Tenaya Ra Women's Climbing Shoe Review

10/12/2024

By Felicity Thomas

The Tenaya Ra (unisex version) were one of the first climbing shoes I ever brought. I was living in Europe at the time and I was recommended to try them by my climbing partner. I wore them on rock routes all over Europe, including in Bosnia Herzegovina (The Climber issue #110). I never liked them for really long multi-pitch routes because my feet would swell, but for everything else they never seemed to limit my performance. 

When I came back to New Zealand and wore them climbing at Castle Hill I was teased by the Five Ten rubber snobs. I had no idea that Tenaya had such a reputation and still climbed 100 Times Slab third go in my 'terrible shoes'. But still I was convinced once my Ra died to try the Five Ten Pink Anasazis. 

I don’t regret that at all—the Pinks are amazing. I only recently unboxed my third pair, which I got for an absolute bargain when they were clearing the old stock and kept in the cupboard until they were needed. 

However, when the chance came to try the Ra again, I couldn’t say no. I was curious, had I turned in to a Five Ten rubber snob also? Was I really a good enough climber to tell the difference?

I have one friend in New Zealand who has always climbed in Tenayas due his long skinny foot and high instep. His response to the Five Ten mafia was always 'good enough for Alex Megos, good enough for me.' Which I think is an excellent point about the level of shoe snobbery that exists—potentially for very little reason other than another way to define your collective identity as a ‘rock climber’ i.e. another thing to obsess over and complain about. 

Putting the updated women’s specific Ra on for the first time was amazing. I don’t know what they do to make those shoes, but they are so soft and comfortable on the inside. Putting on the Pinks out of the box feels like jamming my foot in to really rigid cardboard. Stepping in to the Ra’s felt like putting on my favourite pair of socks. I prefer the asymmetrical shape of the Ra’s to the Pinks also, as I have a very pronounced big toe. 

The ease of getting them on and off with the velcro fastening is  a delight not just for me, but also for my belay partner who dies of boredom before I have finished getting my lace up Pinks on. 

In terms of performance, I haven’t noticed a huge difference to be honest. I find the Ra’s softer than the Pinks, so they aren’t as reassuring on the small edges of the schist where I climb regularly. However, I think it might be more of a mental block than a true performance issue. The more you are willing to trust and commit to weighting a foot, the better it generally is. One of the positive affirmations I have tucked away for when I am struggling for confidence on a route is 'trust the pinks'. 

So perhaps I also need to learn the mantra of 'trust the Ra'. Either way, I think they are a great shoe that I will get a lot of use out of due to their comfort and versatility.