Hi Five Ten®, I'm finally in Bishop for the first time this season. It's been way too long. I've been coming to Bishop for the past 10 years. In this time, I've slowly but surely managed to climb many of the inspiring lines in Bishop (in my eyes), except one: Spectre. The crux move, a long reach out of a cave with a toe-lock keeping you on the wall, has alluded me for ages. For some reason, I could never get my toe to stick. When you guys came out with the Projects this year, with their slim profile and sensitive 2mm Mystique rubber, I immediately thought that they would be a good shoe for Spectre. Sure enough, on a brief trip to Bishop this June, I stuck the elusive crux move, but failed to complete the whole problem. This was a breakthrough, however, and I knew that it was now possible.


Fast forward to yesterday. We post-holed through the approach, arriving to perfect, shady conditions. My good friend Charlie Barrett was with me and he was also very close. Sending was in the air. Charlie and I traded attempts, getting closer and closer with each attempt. Finally, I locked my toe in perfectly, stuck the long reach, held the swing, and teetered my way up the delicate, highball finish. Success! As soon as I got down, Charlie chalked up and sent as well, wrapping up a two season battle with the climb. As climbing gets more difficult, it gets more specific. As such, specificity is the name of the game in the climbing shoe market. Every shoe is designed for a specific purpose. Despite this fact, it's hard to say when the product, and not the climber, is the key to success. The Projects, however, were the first time that I could say FOR SURE, that the product was the deciding factor in my success. With such a variety of specific shoes on the market, the best thing you can do is have the right shoes for the right situations. When you are climbing near your limit, you need every advantage you can get." -Kevin Jorgeson