Types of Shoes
There are a few main types of climbing shoes and they are all designed for a specific purpose. There are shoes for comfort while climbing all day, shoes for cracks, shoes for edging, and shoes for extremely steep and overhanging rock. Keeping in mind many shoes overlap categories, let's take a look at each. When trying on climbing shoes attempt to place you foot in positions you will encounter while climbing. Most reputable gear shop will at least have a couple of climbing holds on a wall you can step onto. Worst case, while wearing both shoes ensure you are able to rock forward onto your toes, if you experience discomfort try another size or a different shoe.
Comfort Shoes
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Although not a very technical term, it does sum up the purpose of these shoes. These shoes are designed to be able to be worn all day with minimal discomfort and are generally low-cut and mid-stiffness. They do, however sacrifice edging ability and sensitivity. Most climbers start with shoes in the comfort category for three reasons. First, they're inexpensive. This is generally a concern for someone just starting a new sport, especially one that can be as expensive as climbing. Second, although there is no such thing as a real "all-around" shoe, the comfort shoe is as close as it gets. And third, frankly it doesn't matter. This is just the shoe you use until you want to increase your performance or determine you need a shoe for a specific purpose.
Examples:
- 5.10 Spire
- La Sportiva Cliff
- Scarpa Freestyle
- Evolv Royale
Sport Shoes
Sport shoes are not as comfortable, but many climbers find the trade off worth the added performance. Sport shoes have chiseled toes and a relatively larger arch than shoes designed strictly for comfort. Within this category shoes range from relatively stiff to extremely sensitive. Stiff shoes are designed to hold small edges all day long and are very beneficial to climbers lacking strong foot muscles. The drawback is the loss of sensitivity. Over time you adapt to this and have no problem telling what is underfoot, but for climbers switching from a sensitive shoe to a stiff shoe there can be a learning curve. Extremely sensitive shoes provide tremendous smearing ability and feel. The downside to this type of shoe is it can become fatiguing on long face climbs with a lot of thin edging especially for people lacking strong foot muscles. Sizing these shoes can be more difficult as the toe boxes of these shoes vary greatly. It is important to try on different shoes and make sure you have something that fits your foot well. This is not the time to order the new "greatest ever" shoe on the internet without trying them on.
Examples:
- 5.10 Anasazi
- 5.10 Galileo
- Evolv Pontas
- Evolv Defy
- Scarpa Mago
- Scarpa Booster
- La Sportiva Miura
- La Sportiva Katana
Crack/Trad Shoes
Crack/trad climbing shoes are used for just that, crack and traditional climbing. They differ from sport shoes in that they are designed to be more comfortable for use during long trad routes as opposed to shorter (generally one pitch) sport routes. These shoes are designed to give the climber a toe box designed for foot jams and extra rubber and material around the front of the shoe to help it hold up to the demands of crack climbing. Some shoes feature a higher cut to protect your ankles while climbing cracks. These shoes are also designed with some comfort in mind as they tend to be used on longer routes and most climbers will typically not size these shoes quite as small. It is very important to make sure your toes lay nearly, if not completely, flat in the shoe. Foot jams are not a pleasant experience for many climbers and having the right shoe sized properly can make the difference between looking at a summit to looking down from a summit.
Examples:
- La Sportiva TC Pro
- La Sportiva Tradmaster
- Scarpa Techno
- Evolv Quest-AF
- 5.10 Grandstone
- 5.10 Copperhead
Bouldering/Steep Face Shoes
There are also shoes made specifically for bouldering or steep and overhanging rock. They are characterized by a significant down turned toe designed to help the climber get more of the shoes rubber on the rock and put more power into the big toe. These shoes can be very uncomfortable if not sized correctly but beneficial for those exclusively climbing very steep rock. Again, it is very important to get a shoe that fits your foot. You are are going to get very tired and discouraged if you have to remove you shoes after every attempt at a boulder problem.
Examples:
- 5.10 Blackwing
- 5.10 Dragon
- 5.10 Jet7
- La Sportiva Testarossa
- La Sportiva Solution
- Scarpa Stix
- Evolv Talon
- Evolv Predator
Sizing
The most important thing to remember when looking for climbing shoes is the fit of the shoe. No matter what promises they make to improve you climbing ability, it won't work if it doesn't fit. Make sure the heel doesn't slip; and obviously you won't get much rock climbed if you dread even putting them on. As many manufactures have different cuts, the best place to buy your new shoes is a local retailer. Yes, they are more expensive than buying online, but they will make sure you have the right size.
Men's vs. Women's
Many shoes are made with a men's and women's version. Men that have a low volume may find it beneficial to buy a women's shoe while women with high volume feet may find a men's shoe provides a better fit. Again, your best bet is to try them on.
Linings
One last thing to consider is the shoe made of. You can expect an unlined leather shoe to stretch up to a full size. Lined leather shoes may stretch half a size. While lined synthetic shoes are said not to stretch, however some models will stretch a tiny bit.
Slippers vs. Velcro vs. Lace-up
Climbing shoes are offered in a few different styles. Slippers just slip on and off making getting in and out of them easy but lacks any way to fine tune the fit. Velcro shoes generally have two Velcro straps that still makes it simple to put on and take off but allows some fine tuning of the fit. Finally, lace up shoes allow you to fine tune the fit the most but you sacrifice the ease of getting them on and off. Which you decide on will be strictly a matter of personal preference.
Now That You've Found Your Shoes...
So after an extensive search you have found a pair of shoes that fit you feet well. Since you don't want to have to replace them right away it is important to take care of them. Do this by keeping them clean, it's obvious you don't want to wear them all day at the base of rock walking though fine dirt and mud as that will force dirt and small rocks into the soles. This is going to reduce the friction the soles of your shoes are able to create. As a rule of thumb if you are trying to keep your rope out of it you should try to keep your shoes out of it. If you do need to clean your shoes you can do so by hand. To clean the soles take a clean cloth and do a little scrubbing. You can also take sand paper and lightlygo over the soles, do this in a back to front manner and avoid side to side motion. It should be obvious that if you do this after every climb you will shorten the life of your shoes significantly. Do what you can to avoid direct sunlight and heat. While climbing on the sunshine slab may make this difficult, put your shoes in the shade when you are not climbing. The base of your shoes are held in place by glue that is heated during the application of the sole. Allowing your shoes to get hot will reduce the bond between your shoes and their soles potentially allowing them to delaminate, shortening their lifespan and reducing their performance. If you spend much time at the local crag you have probably seen many climbers with big fancy backpacks with plenty of room who have their shoes clipped onto the outside of their packs. This is so those shoes can have the chance to dry out and get a little fresh air in an attempt to keep them from stinking. Some climbers keep a dryer sheet in their shoes to help keep them dry and smelling fresh-ish. One last note, if you are going to have your shoes re-soled (after all they are already broken in) do the re-soler a favor and either wash them by hand and give them a chance to dry, or stick them in the freezer for a couple of days. The cold will kill the bacteria that makes them smell. While this will only last until the next time you wear them but your re-soler will greatly appreciate it.
Recommended shoes manufacturer websites:
- La Sportiva (http://www.sportiva.com/)
- 5.10 (http://www.fiveten.com/)
- Scarpa (http://www.scarpa.com/)
- Evolv (http://www.evolvesports.com/)