Choosing your Climbing Shoes

You’re hooked, and the gym shoes just don’t cut it anymore. No matter how tight you size them, your toes feel like bulky blocks that have the friction of a wet potato. It is time to make the leap and invest in your very own pair of climbing shoes. Or maybe you have been climbing for a while and you had your shoe pop off on a heel hook costing you the most epic V3 send the gym has ever seen. Recently, I noticed that I was wearing through my shoes in less than a few months and couldn’t stomach coughing up the $215 for new shoes multiple times a year. There are lots of reasons to be on the hunt for new shoes and with a little bit of knowledge we can help make that hunt successful. 

This guide can help you with everything from choosing your first pair of climbing shoes to picking out specialized shoes for certain climbing styles. It is broken into three sections beginner, intermediate, and advanced. In the beginner section we look into buying your first pair of shoes and the fundamentals of how to fit your shoes. In the intermediate section we will look at more technical information about getting your shoes to fit just right for your next level of climbing. Finally in the advanced section we will cover how to specialize your shoes for certain types of climbing and dial in those tiny details for the best performance possible.

Beginner
                                               

Where to Find Climbing Shoes

When purchasing your first pair of climbing shoes, or you are purchasing a new brand or style of shoe, it is best to go into a store and try them on. Since climbing shoes fit so tightly there are multiple areas of the shoe that need to be fitted. I suggest hitting up your local climbing store. They will have the widest selection of climbing shoes and the most knowledgeable staff. Here in B.C. Canada, we have some amazing local shops such as Climb on in Squamish, Valhalla in the Okanagan and all over B.C. and Eskala Sports down in Penticton. If you are buying your first pair, try on lots of different pairs and get help from the shoe guru on staff. They can help guide you to something that is suitable for  the shape of your foot and  your style of climbing. Unless you are rebuying the exact model and size of an old pair, buying off the internet can be a huge gamble. If you are going to purchase shoes online, a rule of thumb is the more technical the shoe is the harder it will be to fit. 

The Fundamentals of Fitting Your Climbing Shoes

When you’re starting out in climbing the most important thing to remember is that comfort is king. If you aren't comfortable it will be difficult to focus on getting better. What fits like a glove for one person could be wildly uncomfortable for another. While there are shoes that are more suitable for beginners, it doesn’t mean that the shoes are strictly beginner shoes. The shoes that are often suggested to beginners have their place in advanced climbing but also lend themselves to beginners.

It used to be the golden standard to size down from your street shoes by at least a size and a half.  This advice thankfully is falling out of fashion as more options and better shoe technology emerge. The focus now is on getting the right fit, climbing comfortably and maximizing your potential. 

When you are trying a shoe on there are three areas that you want to focus on to ensure that the shoe is fitting correctly.

1. Toe box

2. Volume

3. Heel

Toe Box 

The length of the shoe will be the thing you are most familiar with. This is very similar to your street shoes. You can vary the length by going up or down in size. However; even if two pairs of climbing shoes are the same size, the way the shoes fit can be drastically different. For climbing shoes you will want your toes pressing up against the end of the shoe. You will notice that it will cause your toes to curl slightly. That slight curl is what you are looking for. If they are too curled you will feel the tops of your toes pressing hard against the top of the toe box.
When you feel you have got the right length of shoe, stand up and rock on to your toes a bit and try walking around. Wear them around for a bit and take note if any hot spots appear. They will feel like little spots of pain. In most cases, these hot spots do not tend to subside since the toe box is often encased with rubber. Inversely, the toe box can be too baggy. This will take away from the snug fit even if the shoes are tight in length. The toe box is the most crucial part of the shoe to fit, so if it doesn’t feel right, swap it out and try another. 

Volume

The volume refers to the amount of space between the arch of your foot and the top. It will be evident when you go to fasten the shoes. If your foot has a low volume and you try on a pair of shoes that have a high volume, you might find you have a long tail of velcro not attached.

In general, if you find you are busting out the top or have flappy velcro straps you may want to try switching to a mens or womens shoe respectively. In general mens shoes tend to have a high volume and womens shoes tend to have lower volumes.

Heel

Personally, I find that the heel can be the hardest to fit.  A good fitting heel helps with getting your heels low on slab and locking in powerful heel hooks. 

The perfect fit for the heel is tight against your heel without digging into your achilles. When you are trying on the shoes at the store try pulling the heel of the shoe off without undoing the shoe. If you are able to flip the heel off your foot while the shoe is still on it most likely will be able to come off during a heel hook.

Advanced-Beginner Climbing shoe knowledge

There are a few other things beyond the fit that you should consider when buying a pair of climbing shoes. The material, shape, profile, and closure can all make or break how a shoe performs and how much it adds to your climbing.

Material

The big two materials used in climbing shoes are leather and synthetic. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. 

Leather is more breathable and less likely to create foot funk. It also stretches and forms perfectly to your feet. But over time it can over stretch and become loose. This means when you are picking out a pair of climbing shoes and the shoes you're considering are made of entirely leather, sizing down would be recommended. 

Synthetic material has the advantage of not losing its shape over time and will stay true to its size. However that means the way the shoes fit when you first try them on is the way that they will fit for a long time. This means any hot spots or tightness will stay as the shoe will take a long time to mold to your foot. Synthetic material also promotes the growth of bacteria and can become pretty rank over time.

Most of the shoes on the market today are actually a combination of synthetic and leather to capture the best of both worlds.

Asymmetry 

The asymmetry of a shoe refers to how offset the alignment of the large toe is from the center of the foot. This asymmetry helps focus power from your core down and through your big toe. It actually works very similar to a ballerina shoe, allowing you to focus all your power on a small area.

This toe-core connection is great for keeping your feet on the wall on overhangs and roofs. The trade off is that they can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. This is fine for bouldering at the gym but can be a nightmare if worn during a long multi-pitch climb. 

The disadvantage of being uncomfortable is often greater than the advantages for climbers who are just starting out. Even most of the more difficult bouldering problems at a commercial gym don’t require shoes with high asymmetry until you start messing around on a tension board.

Profile

The profile refers to how downturned the shoes are. The down turn is often paired with the asymmetrical toe to generate even more power through the large toe. This provides more length and precision while climbing. The curve also allows you to create tension when heel hooking. 

Similar to the asymmetry of the shoe, it has the disadvantage of being uncomfortable. Great for a bouldering sesh at the gym or outside, could be torture on the 5th pitch of a multipitch.

Closure

Most climbing shoes close using a velcro or lace up system. Mostly it comes down to preference which one you would like. The velcro has the advantage of being quick and easy and in my experience the velcro has never worn out. Laces take a little longer to tie up, but can be tightened to fit your foot exactly. Or if you have a very high or low volume, they can be used to adjust the shoes perfectly.

Recommendations

 Here are some recommendations to use as starting point, from least aggressive to most aggressive.

 La Sportiva - Tarantula

La Sportiva - Finale

Scarpa - Vapor V

 

It is important to remember that overall, getting a shoe that is comfortable is the name of the game. If you can’t climb often or regularly, it will be hard to get better or enjoy climbing. Don’t get stuck on a size, color, or brand and focus on what fits best. Getting a well fitting shoe will help with progressing your foot work more than an ill fitting aggressive shoe. So focus on getting what works for you to get the most out of your shoes.