.5 perfect. Bit of big toe pain on the last routes of the day, but I've only had them for three days so thats to be expected.
So yea. I'd say my heel shape often causes pockets in the heel of climbing shoes, but the Shaman has barely anything.
Regardless, try before you buy, because the sizing was weird for me, and I dont think that everyone would enjoy the shape they force your foot into.
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JohnCook
Nov 21, 2013, 11:49 AM
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If you go for Evolv, check the rands all over for thickness. I have several friends wqho have gone through the rand quickly, even though they have good footwork. On pressing on brand new shoes very thin spots were found, in one case to the point that a fingernail went through the rubber. I know of four people from my small group of friends who are evolv users who have sent their shoes back to Evolv(or their UK wholesalers) and are still awaiting a response.
Just a heads up.
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brokesomeribs
Feb 5, 2014, 7:12 AM
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willwang93 wrote: Hey guys. I was wondering if anyone had any input on the Shaman's ability to heel hook?
I own about 12-15 pairs of climbing shoes. The Shamans are the best shoe for heel hooking that I own. They heel hook better for me (and my foot) than my LS Solutions, 5.10 Teams, and LS Miuras. I can recall at least 2 boulder problems in the past year that I was simply unable to send due to a hard (for me) heel hook that I couldn't pull off until I put on the Shamans.
The Shamans are made to heel hook, but of course, as has been said already, it all depends on fit.
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Scotty_T0
Feb 27, 2014, 3:39 PM
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I love the Shamans, its a great shoe, they definitely fit a bit different compared to other shoes. But like the others have said they have a great heel and have helped me improve my heel hooking BIG TIME!
My one problem is that after a solid boulder session if your feet get sweaty the heel moves around on me a bit.
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