BreakAwayAdventure - Climbing Equipment Reviews

The Galileo's do several things supremely well. First and foremost, they are comfortable. As mentioned in our
introduction to climbing feature, many novices make the mistake of following the advice of experienced climbers and
buying shoes that are beyond snug and well into the realm of torturous. I picked my pair of Galileos at my street size
(rather than .5 - 1 size small) and never found myself complaining even though I kept them on for thirty or forty
minutes at a time.

I expected the forgiving size to compromise the shoe's ability but I found it far and away better than most shoes I'd
tried with a tighter fit. There was no notable slippage on edges, the shoe stayed put when smearing and I managed a
couple heel hooks (despite my limited flexibility) without feeling I was going to come out of the shoe. Most
importantly, I find myself focusing on the climb in these shoes and not on the discomfort in my feet (I've got Fred
Flintstone feet so most shoes hurt me) which translated into an almost instant boost in my climbing ability.

5.10's Galileo is also a very stiff shoe and performs very well on micro edges without going sloppy. But its real selling
point is the Stealth Ž Onyx rubber these come surrounded in. Having spent the previous year in a pair of Anasazi's
featuring the Onyx predecessor, I didn't think things could get better but Onyx delivers a superior "stick."

Forced to find a weakness in the Galileo, I came up with three but each has a caveat that negates the complaint. I
concluded that these aren't an all day Trad shoe, but then most velcro's aren't and these aren't marketed as such.
They're also a little pricey at around $120, but from my experience, worth every penny and then some. After knowing
what they can do I would gladly pay $140 or more for this shoe. Finally, the Galileo sacrifices a little sensitivity over
the Anasazis I still carry with me. The Galileo's performance is, however, so divine that I really don't find myself
missing the sensitivity and almost think I climb better even at the extreme end of my ability in a shoe that feels more
comfortable.

The Galileo performs superbly well at what it is designed to do and it is, hands down, my go-to shoe. I can think of no
better way to recommend something than to say that it is my absolute preference. If you see me on the rocks, you will
see me in 5.10's Galileo 95 out of 100 times and I'll pitch their merits to just about anybody who will listen.

If you've read our full-length article introducing rock climbing, you
already know that choosing the right climbing shoe is a highly personal
endeavor. Nobody can tell you which shoe is perfect for you. You
have to try them out for yourself. We can tell you about our
experiences and that can help you better decide what you'd like to
sample.

As fate would have it, several of our staff found themselves in need of
new shoes before heading west for a climbing trip last year. Matt, for
example, had blown out his old pair and a resoling just didn't take. My
5.10 Anasazis were terribly worn through and too cruel on my feet for
any extended climbing. Our objective was to make as little
compromise between comfort and performance as possible. In a
classic example of putting all our eggs in one basket, we all decided to
pick up 5.10's Galileo based mostly on hype and cliff-chatter and
stuffed our spares in the bottom of our packs in case the Galileo's
didn't live up to expectations. Our spares never saw the light of day on
that trip.