thoughts on the scarpa stix

in august, when my beloved 5.10 galileos kicked the bucket, i decided it was time for me to get some new kicks. while looking for a pair of la sportiva solutions i stumbled across these almost by accident, the scarpa stix. they were on sale and i had a friend who swears by their velcro-clad brethren, so i figured what the hell and went home a proud new owner.

fit/sizing
i have a big, very full foot, and usually wear a size 12 in tennis shoes. sometimes i can squeeze into an 11.5 or have to bump up to a 13, depending on the brand. i was apprehensive about going with slippers, but surprisingly was able to squeeze into a euro size 43.5. they were numbly tight around the middle of my foot, so i decided to go with a 44. although these are slippers, they have a good deal of elastic in the forefoot of the shoe, and as such are very accommodating for those with thick feet. it should also be noted that these shoes have a deep heel pocket.

the rubber

the rubber on these shoes is pretty sweet. it grips well, and covers a large portion of the shoe. there is plenty of rubber on the center of the toe, but on both sides the supple lorica is exposed. while this material scuffs up easily, it seems very durable and i have not had any problems with it wearing thin. i tried to "upgrade" this issue with the 5.10 stealth rubber kit, but i'll save that for another post. the heel is definitely minimalist, with rubber only where you need it most. this is especially obvious to anyone who has climbed in a pair of mad rock hookers (or similar), which have the entire heel cup covered in rubber. it should be stated, though, i have yet to find myself wanting for more back there.

how they climb

these shoes are very aggressive. they downturn like a son of a gun and the rand puts all the power on your big toe. as you could guess, where the scarpa stix really shine is the steep stuff. it seems the closer to horizontal you get, the better these things work. they are by far be best toe hooking shoes i have ever climbed in, and have proven adequate for all but the most demanding heel hooks. being a slip-on, they do not have the heel hooking prowess of a velcro or lace-up, but so far i have only found one time when i hooked my way out of the shoe. while uncomfortable, they do alright edging and on climbs of the vertical persuasion. i've never had an issue with blowing off holds, but thin edges are definitely not where they excel, if for no other reason than the intense pain that goes along with it.

how they age

the one thing i was afraid of with these shoes is their unlined leather nature. luckily, the toebox is a synthetic material called lorica that is both comfortable and does not stretch. after 4 months of use, the toebox feels exactly the same as it did when i first bought them. the upper seems to have stretched some, because they are much easier to put on now, but do not feel looser on my feet when climbing. the fit seems to come from the toe box and heel cup, so as of now it is a non-issue.

in summary

9 times out of 10 these are my go-to shoe, with slab and crack climbs being the only time i reach for something else. they surprised me with how good they are, and if you get a chance to pick up a pair of these or their velcro (booster) and lace-up (mago) brothers for a good price, go for it.

     booster

 

     mago

in fact, i think i may pick up a pair of the scarpa magos to use as my next pair of outdoor route shoes...