User Review: La Sportiva Cirque Pro

La Sportiva Cirque Pro
Above: The current Cirque Pro, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed February 2, 2008 by Hikergrrl

Rating:

We women don't have much to chose from, but this shoe fits very well! I'm a women's 9, and the men's 7.5 seems to work. I've been a runner for over a decade and a half, so I'm used to very comfortable shoes. Combine that with having long toes and a wide foot at the toe end makes me hate just about any climbing shoe.

The Cirque Pro fit is half-way between a running shoe and climbing shoe. A tad tighter in the toes than I'd prefer, but I suspect anything looser would decrease functionality. The only time I tend to really notice that is in the car, though - hiking seems just fine. Nice and snug in the heel, which is good, and my high arches don't seem to mind them, either. I've had them for about 5 months, and they have yet to give me any blisters. They were nice to me right out of the box.

The rubber is sticky enough for a good grip, but not so much as to pick up lots of dirt, making 3rd and 4th class scrambles way easier than they would be with hiking boots. (Specifically, my first experience with the Catacombs at Sam's Throne AK in boots was miserable, but it's a snap in the Cirque Pros.) Excellent control. Not fantastic in the mud, but they're not really made for that.

So far I've used them mostly for cragging with a light pack. Haven't done any extended hikes with them yet, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so. They feel reasonably light on my feet, and haven't slid out from under me yet! Worth every penny!