Alex Megos’ Climbing Shoes
The favorite shoes of Germany’s top climber.
Alex Megos belongs to the exclusive group of the world-class climbing elite. Of the 35 million rock wrestlers on this planet, only 7 people have ever climbed 9b+. Even more impressive, besides Adam Ondra, he is the only person to climb the elusive grade of 9c.
Megos is also known as one of the strongest climbers in the biz. His forearms of steel have helped this young German to become known as one of the best onsight climbers on the planet, with not one, but three onsight ascents of 9a. Put that into perspective with Ondra’s single 9a onsight, and you start to get the picture of how good this guy really is.
While Megos might feel at home crushing at the crag, but he’s also a worthy competitor on the competition circuit. He initially seemed reluctant to jump on the competitive climbing scene, but after winning bronze and silver at the World Championships in 2018 and 2019, he seems pretty comfortable tearing up the competition now.
THE TOP
THREE
What shoes does Alex Megos Use?
Tenaya has sponsored Megos for most of his climbing career, so it’s not a surprise that he wears Tenaya climbing shoes on most of his noticeable ascents, as well as his gym training sessions.
Looking back on Megos’ career and biggest ascents, it appears he has extensively used three pairs of Tenaya shoes.
FOR SPORT CLIMBING
Tenaya Iati
Used for: Bibliographie, Perfecto Mundo, First Round First Minute
For most of his biggest ascents, the Iati is the shoes Megos turns to most frequently.
The Iati is one of the best all-around performers in the Tenaya lineup and has helped plenty of pro and amateur climbers top out their tough projects. After getting our hands on this shoe and putting it through its paces, it’s easy to see why Megos uses this shoe so much.
A stiff, yet sensitive shoe sole and a surprisingly comfortable fit combine to make this a dark horse in the race for the best high-performance shoe.
Remember his 9c ascent of Bibliographie in August 2020? The route was initially bolted in 2009 by Ethan Pringle but when unclimbed until Megos finally gave this line its first ascent. The Iati was his shoe of choice for this route for the three years of processing, as well as the final ascent.
Other big ascents include Perfecto Mundo, First Round First Minute and First Ley.
FOR BOULDERING
Tenaya Oasi
Used for: Fight Club, Wheel of Life, Lucid Dreaming
When the overhangs get gnarly, Megos unleashes the Oasi. This shoe has been a part of the Tenaya line-up for almost a decade and is favored by other big-time Tenaya athletes like Jimmy Webb and Chris Sharma.
The Oasi shares many of the same features as the Iati, with a few slight differences. They both have that winning comfort and superior fit, but the main difference is the precision lacing system, as well as the Iati providing a slightly better fit for lower-volume feet.
Tenaya say that the Oasi is a slightly softer alternative to the Iati, both shoes use the same midsole and 3.5mm of Vibram Xs Grip. Either way, this is still a great shoe, and I am sure Megos will back us up on that one, having established Canada’s hardest sport climb using the Oasi.
FOR ALL-AROUND USE
Tenaya Tarifa
Used for: Jungle Boogie, Hard-Life, Super Crackinette
The last climbing shoe Alex Megos uses is the Tenaya Tarifa. While he seems to use the Tarifa considerably less than the previously mentioned shoes, Megos still has space for them in his shoe arsenal.
Megos seemed used the Tarifa a lot more frequently before the release of the Iati, but that doesn’t mean this shoe is completely redundant. If you follow Megos on Instagram, you will notice plenty of appearances from this shoe. Here’s a photo of him taking a massive whipper of Rodan with a pair of Tarifas.
Alex Megos FAQ’s
Is Alex Megos in the Olympics?
Yes, Alex Megos will be in the 2020 Olympics (postponed to 2021). He was one of the first climbers to secure their ticket to the first rock climbing Olympic event.
In 2019 and 2020, there were a total of seven events where the pros could secure their spot to the Olympic games. The first was the IFSC combined event in August 2019, where the top seven finishers of each gender classes would secure their place in the games. Other qualifiers of this event included Jakob Schubert, Tomoa Narasaki, Janja Garnbret and Shauna Coxsey.
Is Alex Megos vegan?
Although Alex Megos is known for his love of Carrots, he is not vegan. As he explains in this video, Megos enjoys a variety of meat, fish and veggies.
How Tall Is Alex Megos?
Alex Megos is 173cm (5’8”).
Who has climbed 9c?
Currently, Adam Ondra and Alex Megos are the only climbers to climb 9c.
