Review: Boreal Stingma

Introduction:
It’s been a few years since Jerry Mofatt stepped back from the limelight and Ben Moon departed for pastures new. The subsequent lull in interest and the release of “new kids on the block” – such as Mad Rock, Evolv etc. – saw Boreal drop down the pecking order within the UK market, and for a while it looked like we might be seeing then demise of this iconic brand.

But that was then and this is now! With a competent rationalization of the range and the transcontinental importance of some of the sends completed in their shoes - primarily Danny Andrada’s uber tough sport routes and John Gaskins’ super hard bloc problems –, not to mention the ever topnotch build quality and good supply network offered by the company, Boreal have reestablished themselves in the UK’s top 3 or 4 rock boot manufacturers.

It’s not rocket science but for any rock boot manufacturer it’s wise to have a 4-pronged strategy when compiling a range:

1. 1. An entry level lace-up product – Good supportive fit, price point and instant comfort. Core bread and butter product.


2. 2. A semi technical lace-up product – Aimed at the mid-grade traditional climber. Again, a bread and butter product.


3. 3. A technical Velcro or lace-up product – Key to keeping your brand seen as a top-end player.


4. 4. An aspirational an innovative product – Low volume seller, essentially a sponsored hero line, a lost leader to keep the consumer aware the manufacturer cares about innovation.

Obviously there are always going to be a myriad of variations on these key styles but I believe if you cover these points WELL you stand a good chance of competing in the market place. In the Joker (1), Spider (2), Crux & Stingma (3) and Mutant (4) Boreal has these bases well covered.
The Stingma is the core technical lace-up shoe in Boreal’s range and can be seen well represented in any climbing media news report. The Stingma is a shoe that appeared with the range re-appraisal mentioned above, and was forged from the best features of two older (now defunct) models - the Stinga and Matrix. Whilst not a new shoe, I’ve recently been giving this established sticky the once over, here’s what I found.

The Fit:
I generally fit rock shoes pretty tight, yet in spite of this, the first thing I noticed when initially pulling on the Stingma was the instant comfort not usually synonymous with a brand new pair of technical shoes. I have a low volume foot, with a wide-ish forefoot; this is generally a pretty rock boot friendly foot shape. The Stingma has a slightly higher than usual volume in the arch and heel, which meant for me there was a bit of dead space. Nevertheless it was still a decent fit and would be ideal for climbers with a less contrasting (scrawny) foot shape.


For a technical fit I fitted the shoe as a UK8. To give you some idea of how they compare to other models I am the following sizes in other styles of shoe: La Sportiva Miura and Katana 39.5, Five Ten Anasazi Velcro and Verde UK7.5, Five Ten Dragon UK8, Scarpa Booster UK7/41 Mad Rock Mugen UK8 and Red Chili Corona UK8.5. PLEASE NOTE: This is only meant as a rough guide, as it will depend how you like your shoes to fit.

Quote from John Gaskins with regard to the Stingma:
"The Stingma gives excellent performance across a range of rock types and at angles from slabs to roofs. The shoe gives you confidence in your footholds no matter how poor these may actually be."

Usage:
I predominantly used the shoes on rough Rhyolite and smooth, steep Limestone, and on both rock types the shoes held up well. The injection molded heel cup is great at protecting the foot on uncomfortable high load heel hooks, and as it’s completely encased in rubber the Stingma doesn’t have that annoying trait of slipping onto the area with no rubber when the heel rolls. The toe box is soft and malleable with a rubber strip over the upper, which means they perform well in toe-hooks/locks. The stiffness of a shoe is a personal thing, and is always going to relate to your preferred style of climbing. I prefer a slightly stiffer shoe, and for me (contrary to the manufacturers blurb) the Stingma was a bit soft on vertical terrain. So if the world of the straight up and down is your forte then perhaps the Boreal Spider would be a better option?

Image: MACHO Man, Font7b+, Sampson's Stones, Eskdale.


Downsides:
As pointed out above, the two features of this shoe that least rocked my boat were the volume and stiffness, but as stated above, one man’s cream is another man’s poison and these features are merely traits of the shoe which will either suit you or not. I’ve always been an advocate of the “fit over rubber” school of thought, i.e. the fit is the most important thing to consider when buying a rock shoe, and the rubber used should be the last thing you worry about when purchasing a model. That said I can’t help feeling the Fusion rubber used on Boreal’s isn’t quite in the same league as and Five Ten Stealth/Onyxx and Vibram X-Grip – purely a personal view and not based on any consensus of opinion.

Summary:
All in all this one of the better rock shoes I’ve tested over the last year and has the generic appeal and instant comfort which will make a favorite with a great many climbers. The key points of this shoe are its medium/high volume fit, soft forefoot and great heel construction, so if that ticks all your boxes you could do a lot worse than purchase the Stingma. Finally, if you do decide to invest in the Stingma, and are after a technical fit, take into account that they will stretch up to half a size due to the nature of the unlined leather construction.

Boreal Stingma Demo:

Purchase the Boreal Stingma here