Making good time navigating miles of house-sized boulders is a lot easier when we wear the La Sportiva Boulder X Approach Shoe. Even with a heavy expedition pack, the sticky rubber tread and Impact Brake System give us confidence on wet or dry rock. With two layers of soft EVA in the footbed and midsole, this shoe helps us make it from the car to camp without bruising or blistering. On the most demanding approaches, the leather upper and rubber toe rand hold up to your foot dragging and stone kicking, and the mesh liner covering the tongue and rear-foot add some breathability to summer rock hops.