EB Climbing shoes

Many of remember either seeing, hearing about or even using EB's.   I never worn the originals myself, but often wondered how good they were when I saw pictures in mags,  guides or books.  So many classic images in a shoe that changed climbing forever. As I've been trying out a set of Django it seemed right to see how things have changed for the brand over the years.

The history of the first real climbing shoe started with Pierre Alain.  In his quest to improve his climbing in font,  he worked with an expert shoe maker called Edouard Bourdenneau  (EB) in 1947.  After three year EB bought the business of Pierre in 1950 and went on to dominate the market in Europe, Britain and USA for around 35 years.  The downfall started in 1985 when most notably the Boreal Fires came to town.  From the 1990's the company continues with ups and downs and changes ownerships and partnerships.  It keeps on trucking though, making steps in the right direction.  In 2009 they joined forces with 9a climbing, and gained even greater direction.  They have continued to grow and develop over the last 5 years, with some top climbers joining the EB Team.

like most people I thought the brand had closed up shop a long time ago.  So it is nice to see a brand with such a rich history coming back strong.  They now have a complete range of quality looking shoes available, some in the UK if you know where to look.  I've been using the Django which on first impression seem very good.   They have worked well on a variety of angles on problems from 6b to 7c+.  I had a very quick try of the Hulk's which also seemed very good..

The sizings seem ok.  Best comparison is Scarpa and Edelrid  depending on model.  About 1/2 size down from Evolv, and a full size down from 5:10.

Places to try them are Boulders in Cardiff, The Crag Station in AWCC Stockport, The Climbing Station  Loughborough, Absolute Skate/Rock Hemel Hempstead and City Bloc Leeds.

www.eb-escalade.com

some images of the range below