What was the first pair of climbing shoes you ever owned?

Boreal Aces.

Scarpa Brio's

1976 Tennis shoes, hiking boots, blue Suede Royal Robbins climbing boots, then finally manna from heaven in 1977, a pair of EBs which we speedy stitched leather over the canvas sides. Climbed in those until 1982 Then came the Fires. Proof that science is better than belief.

I first had a pair of Merrels. That was like '92, I think?

Boreal Aces. The day glow green ones. Awesome shoes!

My first are Kronhoffer Kletterschue from 1959. Still in occasional service.

I started with a pair of those lime green Five Ten Summits.

Terrible shoes, but relatively cheap. They were hot, stiff, and fit poorly, and they had a preternatural ability to stink (full canvas lining). They got to the point where I had to strap them to the outside of the car on the ride home!

Those shoes really turned me off of FiveTen . After I ditched the Summits for some Mythos, I've never climbed with FiveTen again.

First were the red/orange Pivetta Spiders in 1978, followed quickly by 'Shoenards' aka Vasque Ascenders. A trip to the Whitehorse slabs convinced me to see the light and buy some green and white PAs. EBs were next until I lost them somewhere and bought one of the very first pairs of Fires. Etc, etc, etc. Megas, Le Menestrels, Synchros, Vectors, Lasers, Super Xs, Stingers, Taos, Cobras, Testarossas...

I climbed my first multipitch -the "White Maidens Walkaway" at Tahquitz in 1963 wearing Converse tennis shoes, but borrowed others' Kronhoffers for bouldering at Stoney Point in the late '50s. Anyone here remember Ray Palmer - a So Cal/Colorado climber from the '60s.

My first pair were Boreal Diablo's in 1998. I still have them sitting on a shelf. I recently considered purchasing an unused pair in my size to wear for nostalgia's sake.

My very first shoes I used for climbing were true court shoes. They sucked at Goat Rock, CA, and I didn't try climbing again for years.

Then, a classmate of mine gave me a pair of her ex-boyfriend's Fires that were 2 sizes too big and in need of a resole, yet I found them so much better than tennies that I got hooked. Thanks, Janice!

EB's in 1984.

Montrail Smoothy's... and I was pissed when I blew out the toes in a month.

A pair of kletter shoes I bought from Steve Kamito (not sure of the spelling!) at his great little shop just north of Boulder in 1970-71. Steve was a master boot maker but imported these. Gray uppers, absolutely no lining, just bare leather! Ha.

An ex-rental pair of Boreal Zephyrs. So stiff you could have taken them ice climbing. Did the trick though...

Black sneakers from Woolworths... cost 30 cents.. or leather hiking boots. ..1954

Boreal ballets...1994 or 95? Still got em somewhere. Not mine in the pic...

Keith Leaman wrote:I climbed my first multipitch -the "White Maidens Walkaway" at Tahquitz in 1963 wearing Converse tennis shoes, but borrowed others' Kronhoffers for bouldering at Stoney Point in the late '50s. Anyone here remember Ray Palmer - a So Cal/Colorado climber from the '60s.

La Sportiva Tesstarossa. May 2013. Almost through first resole...

Kronhoffer Kletterschue 1959. They are still good for light gym use.