Black Diamond Zone LV Climbing Shoes

Engineered Knit Technology: provides stretch where you need it, support where it matters, and exceptional breathability. The process to create this knit material relies on having complete and total control of the manufacturing process. In the words of designer Kasey Jarvis, "We're literally controlling the tension of the knit machine to get the durability of the knit to where we think it needs to be, to get it to hold the right shape, and to have the right openings for breathability. We're in control of all the variables."

Molded midsole: "Instead of just die-cutting out a piece of plastic that then gets sandwiched in the construction of the shoe, we're 3D molding a plastic midsole that matches the shape of the last so that longer term, the shoe stays the same," says Kasey. The midsoles are constructed with Pebax plastic which has excellent memory and keeps its shape which means that over time, no matter how many hours you spend in them, BD climbing shoes will retain their shape.

Molded rubber: Inspired by the way BD carabiners are forged, Black Diamond does not just die-cut a sheet of rubber, they mold the raw material in a controlled shape where they control the geometry, the recipe for the rubber, the heat, the pressure and the thickness. The benefit of this approach to climbing shoe rubber is that each mold is individually created to fit together – unlike the trace, trim and hand-grind method. This allows Black Diamond to vary the weight, thickness and consistency of each mold to enhance the rubber's overall comfort, durability and performance.