2023 Climbing Shoe Brands Favored by Competitive Climbers
Bouldering Master has compiled a list of climbing shoe brands favored by our Professional Sport Climbers [including 100 professional climbers] that competed in the 2023 IFSC World Cup in boulder, lead, and speed climbing. Note: This is not a sponsored article, Bouldering Master has no affiliation to any of these climbing shoe brands.
What are the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers?
In the world of professional sport climbing, equipment plays a vital role in enabling climbers to reach new heights, challenge their limits, and overcome the most challenging routes. Among the essential gear are climbing shoes.
There are various companies that produce and manufacture climbing shoes, but only the best of the best have caught the attention of professional sport climbers that use their shoes to participate in competitive climbing. The brands that are favored by competitive climbers include but are not limited to La Sportiva, SCARPA, and Adidas 5.10.
La Sportiva
La Sportiva is an Italian brand that has earned a reputation in the climbing community for its high-quality footwear. In the 1980s, the company started to focus on the climbing sector which ended up being a lucrative and successful investment. The brand offers a diverse range of models tailored to different climbing styles and performances, making them one of the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers.
La Sportiva Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose La Sportiva shoes.
Almost 32% of those climbers that choose La Sportiva, have chosen to use Cobra 4.99 [all of them primarily being Speed climbers]. The Cobra 4.99 was a redesign of the Cobra and the first climbing shoe designed specifically for speed climbing.
Approximately 25% of those climbers that choose La Sportiva, have chosen Skwama [all of them primarily being Boulder & Lead climbers]. Skwama’s known for being the best at smearing or performing more technical hooks and holds.
| Shoe | Professional Climbers |
| Skwama | Futaba Ito, Meichi Narasaki, Cloe Coscoy, Jongwon Chon, and etc. |
| Solution | Jakob Schubert, Sascha Lehmann, Adam Ondra, and etc. |
| Theory | Alberto Gine Lopez, Chaehyun Seo, and etc. |
| Futura | Ai Mori and Masahiro Higuchi |
| Solution Comp | Hamish McArthur |
| Cobra | Sam Avezou |
| Cobra 4.99 | Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi, Aleksandra Miroslaw, and etc. |
| Cobra Eco | Aspar Aspar |
SCARPA
SCARPA is a company that was established in northern Italy to accommodate a growing mountaineering and climbing culture in the Aslo Mountain area. To this day the company is led by the founding family, the Parisotto’s, who continue to innovate mountain footwear. Their exceptional craftsmanship and dedication to catering to the demands of climbers have made them one of the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers.
SCARPA Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose SCARPA shoes, with almost 80% of those climbers choosing Drago.
Drago shoes are known for being one of the softest shoes with a snug-fit which translates into best-in-class sensitivity. This makes them a great choice for technical edging.
| Shoe | Professional Climbers |
| Drago | Maximillian Milne, Zhilu Luo, Fanny Gibert, and etc. |
| Drago LV | Sean Bailey and Flavy Cohaut |
| Instinct VSR | Yufei Pan and Nathaniel Coleman |
| Chimera | Satone Yoshida |
Adidas 5.10
Five Ten, also known as Adidas Five Ten after being acquired by Adidas in 2011, is a German company that produces high-quality footwear for outdoor sports. The brand’s shoes are renowned for their sticky and versatile stealth rubber that gives the wearer increased grip on various surfaces. From stealth rubber to performance to design, the Adidas 5.10 has become one of the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers.
Adidas 5.10 Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose Adidas 5.10 shoes, with over 90% of those climbers using either Hiangle or Hiangle Pro.
The Hiangle is known for being an excellent all-rounder competition shoe with a high-performance.
| Shoe | Professional Climbers |
| Aleon | Miho Nonaka |
| Hiangle Pro | Yannick Flohe, Kokoro Fujii, and etc. |
| Hiangle | Janja Garnbret, Natalia Grossman, Mejdi Schalck, and etc. |
Unparallel Sports
Unparallel Sports was founded in 2019 by former Five Ten employees after it was acquired by Adidas. Based in California, USA, they design and produce reinvigorated Five Ten classics but have grown their range of shoes to include innovative and enhanced designs that have made them one of the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers.
UnParallel Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose UnParallel shoes, with 80% of those climbers preferring the Flagship model.
UnParallel is one of the most popular climbing shoe brands among top Japanese climbers.
| Shoe | Professional Climbers |
| Flagship | Tomoa Narasaki, Tomoaki Takata, and etc. |
| Regulus | Mia Aoyagi |
Mad Rock Climbing
Mad Rock was founded in 2002 by Korean-born Young Chu. The company is based in Southern California, USA, where they make innovative, highly technical, and affordable rock climbing shoes. The brand has become one of the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers due to their release of the Shark 2.0.
Mad Rock Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose Mad Rock shoes, with 50% of those climbers preferring the Shark 2.0.
| Shoe | Professional Climbers |
| Drone LV | Kylie Cullen |
| Shark 2.0 | Ayala Kerem, Jan-Luca Posch, and Mickael Mawem |
| Remora HV | Euncheol Shin |
Ocun
Ocun is a climbing gear company from the Czech Republic that was founded by Pavel Hendrych. Founded by an engineer, the company is dedicated to using an engineering approach to function and safety to improve and innovate climbing equipment. Their innovations have caught the eye of professional climbers and made them one of the favored climbing shoe brands by climbers.
Ocun Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose Ocun shoes. They are one of the climbing shoe brands favored by professional climbers America’s Jesse Grupper and Slovenia’s Anze Peharc.
Evolv
Evolv is one of the leading climbing equipment companies in the world. Specializing in climbing footwear, they have become one of the favored climbing shoe brands by professional climbers. Based out of Southern California, USA, they are a family of climbers dedicated to producing quality equipment for their fellow climbers.
Evolv Statistics
of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose Evolv shoes. America’s Colin Duffy and Emma Hunt both prefer Evolv shoes.
The Shaman are great performance shoes for boulder and lead climbing. The Defy is a preferred shoe by speed climbers.
EB Climbing
Edmond Bourdonneau, the founder of EB Climbing, has his initials on some of the best climbing shoes on the market. As one of the popular climbing shoes brands, they are known for not sacrificing comfort for the sake of performance. EB Climbing has become one of the climbing shoe brands favored by competitive climbers due to their fit, versatility, and all-around performance.
2% of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose EB Climbing shoes. France’s Hélène Janicot and Paul Jenft both prefer to use EB Climbing’s Django shoe.
The Django’s shape of the shoe is designed to focus power on the big toe to allow the climber to load any tiny footholds with ease.
Tenaya
Tenaya is a Spanish shoe manufacturer named after Tenaya Canyon in Yosemite National Park. Since 1997 they have been known in the climbing community for their application of advanced technology, such as the SXR Dynamics and Draxtor lacing system, which has enhanced climbing shoes and made them one of the favored climbing shoe brands by athletes.
1% of professional sport climbers [on our list] choose Tenaya shoes. They are one of the climbing shoe brands favored by professional climber Alexander Megos who has been a long-time supporter of their Tenaya Iati shoe.
Tenaya Iati’s stiffness and stickiness make them a great choice for competitive sport climbing and more technical routes.
Climbing Shoe Preferences
It’s important to note that while these brands are favored by top professional climbers, personal preferences may vary based on individual climbing styles, foot shapes, and the specific demands of different routes.
Sponsorship. It is also important to note that professional athletes may or may not be sponsored by one of these climbing shoe brands.
