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Climbing Shoes Buying Guide - How to Buy Rock Climbing Shoes

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Climbing Shoes - Types In general, there is no such thing as an "all-around" pair of shoes. Each type of Climbing Shoes has its own characteristics, advantages, and drawbacks. This section covers the various types of footwear used in Rock Climbing. Know what kind meets your requirements.

• Know the different Rock Climbing Styles and determine what attracts you most. In general, a certain climbing surface calls for a specific kind of shoes. Wearing the pair which is designed for a particular type of climbing can help improve your performance.


• Beginners should watch out not to buy shoes that are too tight. If they are, you might concentrate on your pain than climbing. This will surely irritate you. When these shoes stretch, you can always compensate by adding socks. This will greatly improve the learning curve. Of course, there will come a time that you will start needing more foot control and you will want shoes that are designed for that control.


• Rock climbing shoes should generally fit tight around your feet. How tight is determined by what you are doing and how much pain you can stand. Your toes should curl up a bit in the front of the shoe and should not wiggle. This makes your foot that much more powerful for edging and smearing. However, it makes rock shoes a bit uncomfortable.


• When you buy shoes, ignore the size on the box since every shoe company uses different lasts (hand-carved feet where the shoes are built around) that have little or no correlation to each other. Some companies figure you will wear a climbing shoe that is one size smaller than your street shoe size. But others make the adjustment in the factory, so climbing shoe and street shoe sizes are the same. Since they are designed differently, always try on several brands.


• Be aware that unlined leather climbing shoes stretch about 1/2 inch in size with wear, so buy them snug. Lined leather shoes don't stretch, since they will conform to your foot after several outings. Synthetic shoes won't stretch at all. The fit you have in the store is the one you'll have to live with.