He recommended a pair with a rounded toe, medium stiffness, and a neutral shape. Rock climbing shoes are critical gear for those who want to climb vertical stone.
The shoes tend to fit snug for high performance, and they are worn without socks. The cardinal rule? The fit of the shoe will depend on the shape of your feet, and it needs to feel good — meaning, fitted but not miserable or painful.
To start, head to your local outdoors shop or a shoe demo at a climbing gym. How a climbing shoe functions on rock, and how it feels on your foot, depends largely on its shape. Moderate shoes have a slightly downturned toe and medium heel tension. Aggressive shoes have a downturned, asymmetric shape with high heel tension. These are great for hard climbing, but less comfortable and tend to be more specialized.
They are not a great choice for beginners. Climbing shoes range from extremely stiff to buttery soft soles. Skip to main content Skip to content navigation Close navigation. Learn Running and fitness tips Hiking and camping tips Cycling tips Rock climbing and bouldering tips How to start rock climbing How to choose climbing shoes How to choose a climbing harness Climbing grade conversion About climbing ropes About rock climbing gear Rock climbing checklist Watersports tips Backpack tips Outdoor clothing tips Travel tips Snowsports tips Product care and maintenance MEC packing lists.
How to choose climbing shoes. Some overall pointers: Climbing shoes should fit snug, but like a firm handshake, not a painful squeeze. Beginners, crack climbers and those on long routes may opt for stiffer, flatter shoes. Sport climbers and boulderers often want softer, more curved shoes.
Lace-up shoes can be micro-adjusted for a good fit nice on all-day routes. Shoes with Velcro closures are fast to take off when bouldering or cragging. Shop rock climbing shoes. Tips for fitting climbing shoes Try on shoes at the end of the day, when your feet are slightly larger. Climbing shoes should feel snug all around your foot, without gaps or dead space that will reduce sensitivity. Beware of shoes that are too short. Pay attention to the back of the heel.
Each brand has their own sizing. Check our product descriptions for suggestions on where to start compared to the size of shoes you usually wear. Try on lots of different shoes! The best shoe is the one that fits you best, so take your time and try out several pairs. What to know about different materials All climbing shoes will mould and form to your feet, but some materials will stretch more than others: Leather uppers will stretch the most, and may become loose or baggy over time.
The benefit? Lined leather shoes and fully synthetic uppers will stretch the least. What shape of shoe should you choose? The shape of a shoe will influence how comfortable it feels and how it performs.
Neutral profile A flat shoe with a more symmetrical shape. Moderate profile Curved shoes with a more pronounced arc and generally some asymmetry to their shape. Aggressive profile Shoes with a distinct asymmetric, hooked shape and a visibly down-turned toe use the tension the shape creates to actively push your toes forward and centre your weight over your big toe.
What about climbing shoe stiffness? Laces vs. Velcro closures Lace up shoes are often the most comfortable, as they can be worn loose or snug. How rubber thickness and softness affects performance All climbing shoes offer good grip, but some rubber tends to be softer, which is great for smearing moves on bare slabs of rock or for lighter climbers. Shop women's shoes. These categories refer to the curvature of the footbed, which can have a drastic effect on your climbing precision and your all-day comfort.
Neutral shoes tend to be the most comfortable because they let your toes lie flat without being scrunched or pointed.
These are excellent for newer climbers because they allow you to get a good, solid fit without any unnecessary discomfort. Neutral shoes are the best place to start for beginners as you're likely to get none of the benefits from a more aggressive shoe, but still, suffer the discomfort. Moderate shoes combine the best of neutral and aggressive into a middle-of-the spectrum hybrid. Instead of being flat and cosy like a neutral or snug and downturned like an aggressive shoe, moderates have just a slight amount of camber.
This slight downturn makes moderate shoes great for daily technical climbing on slabs, cracks, long multi-pitch and mildly overhung sport routes. On the spectrum of comfort and rubber stickiness, moderate shoes fall right between their neutral and aggressive counterparts, as you might expect.
They are great all-purpose boots for your daily climbing needs. Aggressive climbing shoes exist on the opposite end of the spectrum of their neutral counterparts. Instead of being nice and comfortable, aggressive shoes are designed with a big downturned shape called camber which pulls the toes down and places lots of tension on the heel. This downturned shape puts the foot in a strong, powerful position for tackling difficult overhangs and steep sport routes.
Most of these focus power on the big toe to help climbers make precise foot placements. They also typically have a more heavily developed heel area, that allows heels hooks to be deployed more effectively.
Thus, they are best for single-pitch routes at the crag or the gym rather than on multi-pitch climbs. For a broader picture on the breadth of profiles and asymmetry, Scarpa has a great visualisation in their how to choose climbing shoes article, covering their entire range and how the shape changes for different applications. All climbing shoes use some sort of rubber in the outsole, which allows you to get maximum purchase on the rock. Many climbing shoes use a variety of different Vibram rubbers, which are known for their durability and precision.
Other companies use their own proprietary rubber, which reduces costs and saves you money in the long-run. Five Ten is one shoe company that makes its own climbing shoes rubber, which is known to be some of the best in the world. The Five Ten Stealth rubber, in particular, provides some of the best friction around. Take a photo of the sizing label and the rubber logo before they wear off, you can then remember what you're using when comparing with other shoes. As a beginner, you want to avoid very thin soles, you want something nice a durable for your first pair, to maximise their lifespan.
Climbing gritstone or granite, and trying to perfectly position your foot on a tiny pebble is going to be made much harder with thicker, less sensitive soles. Split sole, partial sole and full sole cimbing shoes left to right. This generally offers a stiffer platform and provides the most support to the wearer. This is great for longer, multi-pitch days or on routes where edging performance is important.
The stiffer sole can be really beneficial when you are spending a lot of time putting weight on your feet, as the shoe supports the foot, saving your toes and calves from fatiguing. The downside to a stiff sole is that they are less able to bend to the shape of the rock, so their smearing performance is not as good as a softer shoe. A medium flex, full sole midsole, is a good option for e beginner, as this will offer good support, whilst still being able to flex when needed.
This is the middle ground between a full and a split and generally offers characteristics that sit between the two. They can perform well across a range of disciplines from bouldering to crack climbing, where the foot needs to twist to perform foot jams.
This will give the maximum flexibility to the shoe and is found on many bouldering specific shoes. This allows the sole to bend a flex into any shape required, but offers almost no support to the foot, meaning you have to do all of the work.
The rand wraps around the outside of the climbing shoes and helps to give the upper part of its structure. It also provides yet more rubber that can be deployed when trying to make a toe hook. Some shoes add additional rubber here, to further the contact surface when toe hooking.
La Sportiva's Genius showing a large rand around the front black and a thick heel rand at the back yellow. More aggressive shoes often include a heel rand also, this is the strip that wraps around the back of the heel and joins underneath the midsole. Pulling the tabs at the back will stretch the shoes to allow the heel to slip into position, after which the shoe contracts back around the foot.
Don't get a highly tensioned shoe first time around, this design is really aimed at intermediate or advanced climbers. You may see brands talk about the amount of pre-tensioning in a particular shoe. Only intermediate to advanced climbers need to start thinking about getting more highly tensioned shoes.
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