Ask anyone climbing at the time, and they’ll tell you that Red Chili caused quite a stir, when they originally launched their range back in the late 1990’s. The strong iconic branding and outlandish Mexican names, a contrasting tack away from the sedate colours and conventional model names used by the popular brands of the time – Kendo, Velcro and Dominator, seemed seriously tame compared to spicy labels such as Dos Equis, Habenero and Torro.

The superb branding, active advertising campaign and most importantly, an intense program of getting shoes on the feet of everyone, from top rock stars to ‘local heroes’, in a gargantuan effort to persuade the youth of the day that these were ‘the’ shoes to be seen in. And it worked… for a time.

This is just my view but; over the proceeding years, and despite the fact the brand was (is?) undoubtedly one of the major players, in terms of numbers of shoes sold, the efforts to keep the top-end side of the brand fresh seemed to fade somewhat. There was the introduction of Ben Moon to the ranks, and a trendy ‘sex sells’ advertising campaign, but that aside, fewer and fewer hot shots were seen in the shoes; this at a time when the old players (La Sportiva, 5.10, Scarpa etc.) were fighting back with a mix of flash new designs and branding, more reliable supply and improved build quality. Whilst Red Chili, it seemed, were putting less and less effort into producing performance shoes. It is an assumed axiom, that while a large percentage of a manufacturers rock shoe sales are driven through entry and mid-level shoes, to offer at least one ‘kick ass’ performance shoe in a range is crucial – having Johnny Hero consistently seen to be climbing 8c+, E10, V13 or whatever, in your shoes, is to subconsciously draw the consumer to your brand, and hopefully buy into it on some level.

Image below: Red Chili Matadors, put to the test on the smeary sandstone delights of Big Buoy (7b/V8), St. Bees Head, Lake District, Cumbria (first ascent).


In 2009 Red Chili launch their new flagship shoe, in an effort to persuade the hardcore activist/consumer that they can still cut the mustard when it comes to producing performance rock shoes. They recently gave me a pair of the NEW Matador to test out, to which I must confess, I was initially pretty apathetic. However, after field-testing these suckers on various terrains, over a number of weeks, I’d have to say that these shoes not only look and feel good, they perform supremely well!

Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not saying that Red Chili ever produced bad top-end rock shoes; I’m just saying, that in my view, their latter day offerings just weren’t quite as good as the competition – they didn’t seem to hold their shape as well (they stretched a lot when worn tight), the rubber was unbranded (less sticky?) and the overall design specs were pretty old hat. All these points have been thoroughly assessed, rounded upon and rectified in the Matador.

 Last & Fit
The last of the Matador is a great compromise. When I originally saw the shoes I was expecting them to be quite toe-down, similar to a 5.10 Dragon or Evolv Talon, which whilst not a bad thing would limit their spectrum of use. However, on using the shoes I soon discovered the last to be far more forgiving, still offering excellent performance on steep ground, but also quite adept on more vertical terrain – think 5.10 Dragon/Jet7 merged with a La Sportiva Katana. The fit is pretty low volume and the shoe contours to your foot in all the right places, the toe box visually seems quite narrow, however I have quite a broad forefoot (e.g. I can’t wear 5.10 Verde’s) and found the shoes to fit very well in this area. The heel is also very good, again quite narrow, fitting/holding well and externally being fully encapsulated in rubber.

 Stretch & Build Quality
In the past I’ve had a bit of a beef with Red Chili shoes for stretching overly after only a few sessions, a problem which is compounded the tighter you wear your shoes. Unlike many Red Chili shoes the Matador is entirely synthetic, with the added bonus of a well adhered rubber toe-shield on the upper, helping the shoe retain its size and shape after multiple sessions, even when worn tight. The pair I received have softened up a fair bit from their initial state; however I am informed by Red Chili that the production shoe will be slightly more robust, so this should prevent too much softening. Despite my shoes softening up they have actually stretched very little, so this consistency should help when initially fitting the shoes as a potential new customer. On a similar note the build quality also seems pretty good, although as far as I’m aware Red Chili’s have always been pretty reliable on this front.

Closure
The shoe uses a triple Velcro style strap set-up, which offers plenty of adjustment.

Rubber
I believe the Matador uses Red Chili’s ‘Super sticky 4.2mm RX1’ rubber, which in terms of branding, means very little to me. However, as with anything the proof is in the pudding. I used the shoes on a number of surfaces (limestone, sandstone, granite, rhyolite and a 45 degree training board) and to be honest I can’t fault it – whatever it is, it’s pretty damn sticky! I’m told that the sample shoes I have, use a particularly soft version of the rubber, and to increase the longevity of the shoes, the finished product will offer a harder compound, so I’m unable to comment on the rubber used on the production shoes. As I touched on earlier, Red Chili have affixed a rubber covering to the upper of the toe box, and this is a really top drawer job – supple, smooth and forgiving, while still offering ‘real rubber’ friction – and possibly the best effort yet, by any manufacturer endeavoring to completely rubberize a toe box.

Image below: The Matadors offer good precision and purchase on steep training boards.


 Summary
As yet, I can’t really find fault with the NEW Matador; it is highly precise and well fitting, with a particular penchant for steeper terrain, especially anything involving foot cams, locks and hooks – the rubberized upper of the toe box is par excellence and, in my view, unrivaled by any shoe currently available. When the need arises the Matador also performs admirably on more vertical ground, although the relatively soft mid-sole suggests you wouldn’t want to be standing around on your toes for an overly long period. Overall Red Chili have done a standup job of assaulting the performance end of the market, and if the production shoes perform half as well as the shoes I have I think Red Chili may just be about to cause a stir once again.

• Purchase the Red Chili Matador 2011/12 version here.
• Or better still the Matador 09/10 (only visual differences) on DEAL at a great price here.