Black Diamond Method S climbing shoes review

Although the S Method may share a name with the original Black Diamond Method (the green ones), that’s about all they share. They are two quite different shoes. How are they different? Well, if I had to guess what the “S” in Method S stood for, my money would be on “soft.” This shoe is the rubber-covered vision of climbing powerhouse Seb Bouin, brought to life by Greek resoling royalty George Vlahandreas (of Fixarock).

Adjust:

The Method S is a slightly angled, slightly asymmetrical shape, and definitely a high-volume shoe (particularly in the forefoot and heel) with a high toe box to accommodate more toe curvature levels. aggressive thanks to a performance fit. The first thing I did after receiving the shoes was to force everyone around me to try them on, especially people with weird feet that looked like Doritos or pencil shapes. To our surprise, they seemed to fit everyone’s feet quite well. Given the softness and elasticity of their construction, these shoes have a very accommodating fit (if sized correctly) and are surprisingly comfortable for a performance shoe. Even the heel, which was a little too bulky for me, felt secure and predictable during heel hooks, although a little imprecise at times…and coming from me, that’s high praise. I went half a euro size smaller than my Butora and Unparallel size and got minimal stretch (1/3 euro size).

Features and design of Black Diamond Method S:

One of my favorite features of the Method S was the super stretchy knitted sock upper, which made the Method S feel like you were wearing a sock! One downside is that you shouldn’t press too hard on the front tongue, but the same goes for shoes like the Tenaya Mastia. My other favorite feature was the design of the heel tabs, which connect directly to the heel liner. This makes it extremely easy to get these shoes on and off on my heel. Now I wish all my performance shoes had this feature.

Speaking of things I like, here’s something I don’t like…the toe patch. While the rubber cover for toe hooks and skims is good, I found the “ribbed” texture unnecessary and actually quite annoying when doing more technical toe hooks (a friend joked that he was ribbed for my displeasure). Fortunately, this has improved as the toe patch has worn down, but it’s worth noting. The sole features 3.75mm of BD’s Black Label Fuse rubber. I found it a bit stickier than XS Grip 2, Trax SAS and Unparallel RH. This rubber is also present on the camouflage heel, a style choice that may polarize some; I happen to like it, but not everyone will like it.

Function of the Black Diamond S method:

If I had to sum up the Black Diamond Method S in one sentence, it would be “soft and springy”. This shoe is quite soft, both in the mid and toe, making it exceptional in terms of running volume, sticking, and smearing. Naturally, this comes at the expense of edge performance. There’s a horseshoe midsole to add some support to the small bursts and edges of the foot, making them more versatile than something as soft as a Scarpa Veloce or Furia Air. But I would still classify these shoes as “specialty” rather than versatile. I really enjoyed using them as an indoor bouldering shoe, particularly for spreading volumes when climbing more “comp style” problems, as well as for the ability to grip the toes on steeper terrain such as l board climbing. In terms of sport climbing, I would suggest pairing the Method S with a stiffer pair as part of a quiver, unless you plan to jump specific routes like “India” at Arapiles/Dyurrite or “Chicane” in the Grampians/Gariwerd where the glass is vitreous. smears are a given.

Final Thoughts:

The Black Diamond Method S offers excellent value for money for those looking for a flexible, high-performance shoe at a more affordable price. They feature clever design choices that allow for a relatively comfortable and very accommodating fit. The soft midsole and toe mean they excel at smearing and sticking, but at the expense of edging performance, making it a more specialist shoe rather than an all-rounder. Regardless of your thoughts on Black Diamond’s previous shoes, the Black Diamond Method S is the best climbing shoe Black Diamond has made to date, and a compelling option at the price point.

Overall, I would rate it 4.3 out of 5 blue shifts.