La Sportiva TC Pro Review – First Look

I’ve been climbing in the TC Pros for a solid month now, and while it’s a bit soon for an in depth review, I wanted share a few initial thoughts for those who may be considering getting a pair.

First off, I have never had a shoe that stretches so much. When I first got them, I could barely put them on my feet and just sit in a chair comfortably, they were that tight. (My TC Pro’s are 42.5′s, I wear a 42 Miura and 41.5 Katana/Barracuda). Now, after a month, they have stretched enough that I was able to wear them all day on a big climb in the Black Canyon recently, although I did take them off at a few belays, just to be on the safe side.

I’m not sure why they stretched so much, but the fit, for my foot at least, is excellent.  It feels like I’m slipping into some high octane climbing machines each time I put them on. A half size up would probably be ideal for the all day comfort fit many look for in a trad shoe, at the size I have I’d say they are geared more towards performance.

And as far as performance goes, they seem to really excel on featured stone, like much of the granite here in Western Colorado. They’re stiff, so they edge well, and are great for cracks. I find them to be too stiff for good smearing, but perhaps that will change I as I continue to break them in more. Right now they just don’t have much sensitivity, which has taken some getting used to. If I know some delicate footwork is involved, they aren’t my first choice, but thankfully we don’t have too many slabs around here

So far, I’ve been really pleased with this shoe. It does sort of feel like I’m in a relationship, though, having to really put my time in to get something out of it. They retail for $170, a hefty price no doubt, but I would say up to this point they are the best dedicated trad shoe I’ve ever used. We’ll see how they hold up over the coming months.