The Shoe
The Pontas is built on a flat last with an asymmetrical toe profile. It has a 4.2 mm sole with a 1.5 mm 3/4 length semi-stiff midsole. The upper has a cotton lining, two Velcro straps for closure, and, like most Evolv shoes, is made from a synthetic material that will not stretch with use. The toe rand is extended to improve toe-hooking performance. The Pontas was the first shoe from the Sharma signature series, designed with input from super-strong celebrity climber Chris Sharma. That input did not come for free, and the Pontas has a sticker price of $115.
The Pontas usually has a yellow upper. While I do not really care about climbing shoe fashion, I think it is a sharp looking shoe. You may think that the look of the Pontas can be improved upon, however, which is where Evolv’s new XY program comes in. Evolv has often offered custom options for many of their shoes, allowing customers to add a super stiff midsole for extra edging power or a super toe rand to improve jamming and toe-hooking. They even cater to customers with mismatched feet, allowing people to order a pair of shoes with two different sizes. Their new XY (it stands for Express Yourself) takes this tradition even further, allowing you to pick your own colors for several different parts of three different shoe models, including the Pontas. Using Evolv’s website, you can mix and match any of the colors Evolv uses to make your shoes into your own work of art.
My Experience
The Pontas is the best all around climbing shoe that I have ever owned. I have used the Pontas on sandstone, limestone, granite, quartzite, conglomerate, and in the climbing gym, and it has performed wonderfully every place and every time. Whether I am smearing, edging, heel hooking, toe hooking, jamming, toeing into a pocket, or heel-toe camming the shoe performs admirably. If I were going to free solo a route that required a mixture of foot techniques, this is the shoe that I would want.
I have used two differently sized pairs of the Pontas. I used the larger pair primarily for guiding, long climbing sessions, and crack climbs, while I reserved the tighter pair for climbing that was more difficult and required more precision. The larger pair had a bit of dead space in the heel. In spite of this, the shoe still performed well in every way, even when I had to crank on heel hooks. The larger size was more comfortable for jamming, wiggling my toes into cracks, and standing on the balls of my feet on long friction pitches.
Bottom Line
As long as the Pontas fits your foot, I heartily recommend it.
Evolv’s website is www.evolvesports.com. To see more reviews of Evolv climbing shoes, click here, here, and here. To check out reviews of climbing shoes made by other companies, click here, here, and here. If you are new to climbing, you should check out this article and this article before you purchase any climbing shoes. Find the right shoe for you, and have fun climbing!
