The TRUTH about Boreal and TAO

[seanT]

Been a lot of haters and negative spray directed towards Boreal and TAO lately. This bums me out and as many on this board are new to climbing or the area I felt like it was time to set the record straight on this subject.
First off..Boreal Shoes.
Every climber is going to have thier opinion on which shoes are best and usually there is a good chance their favorite shoe is best for them. This being said there are some pretty cruddy shoes out there but not many. Boreal created the Ninja the first sliper for bouldering/sport climbing. Amazing sensitivity!perfect gym shoe. Great on pockets.Fit super tight.SUCKED at heel hooking. I think I went thru 5 pairs at least over the years. Boreal Laser.....lace up version of Ninja i went thru 3 pairs simply one of the best shoes ever. Dan Osmond soloed a 12c at the New River (Gun Club 12c) in these SICK. O and lets not forget the Bamba the worlds first Velco slipper. I had at least 2 or 3 pairs of these. Sent my first V6 in Hueco wearing the Bambas in 1994 or 95 its a little blurry. The Bambas were good enough for me and they were also good enough for Lynn HIll who free climbed the NOSE(14c) in them.NUff said right there. Boreal were a victim of the Chris Sharma/5.10 revolution. When he hit the scene wearing 5.10s and their STEALTH rubber hit the market that changed everything. STEALTH rubber truly was stickier and I also became a convert abandoning my Boreals......sad day.... Word on the street now is that Boreal has a newer stickier rubber so I am pretty psyched to see them available in my own town and will for sure be buying a pair. So let it be said Boreal shoes are well made and awsome and pretty much every other shoe company out there has ripped off or copied the inovations that Boreal has brought forward over the years. Done on that subject.

Second TAO
When I opened GZ in 1998 there were 2 stores in town. The Trail Shop and Rons Army/Navy most of you little bitches probably dont even remember that(yes im THAT old) The Trail shop had a climbing dept the size of my bedroom closet if that. Rons Army/Navy actually bought climbing gear from MEC thru mail order and then resold it with the most minimal of markups. They did this so that local climbers could handle..touch and see gear before buying it. They were the first store to actually stock a selection of harness and shoes in town and they worked VERY hard to meet the needs of the (very small) community at the time. George personally was instumental in helping GZ surrvive the growing pains of a new business and kept me psyched even when times were tough. The first big competitions at GZ were only made possible thru the VERY generous support of George ant Rons Army/Navy. They donated TONS of free stuff to our early events and were responsible for putting big smiles on peoples faces that walked out of a GZ event with sweet prize of somekind.
Times changed however and soon MEC and Valhallla Pure opened in town. This made things very difficult for a smaller retailer like Rons Army/Navy. They did the smartest thing possible move to a fancy new location,change thier name to TAO and drop climbing gear. Personally I cant blame them I would have done the same thing. They targeted paddlers and the general out door market with great success. With the demise of Vallhalla (and whatever climbing gym incarnation you choose next door to them ) that left 2 players on the market, MEC and now TAO. With things going gangbusters on the paddling and cycling gear front TAO stuck to what was working for them, generally a good idea in business. I know personaly the whole time George and TAO always wanted to re enter the fray with climbing gear of somekind but it is a big deal for a company to stick thier neck and wallet out in the HOPE that the community will respond positively and actually come in and buy some product.

Conclusions...
We now have MEC which is awsome. They may not carry everything YOU want but they do have good stuff and mail order options and they do a lot to support climbing even going so far as to assist in the purchase of climbing areas HELLOO SKAHA! $$$$$ If the poop ever hit the fan MEC would be a good partner in possibly aquiring Main Face or First Face.
TAO ..Boreal shoes great. Organic Pads AWSOME. Potential for different brands..RED Chilli...? or who knows what...they will bring in what we want(if they can get it) that has allways been TAO's attitude from day one.
The Trail shop... they sponsored Boulderfest. But that is a whole other story.
Its monday morning im tired from hanging in my harness yesterday for 4 hours at the GSPOT bolting a new line and the coffee has not yet kicked in. Keep it real.
Lance Thruster OUT!!!

[stoneseeker]

Cool to hear your perspective Sean, you've been on the scene long enough to know better!
I'm hoping the new Boreal will compete with the softer Stealth rubber too.
I think the stiffer rubber was welcome back then when sustained dime edging like that on El Cap was what people wanted...
But then sport climbing and bouldering entered the scene and changed the needs dramatically, and Boreal was slow to respond to that. Call them old school, but they are innovators.

What did you name/grade the new route you bolted? Was it as hard as you thought it would be?
sorry I didnt make it out. I worked instead

[ben smith]

You are saying the same thing I am. People will sell climbing gear when they can make money off it. It is ridiculous to assume that they will continue if there is no money in it.
If they sell products with a poor reputation even if the new products are good no one will risk buying them and then they will make no money and stop selling.
Thats not even negative spray it is just honesty.

[TMN]

I understand you guys have a more personal and emotional relationship with TAO and I really do appreciate your efforts. Good on ya's. I have visited TAO several times over the past ten years (hardly 'new' to climbing) and have left with nothing but a cold feeling. Unfortunately I do not believe they deserve my business as I have never left with the feeling of a valued customer. My personal experience with TAO. Granted nobody gives a rats ass and I do not expect them to. A personal experience and thoughts on store experiences is just as important as talks on gear. No?

[TMN]

Oops! The above post by TMN is in fact the sole opinion of scooter and is in no way associated with the thoughts or expressions of TMN. - Scott R.

[granite_grrl]

So I just popped over to the TAO website, not remember much about them except how they used to be Ron's Army and Navy and their change over. And I'm really excited that they carry Boreal!

I remember buying a pair of Lasers back when they went on clearance at MEC. Quickly discovered that not only did they not fit me very well, but the rubber was TERRIBLE! I gave those shoes away and recommended to the person I gave them to to get a resole and get some decent rubber on them.

Fast forward 8 years and a pal of mine gives me a pair of Cruxes. The moment I slipped them on I knew they were one of the best fitting shoes I've tried. But when trying them on the home wall nothing but disappointment! The rubber was terrible on plastic! My friend assures me that it's a different story on real rock, and after a few session getting my confidence with them I find out that he was right. Even on slick Ontario limestone I've had no problems and these are my favorite shoes I own.

So the webiste doesn't list what models TAO is carrying, anyone know for next time I'm home visiting family? I have no idea where to get Boreal in Ontario, and I don't think anyone at the Gunks, the Red or the New carry them either.

[granite_grrl]

Bringing up Ron's brought back my early days of buying gear in Halifax. There used to be a gear shop on maybe Dresden where I bought my first harness. Anyone remember the name of that one?

[stoneseeker]

So the webiste doesn't list what models TAO is carrying, anyone know for next time I'm home visiting family? I have no idea where to get Boreal in Ontario, and I don't think anyone at the Gunks, the Red or the New carry them either.

For now they have the Krypto (Velcro), Tribal (slipper), and Joker (velcro).
In January they may bring in the new models with the new Zenith rubber, as they become available.