Evolv launched the Zenist through its Evo Lab channel in February, following the pre-Olympic trend of competition-style shoe releases. My men’s size 10.5 (I normally wear a 10) registered 1 pound, 5.3 ounces on the scale. The LVs were 0.2 pounds less. In comparison, my Scarpa Furia Air weighs 11.7 ounces per pair, and my La Sportiva Mantra weighs 14.2 ounces per pair. I consider both to be true slippers. The red patch on the instep is part of the EvoWrap midsole; (photo/Seiji Ishii) Edging and Pulling Powerhouses The synthetic upper didn’t stretch in length, but the aggressive downturn relaxed slightly. This adds some functional length within a few training board sessions. The Evolv Zenist is a competent indoor competition climbing and bouldering shoe for those looking for more support and structure than a slipper. But it’s at least equally capable on steep outdoor clip-ups and boulders, if not more so. I would also use the Evolv Zenist Pro and Zenist Pro LV for outdoor bouldering and on short, steep sport climbs. I believe they would perform incredibly well in these disciplines for the same reasons they were stellar on the boards and in the gym.

The Zenist proved excellent on my home boards and at the gyms. The middle-of-the-road sensitivity and support worked across a wide range of indoor circumstances. The shoe excelled at toeing in on smaller holds or edges and pulling my hips in. The EvoWrap’s “resting” state is in the downturned position, so I felt like I wasn’t fighting the shoe to use to apply downward and inward pressure through my toes. And the Love Bump also aided the efforts to use my feet like claws. And, unlike some other downturned shoes, the downturn didn’t totally disappear as the shoe broke in. Performance on Volumes, Heel Hooks, and Toe Hooks The Zenist Pro and the Zenist Pro LV are not slippers. They have more structure and thus more support and power. The downsides to gaining this power are sensitivity and softness (compliance). This is deliberate; these shoes were not meant to be true bouldering slippers. I used both versions every time I climbed. Sometimes I used a normal version on one foot and an LV on the other. And within a few sessions, I couldn’t decide on which one I would keep if forced to choose. I used the normal version for most of my training. I could keep them on for 45+ minutes, no problem. They were tight but not painful. California-based Evolv touted its Zenist as an indoor climbing weapon. It boasted the high sensitivity required for precise foot placements, in addition to delicate heel and toe hooks. But the shoe defies strict categorization.

Evolv Zenist: Testing in the Gym

The massive amount of rubber on the forefoot, the substantial amount of webbing, and the split, overlapping tongue also add a bit of stiffness and structure, as does the wide slingshot rand. All this material is reflected in the weight. First off, the Evolv Zenist Pro is not a super-flexible or flimsy slipper. It has a significant structure. The 1.0mm EvoWrap midsole and 4.2mm TRAX SAS outsole provided support and edging power that was perfect for harder boulders on angles starting at slightly overhanging.

The various bits that give the Zenist structure and caused potential compromise compared to other competition-style shoes were the exact attributes that made it a killer shoe on the local steeps in central Texas. The Evolv Zenist Pro proved to be powerful. The combination of EvoWrap, the fit, Love Bump, and the amount of structure turned my feet into pressure-delivering edging and hip-pulling powerhouses. The Zenist, like the rest of the Evolv range, is made out of entirely vegan materials. Ace! Summary

Specification

The Evolv Zenist is an aggressively profiled and downturned climbing shoe designed to hold its own on delicate foot placements and tiny footholds, perfect for advanced climbers or ambitious boulderers looking to go to the next level. The Zenist is an unlined climbing shoe with enough stretch to seamlessly mould to your feet after just a few climbs.

Like previous Evolv models, the Zenist is a mid-volume shoe, providing ample room for wider feet and higher arches. That isn’t to say those skinnier of foot are excluded from the Zenist range with a women’s/low volume version available in a snazzy, alternative white and turquoise colour-way. I downsized half a UK size in the Zenist and given their single layered synthetic ‘Synthratek’ upper, you shouldn’t expect too much stretch. I was pleasantly surprised by just how easy it was to get the Zenist on my foot. Thanks to such a supple design, especially in the heel cup area, the Zenists slipped straight on and moulded to the shape of my feet wonderfully. The quality of the shoe deserves a mention too. The inside of the Zenist feels luxurious with no hot spots or niggling bits of loose stitching, especially the perforated tongue of the shoe which is softer than silk. Did you know? The LV version of the Evolv Zenist Pro fit very similarly to the “normal,” medium-volume version, but it had a slightly snugger fit in every dimension. Evolv staffers told me that the LV version has 6% less volume than the medium-volume model. It was difficult to see a difference, but I could feel it right away; nothing huge, but noticeable. Soft, sensitive precision is the name of the game when it comes to designing an effective indoor competition shoe and Evolv have got it spot on with the Zenist.Although Evolv markets the Zenist Pro as ideal for volumes, I felt the things that made the shoe powerful elsewhere detracted from the effectiveness on volumes. The structure of the shoe lessened sensitivity, and the ability of the shoe to comply with shapes required for effortless twisting of the foot and other contortions required to run, jump, toe, or drop knee on the flat surfaces of volumes. Smearing on the flat-volume faces was effective once I learned to trust the shoe to do so. The fit and construction of the Zenist didn’t scream “competition only.” If Evolv didn’t plug it as a competition shoe, I would categorize it as a sport climbing and bouldering shoe by the way it fit and felt. I found heel hooking felt stable. But it wasn’t as sensitive on minor features compared to some of my other Olympic shoes. Toe hooking was excellent, as the rubber-covered vegan upper proved pliable and sensitive. Because of the midsole, there was a bit of effort involved in contorting the shoe, but this was only relative to super-soft comp shoes. First off, it provides longitudinal tension to tighten the front of the shoe against the toes for a precise and powerful fit. This is done without depending solely on the slingshot rand as in other shoes. The EvoWrap dramatically improved comfort compared to shoes that don’t have any other way of generating longitudinal tension.