Climbing Shoes (how to decide and what to avoid)

A couple companies make gym-specific shoes, intended for rental use. These tend to have extra burly rand at the toe, which is where most beginners burn through their shoes due to poor technique. You might look at those.

for just starting out i would go try on shoes and get what feels best then adj from there

i wear a size 12 and prefer a basic shoe with comfort as its all i should need, i have a pair of evolv royals they have the trax rubber, they work pretty good as a basic beginner shoe smear pretty good and i even had them up some 5.10 finger cracks and they did pretty good jamming. they do have exposed laces but are holding up just fine. i also just got a pair of sportiva mythos that feel alot better than the royals in the heel pocket, but i still like the royals, mythos have somewhat protected laces for cracks.

As a beginner, buy a shoe you find comfortable. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will make you like climbing less than having your feet hurt all the time you're in your climbing shoes.

And, look at a relatively cheap, beginner-oriented shoe, is it will have a firmer shoe to support your (not-so-great) foot strength, and likely thicker/harder rubber, so you won't wear out the rubber really fast with bad foot work.

Be careful looking at reviews -- unless the reviewer states whether they are a beginner/intermediate/expert climber, their information may be irrelevant. What an expert climber wants in a shoe, and what a beginner does, may be worlds apart.

Of course, if the shoe falls apart in a month, that's bad no matter who was wearing it.

My personal preference is the La Sportiva Nago (mentioned earlier in the thread), and even as an experienced climber, I am still choosing a shoe for all-day comfort, not super-hard sends.

Go try some on. Don't spend a fortune and get a pair that are comfortable.

First shoe is easy. Step 1. Try on a pair of la sportiva, scraps , five.ten and see if "Their" style fits your foot. Step 2. Once a brand is chosen, I recommend a snug (not tight or uncomfortable) slip on or Velcro shoe that is a Benjamin or less. Done.
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Once you've about worn those out, you probably won't need to ask the forum what shoe you need as your experience will be able to guide you. Wish someone would have given me that advice when I got into climbing. Definitely check Used gear websites, Craigslist , if out west KSL.com classifieds has awesome deals with used but not abused gear.

Tarantulace weren't my first shoe bit I loved them for about a week or two. Then I hated them with a passion. Every step felt insecure and I pumped out quick. I did like the fit though. Now I have some good high end rubber. Sometimes, if I miss the foothold and accidentally step above or below it, my foot gets stuck on the rock with no hold and I have to pry it off to place it on the actual hold. I couldn't believe how sticky good rubber can be. World of difference.

I don't care what kind of footwear you buy, go to multiple stores and try on different models. Get a good fit, screw the reviews.

My first shoe was the Boreal Joker. They were super comfortable, but later I realized they really suck and wear out really fast.

Everybody should start with 5.10 Mocs. Doesn't matter what shape foot you have, they will stretch and fit like a glove. After you wear through those you'll have a better idea at what you want in a shoe.

Rick Blair wrote:I don't care what kind of footwear you buy, go to multiple stores and try on different models. Get a good fit, screw the reviews.

+1 fit is everything.

Also avoid the "tighter is better" fallacy. They used to say go as tight as you can stand, but I've found shoes that fit right are no less capable than shoes that are super tight. And super toght shoes often end up causing enough pain that It hurts my climbing after extended wear (like climbing longer routes outside). Shoes should be snug, toes very very slightly curled.

Ross, you are probably very confused by now...

As a beginner, you will not be climbing at the limit of any shoe you purchase, since your technique will not be well developed, not to mention your strength.

My advice is to buy a pair of inexpensive, snug but comfortable shoes. Everyone has different feet - what is right for one person is a disaster for other climbers. The advice to try on many different kinds and see what fits is sound advice - but stay away from the specialized ones (these are usually the most expensive).

Once you have more experience, you will be able to choose better, and buy a "better" shoe.

I often practice in the gym with my older ("bad") shoes, which forces me to have better footwork. When I put on my newer ("good") shoes, my confidence is improved and I climb better. Sometime I'll climb in approach shoes (e.g. - 5.10 Exum Guides) for the same reason.

The most important aspect is technique. A good climber will be able to climb in just about any shoe - not at their limit, but still pretty hard stuff. John Bachar, the "Alex Honnold" of the 80's, free soloed 5.11's in Boreal Fires wearing gym socks. I watched Royal Robbins lead 5.10d in tennis shoes - he was tired of uncomfortable climbing shoes!

I climbed fairly well in la sportiva tarantulas.

evolvsports.com/shop/closeout/

If you have small feet (as thats the only sizes left) I'd recommend the predators or the talons in the above link.....they are an aggressive shoe and by no means a beginner shoe.....but for $35....damn.....they are great for bouldering and steep sport as well as technical face climbing.....I wear a size 12.5 in street shoes and a 12.5 in talons and preds.....if they dont have your size.....then really...as a new climber, shoes dont matter.....

Arlo F Niederer wrote:Ross, you are probably very confused by now...

Not completely. I have found three climbing stores close to where I live.

Currently I am out of action from an inguinal hernia. I also recently have developed a really bad ingrown toenail (scab all round the toenail: basically infected). I might get the nail removed when I can see a specialist. I think it takes a few months of recovery time for the nail, which is funny because the keyhole surgery (recovery time) from the hernia is 4-6 weeks.

When I am better I will start climbing again. For now though, I am incredibly bored, as I am not an indoors person. The hernia is so bad, I can't even stand up for very long, before it starts to ache.

Mathias wrote:Your first pair of climbing shoes will help you figure out what you want (and don't want) in your second pair of shoes.

This...and don't spend too much money. It's not that there isn't a perfect pair for you, but that you will outgrow your perfect pair quickly, so it's a moot point. Don't worry too much about trying everything; you have no idea what's best.

That said, in general, avoid shoes that are very downturned (like testarossa), too soft (moccasym); you likely don't have the technique/foot strength to utilize them. If you are starting in the gym, avoid really stiff board lasted shoes, or beginner shoes w/ beginner rubber (avoid ecotrax, Frixion (on tarantula), thicker rubber is fine) they really suck on plastic. Laces are better than slippers , and IMO synthetic/lined leather is better than unlined leather (your feet will get more accustomed to tight shoes; you really don't want them to get bigger over time).

Golden rule for buying shoes as a beginning climber: Go cheap and go comfortable. Don't pay attention to online review scores - the people writing them have no idea what they're talking about 9/10 times. I have seen many 5.12s and 5.13s sent by climbers wearing "lowly" Evolv Defys, just as I've seen plenty of folks destroying their $180 Solutions while struggling up moderate routes.

As a beginner, all "performance" features of any shoe, be it a downturn or extra sticky rubber, will be a moot point. All you need to look for is a reasonably snug fit to prevent unnecessary flexing of the shoe material. By the time you will have improved enough to get more out of a nicer pair of shoes, you most likely have destroyed a few pairs of cheapies along the way.

Ross Gardner wrote: Those are laced. Laces wear out faster than velcro (so I have read).

As others have said, I find that laces last longer than velcro unless I'm aggressively crack climbing, and you can replace laces. Try replacing velcro straps :-)...

Laces are also more finely adjustable.

That said, the quick on-off of velcro is pretty nice.

My hernia is no more, but I have developed ANOTHER ingrown toenail. So I will have two big toes with no nail. Will this affect my ability to climb? I STILL haven't managed to get a pair of climbing shoes. Thanks for all the advice, though.