Approach Shoes

Approach Shoes

The term, "Approach shoe" encompasses a pretty broad range of shoes. To me, an approach shoe is a shoe that is lighter than a boot, and that has sticky rubber on it to help in scrambling over moderate rock.

Approach shoes tend to have particular strengths, and corresponding weaknesses. Generally, the more comfortable they are to hike in, the worse their climbing performance. The reverse also tends to be true. Some approach shoes provide significant protection from snow and wet conditions, while others have no water resistance at all. Some have tread patterns that are good on rock, while others have treads that are good on snow or mud.

My current favorite approach shoes are the Sportiva Ganda and the Salewa Firetail Gtx, the Sportivas for their unmatched climbing prowess, and the Salewas for their versatility.

Below are some thoughts regarding some of the approach shoes I've used. Not all of these are still available, but similar models exist for most of these.

Weights: (in ounces, per pair)

Salewa Firetail GTX approach shoes 32.2

Sportiva Ganda approach shoes 39.3

Kayland Spider approach shoes 33.5

5.10 Guide Tennie approach shoes 33.4

Vasque Catalyst hiking/approach shoes 41.3

Sportiva Superfly approach shoes 21.3

Scarpa trail runner approach shoes 33.2

Five Ten Guide Tennie

Five Ten may not have been the first to put sticky rubber on an approach shoe (I don't know if Boreal's Fire Flyer was first or if the Five Tennie was first) but they certainly were the company that was responsible for popularizing sticky rubber approach shoes with their original Five Tennie.

I would classify the Guide Tennie as a climbing oriented shoe, but it's also a great all-arounder. It's comfortable to hike in, and the lacing allows it to be tightened up all the way to the toe for improved climbing performance. They are not particularly water resistant, but they breathe well and are comfortable in warmer weather. They are reasonably durable, and I've typically been able to get at least one resole off of my Guide Tennies. They have a very sticky rubber sole with low profile dots. This relatively smooth sole is great for sticking to rock, but provides less than ideal traction on dirt, snow, or mud.

Overall, the Guide Tennie is a versatile shoe, which has great comfort and decent climbing ability. I've used these shoes a lot, and I like them. They served me well on a trip to Hiamovi Tower in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, where they kept my feet comfortable on the hike in, then climbed 5.7 rock. However, now that I've used the Sportiva Ganda's, I think my Guide Tennies are likely to be relegated to use at the crags. The Ganda's climbing performance is so good, I'll have the Gandas on my feet for moderate alpine rock routes from now on.

Climbing Oriented Approach Shoes

Sportiva Superfly Sportiva Ganda (Gandalf) Kayland Spider

La Sportiva Ganda (Gandalf)

This shoe was originally named the Gandalf, but Sportiva changed the name to Ganda, presumably because of threats of lawsuits from the Tolkien estate.

By whatever name, it's easily the best climbing-oriented approach shoe I've ever worn. Its climbing performance is very similar to an old-school trad climbing rock shoe. It's very sensitive for an approach shoe, and is particularly well suited for crack climbing. It won't stand on micro edges like a high performance rock shoe, but for moderate climbing, especially on granite, I've found them to be extremely capable climbing shoes.

The fit is close, but still comfortable, with lacing that goes all the way to the toes, for excellent adjustability. Hiking comfort is very good, and if you need a tad more volume for thicker hiking socks or tired swollen feet, you can just remove the insole for a little more space. These shoes are seriously burly, made entirely of leather, with stitching and construction that speaks of quality. They're made in Italy, as opposed to China, where most other approach shoes are made.

The Ganda's forte is excellent climbing performance. However, the low profile rubber sole is not so good on dirt or snow. The shoe is not particularly rain or snow resistant. The leather actually provides a fair amount of protection against the wet, but the construction of the shoe has no gusset of any sort along the tongue, so wetness tends to enter around the tongue in prolonged rain or wading through snow.

In spite of their limitations, these shoes are the best choice I've worn for summer alpine rock climbs where you intend to climb the route in your approach shoes, rather than changing into actual rock shoes. If I were climbing a moderate alpine rock route in the Tetons, or Rocky Mountain National Park, these shoes are the only footwear I'd need to bring.

La Sportiva Superfly

This shoe is all about light weight. A pair of Superfly shoes weigh 10 ounces less than the next lightest of my approach shoes. In addition, the uppers are flexible and fold down easily, making them very low volume when put in a pack. These are the shoes I take with me to the crags, when I plan on carrying my approach shoes on the climb so I can wear them on the descent. Their light weight and low volume makes them easier to take along than others.

The Superflys climb quite well, but their soft uppers aren't very durable, nor do they protect your feet much from abrasion or weather. They are not the shoes to wear for long slogs up and down alpine talus fields, or for long bouts of climbing. They just aren't beefy enough to stand up to the abuse. For cragging, however, where you need something for the approach, and also for a long descent, they are very good. Sportiva doesn't make these shoes any more, and I don't know of a similar shoe currently offered by Sportiva or any other company that is similar to the Superfly.

Kayland Spider

The Kayland Spider is a climbing-oriented approach shoe. However, unlike the Sportiva Ganda, it does not have lacing that extends to the toes. The toe box is very tight and low volume, which makes them good for climbing, but they aren't very comfortable for hiking.

Trail Runner Approach Shoes

Scarpa Salewa Firetail

Salewa Firetail Gtx

This is a good combination of a trail runner and approach shoe. It's light weight, waterproof, and has a clever sole that combines a lugged pattern that works well on dirt and mud, with sticky rubber edging inserts that allow for improved climbing performance. The result is a shoe that is very comfortable for hiking over all sorts of terrain, and yet climbs pretty well.

I used these for a trip up the CMC Route on Mount Moran in the Tetons, which combined a lot of hiking up rough trails and talus, scrambling on rock, and technical climbing up to about 5.6. The shoes performed well, although there were times when I wished for slightly more sensitivity when climbing. Overall, however, they were quite capable and very versatile.

My only real complaint is that the outer rands began to peel back very badly on both shoes. The shoes have rubber rands, but they don't extend very far on the outside of the shoe. The fabric rands that start where the rubber ends simply weren't up to the rigors of jamming in cracks and hiking up and down talus fields. I returned the torn up pair, and replaced them with a new pair. On these, however, I have armored the fabric rands with Seam Grip, to give them some additional durability.

Salewa Firetail Rand

Seam Grip applied to the fabric rands

Vasque Calalyst Mid Gtx

These are light hiking shoes with sticky rubber soles. They have a waterproof Goretex liner, which combined with their ankle height uppers, gives them pretty good water and snow resistance. They aren't particularly good for climbing, but the sticky rubber soles makes them adequate for scrambling. They're good for hiking and peak bagging on non-technical routes when heavier boots would be overkill.

Hiking Approach Shoes

Vasque Catalyst Mid, 5.10 Camp 4

These are hiking oriented approach shoes, that also climb reasonably well. Their all leather uppers combined with rubber rands make them pretty durable.