Do you have a hard time finding a shoe that fits the sheer size of your foot or know someone who does? Finding the perfect climbing shoe can already be difficult enough as it is, but what about when companies don’t even make climbing shoes your size?! Look no further, the Butora Altura has come to save the day! This review is one is for all of our big-footed climbing friends out there.
For today’s review, I thought I would do something different. This review is formatted as an interview so that you can read about why someone in the climbing community loves or does not love the shoe of interest. This review will be through the eyes of my good friend Charles, who swears by this shoe.
Butora Altura Wide Interview With Charles
Allow me to introduce my good friend. Charles is a 6 foot 4 inch tall climber who wears a size 13 street shoe. He, like other climbers his size, has a difficult time finding a climbing shoe that fits his large feet. When searching Reddit to see if others have this same problem, he came to learn that there is a whole subreddit dedicated to climbers with big feet who have a hard time finding shoes, so I thought this would be a great topic to cover!
Keep reading to find out why Charles loves the Butora Altura so much!
Hey Charles, thank you so much for taking the time to let me interview you! So first off, what got you into climbing?
My kids! I took my kids to the gym because I had never heard of climbing or a climbing gym and didn’t know what a climbing gym was, literally. We walked in, and my daughter said, “we have to join,” and since she was young at the time, I had to join with her.
What do you look for in a climbing shoe?
Comfort
What kind of climbing do you like to do?
I do all kinds of climbing. You can find me climbing at the gym, outdoors, multi-pitching, and crack climbing. I love exploring different types of rock. Sandstone is my favorite, but granite is very fun too. I’m not well-versed in what other kinds of rocks there are, but I find them all unique when I fall upon different sorts. I like to explore because climbing on different types of rocks is a whole different experience. One mountain is not the same as the other, and the techniques involved are entirely different from each other.
What kind of foot shape would you say you have?
Oh, easy. Long and narrow and huge
What are some difficulties you’ve had on your journey to finding your favorite shoe?
Oh, that’s easy because many brands don’t offer the shoes in my size. My street shoe size is 13, and some of the shoes are not made in that size and worse, even if they do make it, when you go to places like REI or Gear Co-Op or the places where you can see a shoe in person, they’ll have it in size eight, but they won’t have it in size 12 or 13 or 14 so you can’t try it on and find out how it fits. You have to take a chance and buy it online and then have to return it, so it’s a real pain in the ass to find a new shoe that you’ve never worn before because you are probably going to have to guess.
What makes the Butora Alturas your favorite climbing shoe?
Another easy question. Because it is a great shoe, it fits really well. It’s comfortable, and it performs. I was looking for a board-lasted shoe because I do a lot of crack climbing and a board-lasted shoe, because they are stiff, makes crack climbing much more comfortable and easier. There are not many board-lasted shoes around, and of the ones that are, without naming brands, they don’t make the shoe in my size.
How does the Butora Altura fit on your foot?
Like a glove, it really does. Moreover, it’s snug enough to climb and edge well, but it’s not so tight that it hurts my feet so that I can, on long multi-pitch climbs where I am going to be climbing for 4 or 5 or 6 hours, my feet aren’t dying by the end of that period. I can still have them in there.
How does the Butora Altura Perform
- Edges
- I think it functions really, really well. I have yet to find an edge that the shoe failed on. If I slipped, it wasn’t because of the shoe; it was because of me.
- Smearing
- Outstanding! I do a lot of slab climbing, and it grips
- Pockets
- Again, I think it is a great all-around shoe. It doesn’t necessarily have an aggressive toe profile, but let’s go back to the fact that I have a size 13 street shoe; even aggressive toe profiles, when you stretch them out into a shoe that long, aren’t turned down. They look really turned down in size 6, which is many climbers, but when you double the shoe’s size, that arch becomes very small, and the difference between an aggressively turned down toe and a flat toe is a matter of just a couple of millimeters. It’s nothing. So the difference is comfort, and comfort wins over turned-down because the turned down toe becomes irrelevant. Pretty much anything I can put the shoe on works well
- Crack
- Crack is where it excels! Again, because it is a board-lasted shoe, you’ve got something reinforcing your foot and taking a little weight off the bones of your feet. I am a big guy, so if I am going to jam my foot into a crack and stand on it, I’m putting 190 lbs of weight on those bones, and they’re not meant for that, so it helps give support. I don’t see how people climb cracks without a board-lasted shoe.
Butora Altura Rubber
The rubber is nice and sticky. I like it a lot. The Butora Altura rubber is similar to La Sportiva, which is a well-known brand. I find that particular rubber is better on certain things than others. I do like softer rubber, but that also means I wear it out quicker.
What are some things that could be improved?
Sturdier laces. I do have to replace the laces because, again, if I’m doing a lot of crack climbing, you’re taking the top of the shoe and sticking it into a crack, it wears it out. The laces I have on the pair of [butoras] I have now are not the original. I’ve had to replace them.
Is there anything you don’t like about the Butora Alturas?
No
Pros:
- Comfort
- Performance
- Versatility
Cons:
- For people with smaller feet, it doesn’t have that aggressive profile that some people are looking for
Pricing
Priced at $160, the Alturas are at a lower price point than the similar La Sportiva TC Pros coming in at $190 but don’t sacrifice performance.
Bottom line
The Butora Alturas is a comfortable and versatile shoe, similar to the La Sportiva TC Pros at a lower price point but does not sacrifice performance. If you have big feet, the Butora Altura shoes are a fantastic shoe option for those who have difficulties finding the right fit. Stay tuned for a review on the Butora Altura’s from a woman’s perspective!!
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