Home » Sports & Recreation

The Rock Climbing Shoes Guide

Ranked #4,722 in Sports & Recreation, #120,199 overall

The Rock Climbing Shoes Guide

I have concluded all you need to know about buying a new climbing shoe, in a very concise article - so it won't take you forever to read it...

In here I will teach you the differences between different climbing shoe types and show you which shoe you need.

I will refer you to the leading climbing shoes in the market and my all time favorites.

Hi,
I'm Jim Brody, originally from Santa Cruz, California.

I'm a proffesional climber and climbing instructor for over 20 years.

More information about me and about climbing you can find in my other
article - "The complete rock climbing handbook". Link in the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!

Climbing Shoes

The single piece of climbing equipment that helps you actually climb is your climbing shoes. All of the rest is safety.

The main goal of these shoes is to allow you to balance your weight correctly on small crimps in hard angles. The way the shoe is built is very unique: Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand.

When buying a climbing shoe, it is very important that you go to the store and see that the shoe fits. I've had some rough time adjusting to some of my shoes. What I usually do, I go to my local climbing gear shop and try the shoe on. The shoe should be a little smaller than your normal size, and your toes should be bent down inside. It hurts a little in the beginning. So how would you know If it's good?
  1. Walk around with it. After about 10 minutes I try climbing a wall that's in the store. If it doesn't hurt too much - It fits.
  2. Check that the heel doesn't slip off. It's very important for bouldering.
  3. It's very individual. Go with your instincts.
After finding a good shoe and size at the store, I return to my house and order it through the internet - It's just cheaper...
I climbed with a lot of shoes over the years, and I gathered here the top five climbing shoes exist in the market today for various purposes, based on my experience and experts in the climbing world:
  • Your first shoe must have two characteristics: It will have a rough rubber coating (your toes will have to get use to the stress), a decent all-around shoe and it will have to be cheap (your shoe will wear out fast because of poor technique - trust me).
    A descent shoe that comply with the above - the Mammut Psycho.

     For a beginner, this would be enough. However, if you want to explore all the variations of climbing and you want to get that specific extra edge - those are my picks:
  • When you gain more experience, you'll want to upgrade for a better climbing shoe. I seriously recommend The 5.10 Anasazi VCS (Velcro). This one is my all time favorite, The FiveTen leading product. Solid all around shoe that is of the leading climbing shoe in the market. Trust me. Invest the extra buck and earn it back when you climb.


    For you La Sportiva fans, a great shoe that stands in the same standards - the La Sportiva Miura.
  • Bouldering: A bouldering shoe must be extremely down-turned and aggressive. The La Sportiva Testarossa is a great one for the steep bouldering problems.

Want more?

Check out my other articles!

The complete rock climbing handbook
An overall, comprehensive article - all you need to know in order to start climbing.
The rock climbing rope guide
Covering everything you need to know about ropes.

Tell me what you think!

Was this helpful for you? Plaese comment.

Feel free to write me at yargo4@gmail.com for any qustions, remarks, or complains you might have.

Show All

by

JimBrody

Jim Brody.
Proffesional climbing instructor and climbing junkie.
Climbing for over 20 years and guides climbing groups all over the globe.
Specializing... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags