Yesterday, I went down to Up and Under in Cardiff to buy a pair of rock shoes.

I bought a pair Scarpa Helix's. Now I bought a pair of these some three and a half years ago and they did me very well. They were very comfortable and I thought they smeared very well and were pretty good on edges. They are marketed as a beginners shoe. However I had a hunch that they'd be fine as I'd climbed most of the climbs at the quarry in them - in fact I'd almost on-sighted the 6c wearing them.

So today I took them down to Tor Bay for a little bouldering. They seemed very positive on small edges and certainly less tiring on the toes, but for smearing they were a little slippy. I guess they need to be worn in a little befor the friction really starts to bite.

Retired to the Joiners and had a pint of "Three Cliffs" and Chicken Jalfrezi and chips!