Fundamentals
The Crimson Chili Clue is a fragile slipper with an aggressive downturn and barely asymmetrical type that’s ideally fitted to prolonged well being membership courses. It’s made with a microfiber uppers, RC-SENSE midsole, and 4 mm of Vibram XS Grip rubber. A webbed, elastic tongue and single velcro strap finish the shoe. It’s accessible in a contemporary black-and-white color combo and retails for $164.95.
Execs
- Protected strap closure
- Cosy, elastic tongue
- Delicate however supportive sole
Cons
- Not acceptable for all foot varieties
- Insecure heel hooking
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Our Concepts
Crimson Chili’s Voltage 2 had been my go-to well being membership shoe for years, so I was excited to test the mannequin’s first-ever slipper. Crafted for optimum sensitivity, the Clue incorporates a single-strap closure and an aggressive, moderately asymmetrical downturn. Crimson Chili describes it as “the proper choice for bouldering points, slabs, and demanding overhang climbing,” and our testers agree that in case you’re looking for a effectivity well being membership slipper, the Clue is a secure choice. “The design of the shoe creates a noticeable stress, achieved by the midsole, with out utilizing stiff edging rubber. This stress offers first price edging with out inflicting discomfort to the Achilles tendon,” says Logan Dirksen.
Whereas the Clue’s Vibram XS Grip rubber carried out passably on slabs, steep volumes, and dihedrals, testers said they preferred the feel of Vibram’s XS Grip 2 compound. This elevated effectivity rubber, which is simply on the market in Scarpa and La Sportiva sneakers, felt anecdotally stickier than the Clue’s XS rubber.
All through the mannequin, definitely one among Crimson Chili’s strengths is the design of shoe’s tongue (the Voltage 2’s polyester knit tongue is a standout), and the Clue continues this sample. The elastic, webbed material permits for ample air movement and slight cushion do it’s a must to cinch the closure strap additional tight for a ship go. The strap and buckle averted any ache elements that testers expert with totally different single-strap slippers.
In Climbing‘s yearly overview of the proper new sneakers, tester Justen Sjong—a climbing coach and spectacular all-around climber who has established 5.14 huge partitions on El Capitan—well-known the shoe’s good grabbing means—an 8 out of 10—due to its ample flex (you could manually sandwich the Clue every upward and downward) and sticky, and half-length sole. “This generally is a good shoe for the intermediate to superior climber who climbs inside the well being membership 80 p.c of the time and 20 p.c outside on 10-degree or steeper rock,” said Sjong. The semi-stiff midsole moreover equipped some edging/jibbing chunk, enabling us to climb indoors as a lot as V7 and 5.12+ on semi-small to small jibs.
Comfort
The comfort diploma of this shoe is extraordinarily dependent in your foot’s type. Testers with frequent or broad, sq. ft found the Clue painfully slim. “Though I are inclined to downsize my sneakers pretty aggressively, the discomfort on the sides of my ft emerged sooner than any pressure on my toes did,” Dirksen says. The thin layer of rubber on the heel moreover makes it powerful and uncomfortable to heel hook securely. “The heel cup could also be very tight and shallow; it’s the worst part of the shoe for me,” tester Ozzy Vega says. We’re in a position to solely advocate the Clue to people with pointed, slender ft.
Sizing
Measurement down out of your typical Crimson Chili dimension. I placed on a 40 in avenue sneakers, a 41 inside the Voltage 2, and a 39 inside the Clue. Our testers found that they wore the equivalent sizes inside the Crimson Chili Clue as they did in La Sportiva’s Katana and Idea.