The Geshido – Evolv’s Best New Beginner Shoe
The EVolv Geshido takes a performance approach to the beginner climbing shoe. This high-tech, but simple, climbing shoe is perfect for learning the basics of technical footwork.
Following in the footsteps of its performance-angled peers, the Evolv Geshido provides downturn and asymmetry while maintaining comfort.  It is built to help the newer climber break into more technical climbing. This transitory product is easily Evolv’s best downturned shoe for the brand-new climber.
The Geshido
While Evolv markets this shoe as an all-rounder, the Geshido uses the same 4.2 millimetres of TRAX SAS rubber they use on their high-performance models. Furthermore, the cross foot, hook-and-loop Velcro closure system secures the fit in much the same way as their Shaman.
Unlike the Shaman or the Phantom or the other shoes that come equipped with asymmetry and a thick, sticky rubber compound, the Geshido features a 1.2 millimetre plastic midsole that supports the foot on lower angle terrain. Despite its stiffness, the Geshido most closely reflects the Zenist in its shape.
While their shape may reflect its softer cousin, the Geshido and the Zenist do not climb similarly to one another. With that said, they have similarities
They both use a rounded toe to approach larger or sloping footholds. A pointed toe often requires precision, but the Geshido circumvents this issue by holding the grip under the big toe. This makes it an excellent generalist on most grips, while the stiff construction aids its performance on smaller edges. It comes in lace up and low volume versions.
The Beginner’s First Performance Shoe
The full-length sole provides the climber with guaranteed shape for a long time. The shoe is dependable and well built making it ideal for the first time climber. If you are new to climbing, this is perhaps one of the best beginner shoes on the market. Although it will squeeze tighter on your feet than a conventional beginner shoe, its enhanced performance will teach you more, quicker than a flatter climbing shoe.
If you are psyched on climbing, buying something a little more downturned and asymmetric as opposed to the flatter conventional beginner shoe may be the best place to start. Not only does it offer techniques that are difficult to access in beginner climbing shoes, pulling with your toe for example, it also means that you won’t need to replace your newly worn beginner shoes with something more aggressive after you improve. In short, it is a great way to accelerate your technical progression.
Although this method has its advantages, taking this performance-based approach comes with hurdles. Such a shoe needs to be able to resist the wear new climbers put on their shoes. The Geshido’s bulletproof construction follows through on this need.
Performance
The greatest strength of this shoe and all Evolv’s recent releases is the fit. It still feels like you’re wearing a climbing shoe, but the designers at Evolve took care to eliminate dead space and to make a shoe that performs consistently across all terrain.
Outdoors, it digs into crystals and dime-thin edges. It suffers when sensitivity might better suit the boulder problem but feels trustworthy on the more committing rock-over movements.
On the Kilter Board, the Geshido performs well. The hooked toe digs into the in-cuts and allows for limit bouldering performance. By contrast the Geshido struggles more with the MoonBoard. Its wider toe lacks the precision of the Shaman or Phantom, but its shape aids on the knobby heel hooks of the Ben Moon’s training board. The stiff platform is aided by the friction of the rubber and the downturn of the end portion of the shoe, but the single-piece sole lacks a flexibility found in the Shaman Velcro.
As such, it struggles to drop its heel and relax on the grit of the grips it smears. In terms of technical heel hooks, the shoe excels as well as the Zenist, though it feels more like the Shaman when hooked. Buy it here for $209.05 (CAD) or $160 (USD) here.
The Trade Offs
It is durable, comfortable, supportive, and comparatively inexpensive for Evolv’s range. If it were $130, it would be perfect, but given its steeper price tag, there are performance elements missing. Given all the other high-tech options its afforded; Variable Thickness Rand, TRAX SAS Rubber, a plastic midsole, and the dark spine heel, it feels odd that the shoe goes without toe-hook rubber. The shoe also takes four or five sessions to break in.
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