La Sportiva TC Pro Climbing Shoe
The La Sportiva TC Pro climbing shoe has been designed for edging performance, but it really excels at crack climbing and high-end trad routes. Being designed in collaboration with Dawn Wall hero Tommy Caldwell for conquering routes on Yosemite, and worn by Alex Honnold on his free solo of El Capitan, we wouldn't expect anything less. It's a fairly specific shoe (unlike some all-rounders) but if you're serious about doing any sort of crack climbing or big wall climbing with edges in between, there isn't really a shoe on the market that will do it as well as this.
The main feature of the La Sportiva TC Pro is its mid-rise ankle, reminiscent of the original high-rise climbing shoes. It's foam padded and will protect your foot when jammed deep into cracks. Nothing wrong with a bit of pain here and there, but this will no doubt come in handy on longer routes. Aside from that, the TC Pro is extra stiff for the highest level of foot support, and it features the XS Edge rubber and P3® rand system for the best edging performance. Its actually also not completely flat; a medium-high asymmetry with a slightly downturned toe means its more precise on footholds but not enough to make sliding into cracks difficult.
The TC Pro's upper is unlined leather (underfoot), so expect it to stretch about half of a size. La Sportiva recommend fitting this shoe loose for the most comfortable fit possible!
Tech specs
| Upper material | Suede Leather |
| Flex | Stiff |
| Closure type | Laces |
| Sizing and fit | Medium Foot |
| Color | Sage |
| Weight | 0.50 kg (Size 40 EU) |
| Last | Medium-High Asymmetry |
| Sole material | Vibram XS Edge |
| Sole thickness | 4mm |
| Profile | Flat |
| Lining | Unlined (underfoot) |
Features
Vibram XS Edge™
Rubber compound built for maximum performance on micro holds and extreme edging. This formula uses an improved plastic deformation resistance that ensures the utmost stability, rigidity, and support on footholds in hot or cold weather, as well as generally increasing durability.
P3® Permanent Power Platform
After intensive abuse, downturned climbing shoes can start to lose their distinctive shape. La Sportiva’s P3 rand system prevents from this happening so your shoe maintains its powerful profile, permanently.
Full Features List
• Designed for powerful edging and crack climbing performance
• Mid-height covers the malleolus during crack climbing
• Strategically placed foam padding for comfort in cracks
• AWARDS: Alpinist Mountain Standards Award, Climbing Magazine - New and Notable, Gear Institute - Best in Class 2014
Very good, comfortable climbing shoes. good for medium and short feet.
Unbelievable shoe. For face, slab and cracks there really is no better. Not a bouldering or roof shoe. Good enough for Tommy and Alex, good enough for anyone.
Only gripe is the design flaw around the upper rand. You need to use barge cement or seam seam seal adhesive to cover the edges of the rand around the toe box BEFORE you use them in any crack or they WILL delaminate. This is a well known problem and its strange Sportiva still have not fixed it. Still, there is currently no better shoe for trad and multi pitch. Period.
Bought the tc's for my trad climbing...extremely happy with my choice. Wonderful smearing, extremely comfortable and really stable on small edges...I highly recommend
These are my new goto shoes. Previously I was climbing in tight Pinks and the only time I feel like I might have been better of with Pinks instead is on tricky slabs, but I have so far not met a problem where the TC Pro's did not work out.
The performance on small edges and the comfort is the real winner. Unless you are doing high end bouldering/sport climbing, this is would be my first choice after a few years of climbing when you are looking for performance with comfort.
If you are a beginner climber, a cheaper shoe will probably suffice.
really happy with this shoe, the sizing is a bit different to other sportivas and if buying online , find somewhere to try a pair before ordering.i got it right on the 3rd pair,.
amazing shoe, solid construction, climbs great out door and in gym.very comfortable.
epic.