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Based on Chris' climbing expertise and design ideas, we created this shoe for him which he used to send his project "Es Pontas", his deep-water solo project route in Mallorca, Spain. It is a wildly overhanging route that is 65 ft long and includes a challenging, 7-foot dyno that is 35 feet above the sea and ends with a powerful and technical finish.
This all-around high performance shoe fuses precision, power, and responsiveness in an excellent glove-like fit. The heel is one of Evolv's best that fits securely from base of the heel to the achilles without discomfort and deadspace. We equipped it with an extended toe rand that is functional for toe-hooking without feeling excessive and the tri-grooves relieves pressure off the big toe. The 3/4 length semi stiff midsole provides the ideal balance of edging power and responsiveness from toe through the arch.
The PONTAS will inspire confidence on technical climbs with micro-edges, steep climbing and precise footwork requiring moves as a outstanding overall performance shoe.

The Evolv Pontas is an all-around high performance shoe fuses precision, power, and responsiveness in an excellent glove-like fit. The heel is one of our best that fits securely from base of the heel to the achilles without discomfort and deadspace. We equipped it with an extended toe rand that is functional for toe-hooking without feeling excessive and the tri-grooves relieves pressure off the big toe. The 3/4 length semi stiff midsole provides the ideal balance of edging power and responsiveness from toe through the arch.

Evolv Pontas Climbing Shoes are aggressive sport climbing shoes designed for Chris Sharma and used to send 'Es Pontas', his deep-water solo project route in Mallorca, Spain
The high-performance Pontas shoes combine precision, power, and responsiveness in a glove-like fit
Heel fits securely from base of the heel to the achilles without discomfort or dead space
Three-quarter length semi stiff midsole provides the ideal balance of edging power and responsiveness from the toe through the arch
Extended toe rand allows toe-hooking without feeling excessive and the tri-grooves relieves pressure on the big toe
'TRAX rubber has the perfect blend of stickiness and durability for extreme climbing of all types. Whether I am on a granite slab or on an overhanging limestone sport route, I have total confidence in every foot placement with TRAX rubber' - Chris Sharma

Part of the Chris Sharma Signature Series, the high-performance evolv Pontas rock shoes feature a glovelike fit for your feet that inspires confidence on technical climbs.

Designed by Chris Sharma himself, the Pontas from Evolv has a glove-like fit for control on micro-edges, performance on all textures and a power transferring design for every move you can think of. Push to the next level with this incredibly nimble and focused rock shoe.

Based on Chris Sharma's climbing expertise and design ideas, the Evolv Pontas Rock Climbing Shoe was developed. An all-around high performance shoe, the Pontas fuses precision, power, and responsiveness in an excellent glove-like fit. The heel fits securely from base of the heel to the achilles without discomfort and deadspace.

With a design influenced by Chris Sharma, Evolv created the first signature-series climbing shoes, the Pontas. Chris needed a piece of precision footwear to send his deep water soloing project Es Pontas, and Evolv brought him the goods with a sticky TRAX XT-5 sole and a stretch-resistant Synthratek synthetic upper. The Pontas Climbing Shoe takes on the most technically demanding boulder problems and sport climbs with ease. And deep water soloing it does that too. Material: Synthratek synthetic

With a design influenced by Chris Sharma, Evolv created the first signature-series climbing shoes, the Pontas. Chris needed a piece of precision footwear to send his deep water soloing project “Es Pontas,” and Evolv brought him the goods with a sticky TRAX XT-5 sole and a stretch-resistant Synthratek synthetic upper. The Pontas Climbing Shoe takes on the most technically demanding boulder problems and sport climbs with ease. And deep water soloing—it does that too.
| Asymmetrical Curvature: | High |
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| Can be resoled: | Yes |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| Gender: | Unisex |
| Lacing: | Hook-and-loop |
| Last: | 4.2 mm TRAX XT-V high friction rubber |
| Liner: | cotton fiber lining |
| Lining: | Cotton fiber lining |
| Manufacturer Warranty: | 1 Year |
| Material: | Synthratek synthetic |
| Midsole: | MX-S 1.5mm three-quarter length semi-stiff midsole |
| Outsole: | TRAX XT-5 rubber |
| Rand: | 2.2mm TRAX duro-rand |
| Recommended Use: | Sport climbing, bouldering, deep water soloing |
| Shape of last: | Flat |
| Sole: | 4.2mm TRAX XT-5 high friction rubber outsole |
| Upper: | non-stretch Synthratek synthetic upper |
| Weight: | 492 grams |
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View other products from Evolv classified in Men's Footwear > Climbing. View all products from Evolv.
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Sometimes, we can't be sure that the product is the same across the stores that offer it, so you may find the same product listed more than once on GearBuyer.com, we list these highly similar products below.
| Evolv Pontas Lace Climbing Shoe | $89.98 - $130.00 |
Sometimes brands make complementary products for the opposite gender that coordinate with this product, we also try to show these products below.
| Evolv Pontas Climbing Shoe + Free ChalkUnspecified | $114.95 | |
| Evolv Pontas Velcro Climbing ShoeUnspecified | $92.98 |
These are products that have been indicated being comparable to this product:
| Evolv Chalk Bag Climbing > Chalk Bags | $21.00 - $23.99 | |
| Evolv Evo Climbing Shoe Men's Footwear > Climbing | $104.95 - $109.95 | |
![]() | Mammut Mirage Harness Climbing > Harnesses | $43.98 - $54.95 |
This product is available in the following colors:
Click any color to show the product in that color
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| Yellow / Black |
| Yellow / Lime |
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| Yellow | ||
Use this chart to find which retailer offers this product in the size, color or other options that you desire. Click on the price to purchase.
| Size | Color | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow / Black | Yellow | Yellow / Lime | N/A | |
| 4 | 119.00 | |||
| 4.5 | 119.00 | |||
| 5 | 119.00 | |||
| 5.5 | 119.00 | |||
| 6 | 120.00 | 119.00 | 109.19 | |
| 6.5 | 120.00 | 119.00 | ||
| 7 | 120.00 | 119.00 | 109.19119.95 | 104.95 |
| 7.5 | 120.00 | 119.00 | 119.95 | 104.95 |
| 8 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 109.19 | |
| 8.5 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 119.95 | 104.95 |
| 9 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 104.95 | |
| 9.5 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 119.95 | 104.95 |
| 10 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 109.19119.95 | 104.95 |
| 10.5 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 109.19 | 104.95 |
| 11 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 119.95 | 104.95 |
| 11.5 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 119.95 | 104.95 |
| 12 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 119.95 | 104.95 |
| 12.5 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 104.95 | |
| 13 | 120.00 | 119.00119.95 | 104.95 | |
| 13.5 | 119.00 | |||
TahoeMountainSports.com offers this product at $91.96, but does not provide any color/size information.
Al's Sports offers this product at $114.99, but does not provide any color/size information.
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The Sizing, the Shoe and the Smell. | |
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First off, these shoes are great.If you like the Defys, you'll love the Pontas-- if you're looking for something a good bit more agressive and a tad more "precise".I tend to look at my Defys as a comfortable, broken in pair of training shoes, and the Pontas as a performance pair of racing flats.The Pontas are essentially a performance minded big brother to the more relaxed Defys.I recommend getting both: wear the Defys on long Sunday mornings at the gym, and the Pontas to harder group trips to new outdoor spots (once you've spent a few weeks breaking them in on plastic, of course).DON'T size up/down/etc when going from Defys (this conversation seems to come up quite often). Going from a broken in pair of Defys to new Pontas is not going to be the most comfortable thing in the world. This has nothing to do with the sizing, and more to do with the fact that the last thing you climbed in were essentially snug Christmas slippers.If your Defys feel PERFECT (as an old pair of well fitted Defys will), then go with the same size in Pontas. Once they're broken in, you'll get the same sensitivity with an added aggressive edge you won't confuse with "too tight".That said, these things are terrific. The teeniest nicks in rock become ledges; smearing is fantastic.Note: this style of shoe (pointy, asymmetrical, big-toe emphasizing) either fits or doesn't; if you love the Optimus (round box) style, you'll probably feel weird and cramped in these (but you most likely already know that).Ok, on to the smell thing.For whatever reason, Evolv (and other synthetic, i guess) climbing shoes will start to stink really badly after awhile. At first i thought it was just guys, but my girlfriend-- who honestly never has BO and barely sweats even after hours of running/riding/climbing/whatever on the hottest days-- took her Evolvs off the other night at the gym.I was genuinely offended!To fix this, i recommend this simple solution (which works brilliantly every time):1) Spray (liberally) the inside of each shoe with Odor Eaters spray (it's cheap and can be found at any drug store).2) Pour a bunch of baking soda in each shoe and shake everything around until it's coated.3) Put them in a plastic grocery bag (sorry, California), tie it tight and place it in your freezer overnight.4) Take them out the next day, remove them from the bag and let them sit for a few hours (i let them sit while i'm at work).5) Dump the powder out into your trash or whatever (warning: it's going to smell a bunch), then wipe the excess baking soda off with a paper towel or whatever (smacking the shoes-- open end down-- into the trash works too).6) Spray with another hit of oder eaters and you're done. They'll smell great. Do this once a month or whatever (depending on how often you climb). | |
| Carlos from Philly at Backcountry.com on 09/15/2009 | |
Orgasm on my feet | |
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Yeah that's right these shoes feel amazing. | |
| Anonymous at Backcountry.com on 12/08/2008 | |
Very versatile climbing shoe. | |
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Ive owned these shoes for two years and have resoled them once, because they perform so well. They are one of the most versatile, all-around shoes on the market and work great for steep bouldering, sport climbing, slabs...you name it. Im a 10 street shoe and sized these to 9s, which are now perfect. The break-in period was slightly longer and more painful compared to other shoes, but well worth it. These shoes will stretch slightly over a couple months. Initially they were so tight that it would take me three minutes to pry them on, but I fit them for performance over comfort and now have both. | |
| Michael Miller at Backcountry.com on 12/01/2009 | |
Review Title | |
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Love these shoes, on my third pair. | |
| jer3162648 at Backcountry.com on 10/23/2009 | |
Good stuff | |
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Like all shoes, its fit is relative to the wearer as one shoe may fit one person well, and another person terribly. But for me, these feel great. I wear a size 11 running shoe and after reading many reviews of this shoe, bought the same size in evolvs. The fit of the shoe is perfect for my foot, keeping the toes squished close together to provide for a nice, even weight on the tips. The sole itself is much thinner than I was used to as I had previously been using a fiveten entry level shoe with thick soles. At first, the shoe felt flimsy to me, but after using it on smaller foot-holds, tiny crystals and thin cracks, I now appreciate the sensitivity I get with this sole. The rubber is slightly less sticky than my fivetens but not so much that it has ever prevented me from sending a problem. | |
| hoc2956943 at Backcountry.com on 03/30/2009 | |
My favorite shoe of all time. | |
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These are my go to shoes. Like with other evolves, if its your first pair you want to go with your street size shoe. However, as your feet get use to wearing tight shoes you are going to drop sizes I am wearing a 9 now and my street shoe is a 10.5. | |
| Anonymous at Backcountry.com on 03/13/2009 | |
Feels Pretty Good | |
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| I haven't been able to climb outside with these shoes yet, but from how they have performed indoors I can only assume they are going to do well. I originally got a half size too small, but once I changed, the size seems both comfortable enough to climb for awhile as well as technical enough to stand on small things. The shoe seems to be able to climb well on all angles without being downturned. The heel comes up pretty high on my heel, but is still comfortable making it nice to heel hook. I have a wide foot, but a friend who has a narrower foot seems to like his, too. I gave it five stars because I haven't found anything wrong with them and am expecting them to do well. They have also climbed well out of the box. | |
| JTNibbles at Mountain Gear on 04/07/2009 | |
Great all around high performance shoe | |
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| I have been climbing with the Pontas all over the World on every kind of stone you can thing of and in every kind of condition and they work great. They excel on steep, foot intensive terrain where the angle is no greater than 30 degrees overhanging. The heal box on the velcros is a little shallow for me, but I love the heel box and everything else on the lace up versions of the Pontas. If you could only take one shoe on your climbing trip and you were not sure what type of stone or terrain you were going to encounter, the Pontas would be a great choice. | |
| TX-Boy at REI on 12/12/2009 | |
Great all-round shoe | |
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I got these shoes early last summer and have found them to be great at everything except for cracks. They climb cracks well enough, but the Velcro doesn't hold up super well when jamming. The rubber is really sticky and seems to be durable enough. Also, you can pay to have your shoes resoled by Evolv themselves (I did that at the end of last summer and it worked out well). In short, get these shoes if you do a lot of face climbing and want to be able to get out of your shoes quickly. If you climb cracks, you might want to look at some slippers or lace-ups. | |
| Christopher Smith at Backcountry.com on 05/20/2008 | |
Not too shabby | |
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| For the price, these things are awesome. The rubber seems really sticky so far, and the fit is fairly okay. When I'm not climbing I notice a lot of pressure on the joint on my big toe because of the toe rand. Also, I have pretty wide feet and these felt narrow when I pulled 'em on, but once I started climbing I stopped noticing all the fit issues. They're pretty good to wear for a few laps, but I wouldn't recommend them for all day climbing or belaying much. I certainly recommend them for sport climbing, but not necessarily for all day adventures when comfort is key. | |
| Jason Kowitz at Altrec on 08/05/2009 | |
Rip Off | |
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Let's start by saying the evolve pontas performance is pretty good, the rubber sticks well and the agressive shape's pretty good for bouldering roof problems. | |
| Pipo at Backcountry.com on 01/09/2010 | |
Smaller Foot Model | |
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I ordered these shoes based on my fit in other Evolv shoes, and was sorely disappointed. Whereas I wear a 39 in the Elektras, Evos, and Defys, I couldn't even get my foot in the 39, let alone climb in it. | |
| JanineChar1053560 at Backcountry.com on 02/16/2009 | |
[...] | |
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| If you are at all familiar with Evolv, you understand that they use an extremely soft, sticky rubber, which for smearing is good, but I wore out my last evolvs in three months. That said, these have a decent design. The toe hooking is wonderful, but there is a lot of dead space in this heel unlike the optimus. Also, these shoes are a little painful if sized for performance because the big toe area will not flex due to the thick rubber. Now for the good. These shoes have carried me up the hardest boulder problems I have ever touched, and they edge like freaks. The smearing is excellent and the heel, though huge, grabs anything. These also do not suffer from the stinky problem because they are not synthetically lined like the Defy. As well, these shoes are EXTREMELY soft feeling and are likely very comfy if sized for comfort. | |
| Infinity at REI on 07/07/2009 | |
Good Not Great | |
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| This is a very good rock climbing shoe for a beginner or an avid climber. It's comfortable and performs great indoors and outdoors. With that being said, the biggest problem with the shoe is that it only lasts 3-4 months before it is time to get a new pair or get them resoled. I climb 3-4 times a weeks (mostly indoors) and was shocked that the toe blew out after only 3 months. I talked to some other people at my climbing gym who owned a pair and they had the same problem. If you only climb a few times a month or if you are an avid climber and are okay with resoling the shoe 3-4 times a year, then you should definitely look into getting this shoe. | |
| Matt D at REI on 12/12/2009 | |
decent edging at reasonable cost | |
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| Tried the Pontas after many years of using Anasazi velcro. Pontas edge well and the toe rand and tri-grooves are sweet. Overall shoe quality is lower than Five Ten, especially interior lining and, alas, rubber. Fit is slightly baggier feeling at mid-foot than Five Ten - though that could well be my foot shape - and I would recommend down-sizing 1.5 from street shoe. Good shoe especially for the price. | |
| Anonymous at Altrec on 03/20/2009 | |