Black Diamond Method S rock climbing shoe review

While the Method S might share a name with Black Diamond’s original Method (the green ones), that’s just about all they share. The two are quite different shoes. How are they different? Well, if I had to guess what the “S” stood for in Method S, my money would be on “soft.” This shoe is the rubber-clad vision of climbing powerhouse Seb Bouin, brought to life by Greek resoling royalty George Vlahandreas (of Fixarock).

Fit:

The Method S is a moderately downturned, slightly asymmetrical shape, and undoubtedly a high-volume shoe (especially through the forefoot and heel) with a tall toe box to accommodate more aggressive levels of toe curl from a performance fit. The first thing I did upon receiving the shoes was force everyone around me to try them on, especially people with weird feet resembling the shapes of Doritos or pencils. Much to our surprise, they seemed to fit everyone’s feet reasonably well. Given how soft and elastic the build is, these shoes have a very accommodating fit (if sized appropriately) and feel surprisingly comfy for a performance shoe. Even the heel, which was a bit too high volume for me, felt secure and predictable during heel hooks, though a bit imprecise at times… and coming from me, that is high praise. I went half a euro size down from my Butora and Unparallel size and got minimal stretch (1/3 of a euro size).

Features and design of Black Diamond Method S: 

One of my favourite features of the Method S was the super elastic knitted sock upper, which made the Method S feel like I was actually wearing a sock! One downside to this is that you shouldn’t crank too hard on the front pull-tab, but the same is true for shoes like the Tenaya Mastia. My other favourite feature was the design of the heel tabs, which connect directly into the lining of the heel. This makes it extremely easy to get these shoes on and off my heel. I now wish all of my performance shoes had this feature.

Speaking of things I like, here’s something I don’t like…the toe patch. While the rubber coverage for toe hooks & scums is good, I’ve found the “ribbed” texture to be unnecessary and actually quite annoying during more technical toe hooks (a friend joked that it was ribbed for my dis-pleasure). Thankfully, this improved as the toe patch has worn down, but is worth noting. The sole features 3.75mm of BD’s own Black Label Fuse rubber. I’ve found it to feel a bit stickier than XS Grip 2, Trax SAS, and Unparallel RH. This rubber is also featured on the camo heel, a style choice that may be polarizing for some; I happen to like it, but not everyone will.

Function of Black Diamond Method S:

If I had to sum up the Black Diamond Method S in one sentence, it would be “soft and springy.” This shoe is quite soft, at both the mid and toe, making it exceptional at volume running, pasting, and smearing. Naturally, this comes at the cost of edging performance. There is a horseshoe midsole to add some support for smaller foot chips and edges, making these more versatile than something as soft as a Scarpa Veloce or Furia Air. But I would still classify these shoes as “specialised” rather than all-rounders. I’ve really enjoyed using these as an indoor bouldering shoe, particularly for smearing on volumes when climbing more “comp style” problems, as well as the toe-grabbing ability on steeper terrain such as board climbing. In terms of sport climbing, I would suggest pairing the Method S with a stiffer pair as part of a quiver, unless you plan to jump on specific routes like ‘India’ at Arapiles/Dyurrite or ‘Chicane’ in the Grampians/Gariwerd where glassy smears are a given.

Final thoughts:

The Black Diamond Method S offers great value for those wanting a soft performance shoe at a more affordable price. They feature some clever design choices that make for a relatively comfy and very accommodating fit. The soft midsole and toe mean they excel at smearing and pasting, but at the cost of edging performance, making them a more specialised shoe rather than an all-rounder. Regardless of your thoughts on Black Diamond’s previous shoes, the Black Diamond Method S is the best climbing shoe Black Diamond has made to date, and a worthy option at the price point.

Overall, I’d rate it 4.3 out of 5 blue offsets.