Shoe suggestions (for a beginner)
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Just finished building my bouldering wall in my basement (45 degree angle) and am looking to buy my first pair of shoes. I've only gone indoor rock climbing a few times in my life so have no idea where to begin. I've read online things about agressive being better for 45 degree angles but at the same time being a beginner that I'm going to destroy my shoes due to my lack of abilities. Was hoping I could get some thoughts from some of you on shoes (and help with sizing if you know the style). |
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If the plan is to boulder on a home wall most of the time I would just worry about finding a lower price shoe that fits your foot well. Indoor foot holds are typically much larger than outdoor feet placements so buying downturn shoes won't be super important. The idea of an aggressive down turn shoe is to crank off tiny feet on overhanging terrain. |
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I for one love Evolv, and you can always find good cheap shoes on the closeout tab, some solid all around shoes are the pontas, defys, luchadors. I personally train in the addicts for comfort, and send v7/8s and 5.12s in them on major overhangs. Its not all about the downturn, a lot of it is core and good footwork |
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Luc Ried wrote:I for one love Evolv, and you can always find good cheap shoes on the closeout tab, some solid all around shoes are the pontas, defys, luchadors. I personally train in the addicts for comfort, and send v7/8s and 5.12s in them on major overhangs. Its not all about the downturn, a lot of it is core and good footworkThe Evolv Defys are great shoes for beginners. They are comfortable and cheap, yet they perform reasonably well on most routes. |
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For your first pair get the lowest priced ones that fit your feet properly and are comfortable* for what they are.
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I agree that your first pair of shoes should be inexpensive and not aggressive. |
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Keep in mind that climbing shoes are a piece of equipment used for climbing, not walking around town in. Whatever shoe you decide on be sure to go for a snug fit, but not painful, your toes should touch the end. Sloppy shoes could lead to sloppy foot work. Some shoes will stretch up to 1 full size after they break in, depending on the construction. I currently have a pair of Scarpa Boostics for bouldering. I purchased them 1.5 full sizes smaller than my foot measures, I hate walking in them but love climbing in them, I like an aggressive fit but that's just me. |
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Everyone on here is pretty much nailing it. |
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1) inexpensive is fine |
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Admittedly I didn't read any of those really long posts ahead of me, so this may have been said. Just know that a leather unlined shoe is going to stretch, so if you buy a pair that fits now it will stretch and not fit later. Conversely if you buy. A pair that is synthetic, lined, or both they will stretch far less or not at all so buy them to fit. |
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7) if the salesperson can't tell you how much a particular model stretches, slap them and ask to talk to someone who knows what they're doing. |
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I would not recommend a downturn shoe for a beginner. I have a pair of downturn and a pair of normal ones. The way I climb I rarely ever use the downturn, they hurt too. There have been a few hard bouldering routes that I worn 1 downturn shoe and 1 of my others due to a hold but if you are just starting out you are probably better with starting with normal ones before going aggressive. |
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La sport tarantula. Great all around reasonable priced shoe. Runs a bit large. |
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Everyday shoes should be comfortable. Good fit is the top priority. |
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I also agree with going CHEAP. Just about every beginner is going to drag his/her toe all over the place and completely blow out the toebox in no time, so it's probably best not to waste money on high-dollar shoes. I think when I got my first pair of shoes they lasted about five weeks. Now the same shoes last about four months. Amazing what some good footwork will do to a shoe's lifespan! |
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+1 for comfy and not aggressive. I got a deal on a pair of solutions and I hardly use them. Super aggressive shoes aren't that helpful until you're at a very advanced grade IMO. Whatever fits well |
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Also, you can go to a gear exchange and buy used. As long as there are no holes and the rubber looks decent, they're good to go. Save that skrilla for the important things, like beer. |
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Thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions! |