Tenaya Mundaka review

Tenaya Mundaka review.

I’m always keen to see what new offerings Tenaya bring out – and as they make big in-roads into the UK climbing shoe market I wasn’t disappointed with their latest aggressive offering – the Mundaka.

We at After The Send has keenly followed the Tenaya story since our beginnings.

Many of us have almost exclusively climbed in the Spanish manufacturer’s shoes for many years now after we fell in love with them in their early days.

I have been a fan of their more aggressive Velcro-fastened models since I first tried the Oasi – the shoe Alex Megos wore on the world’s first 9a on-sight (granted, I’ve not achieved anything close yet). The Mundaka draws heavily on the Oasi, keeping its style and performance and, in my opinion, making some excellent improvements.

Since then I have only ever been impressed with the fast-growing company’s constant improvement on the previous models. The main gripe I had with the Oasi was its fastening system was a bit dodgy. In the Iati, the ‘Draxtor’ lacing system offered a precise, fast and tight fit – and always stayed in place.

The only issue I had with the Iati was, for my foot, the last was a little too roomy around the heel box. Now in Tenaya’s latest shoe, the Mundaka, the heel box has been tightened and hugs my feet almost perfectly. Heel-hooks seem far more solid.

The Draxtor lacing system remains on the Mundaka, and the whole profile of the shoe seems to be tighter, leading to a snugger fit. The smooth tongue makes them very, and pretty cosy, to slip into. While I wouldn’t choose to wear these shoes around the house for their comfort, being taken on and off at the crag they are more than comfortable enough – considering they’re a tight performance shoe.

The sole on this shoe is where the real power lies. Its design sends power through your toes with ruthless efficiency, keeping the curve constantly tight. The XS Grip rubber soles are also sensitive, yet firm – allowing for great edging on vertical walls and still tactile enough for smearing on smooth slabs.

And as for the totally superficial, these shoes look great! I mean if go-faster stripes make you… well, go faster… then bright lime green and black shoes are sure to make you climb harder. And even if they don’t you’ll look great dogging up a route when you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

The Oasi’s grandchild has done Tenaya proud and, as we’re seeing more of this brand at crags and climbing walls, I’ll bet we’re going to see the green flashes of the Mundaka flashing routes across the UK this summer season.

Tom

Thank you to Beta Climbing Designs for letting us get our hands on these great shoes so early.
www.betaclimbingdesigns.com