Custom Climbing Shoes

Like many, climbing shoes have been causing me some significant foot problems. Does  anyone know if there are any custom shoe makers in the USA? sftclimbing.com/ these guys look really good but they went out of business. Any alternatives around?

Like many, have you considered leather shoes and the fact that after a few painful hours of break in they will fit perfectly?

John Clarkwrote:

Like many, have you considered leather shoes and the fact that after a few painful hours of break in they will fit perfectly?

I have, as I sit here in a boot prescribed by my podiatrist after climbing for several months in just the type of shoe you described.

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

Like many, climbing shoes have been causing me some significant foot problems. Does  anyone know if there are any custom shoe makers in the USA? sftclimbing.com/ these guys look really good but they went out of business. Any alternatives around?

Did you look at Kn, as recommended by sftclimbing? I don't know anything about them, I just opened the website you linked and that's who they say to go to. 

$350 but if you need custom then you need it I guess. They have some pretty sweet looking $4000 crocodile skin cowboy boots too. 

Also, acopa does some amount of customization, like split sizes and you can choose material and whether or not they are lined, plus they go all the way to size 20 if you need custom because you need something larger than you can find. Butora does split sizes too. 

I think you should contact acopa or maybe they'll reply here, but I think they might be able to work with you. 

Patrick Lwrote:

Did you look at Kn, as recommended by sftclimbing? I don't know anything about them, I just opened the website you linked and that's who they say to go to. 

$350 but if you need custom then you need it I guess. They have some pretty sweet looking $4000 crocodile skin cowboy boots too. 

Also, acopa does some amount of customization, like split sizes and you can choose material and whether or not they are lined, plus they go all the way to size 20 if you need custom because you need something larger than you can find. Butora does split sizes too. 

I think you should contact acopa or maybe they'll reply here, but I think they might be able to work with you. 

Unfortunately it appears that KN Climbing's website is not operational - they are likely not in business.

Acopa might be OK but really what I need is a shoe with a very specific shape that will avoid the poor biomechanical stance that messed up my foot to start with. The problem arose from having my toes curled and bent upwards while being weighted and pressed down hard from the top of the shoe. What I really need is for the toe to sit flat in a more natural position when it's being bent.

Sigh. Guess I'll have to keep looking for a shoe that fits that way naturally.

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

Acopa might be OK but really what I need is a shoe with a very specific shape that will avoid the poor biomechanical stance that messed up my foot to start with. The problem arose from having my toes curled and bent upwards while being weighted and pressed down hard from the top of the shoe

Isn’t that the entire point of climbing shoes…? Unless you are climbing fingers and up cracks, pretty sure squeezing the toes into a small volume to produce high pressure on a very small area of rubber is what climbing shoes are designed to do.

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

Unfortunately it appears that KN Climbing's website is not operational - they are likely not in business.

Acopa might be OK but really what I need is a shoe with a very specific shape that will avoid the poor biomechanical stance that messed up my foot to start with. The problem arose from having my toes curled and bent upwards while being weighted and pressed down hard from the top of the shoe. What I really need is for the toe to sit flat in a more natural position when it's being bent.

Sigh. Guess I'll have to keep looking for a shoe that fits that way naturally.

Pinks, Finales, Mocs, TcPros, Mythos (not for me, too Greek; I'm Egyptian), Tarantula/ce etc. Many shoes out there that run fairly flat and natural. Do not down size; depending on the shoe, you might even have to upsize from street size.

Nathan Doylewrote:

Pinks, Finales, Mocs, TcPros, Mythos (not for me, too Greek; I'm Egyptian), Tarantula/ce etc. Many shoes out there that run fairly flat and natural. Do not down size; depending on the shoe, you might even have to upsize from street size.

I have the finales

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

I have the finales

How tight are they? Your toes should be flat or else they're too tight for you; at least as a beginner. Of course, that's contrary to what everyone tells us but, you found out the hard way. 

My feet are flat and don't bend for crap (no real arch to speak of) so I've had a lot of issues finding shoes as well. But, I've also had to just suffer through for a while and break in my toes; not fun but, kind of the nature of the beast it would seem.

Perhaps check out https://sizesquirrel.com to see if they have suggestions based on your size, toes shape and current shoes. You might find a few shoe partners, where you can look over what they wear.

Sorry, I don't have any suggestions for custom shoes. Although, now that I think of it, somewhere on the site we have a list of resolers. I'll see if I can find the link. Maybe one of them can help or lead you in the right direction for something more custom.

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

The problem arose from having my toes curled and bent upwards while being weighted and pressed down hard from the top of the shoe.

Are you describing hyperextension of the last toe joint with normal curl/bend of the rest of the toe? I also think it should be clarified that the whole leather stretch to fit thing works a lot better widthwise than length. 

If I'm imagining this correctly I think you may have luck with a stiff shoe in a size which let's your toes fill the space but not be crammed in a position where pressure is going to hurt them in the way you and your podiatrist are noticing.

Mark OBwrote:

Are you describing hyperextension of the last toe joint with normal curl/bend of the rest of the toe? I also think it should be clarified that the whole leather stretch to fit thing works a lot better widthwise than length.

Yes that's exactly what I'm describing. The way my shoes currently flex, the effect is basically the same as cramming my feet into a much smaller shoe and then putting all my weight on my toe and the balls of my feet. Combined with the top of the shoe pressing down it creates a tremendous crushing pressure on my big toe and over time has caused a small sprain in my first MTP joint. I'm definitely sizing up, though I may still go for a softer shoe, might not be a problem if my toes aren't being crushed. A wider toe box might be helpful too.

Say, could you post a photo of your feet, might get more constructive feedback.

amariuswrote:

Say, could you post a photo of your feet, might get more constructive feedback.

sneaky way to get some free foot pics

Malcolm Hansellwrote:

sneaky way to get some free foot pics

It's not free. It's more of a barter system where foot pics are exchanged for quality climbing shoe recommendations.

Sounds like you should try on some shoes that fit you better before jumping to the conclusion that you need custom climbing shoes. That's what everyone else does. 

I had a similar problem, a few weeks of rest allowed the sprain to heal. Then I got a shoe that fit properly and taped my big toe to limit flexion and now its all good. There are hundreds of different climbing shoes, which all fit differently. The easier solution is probably just going and trying on more shoes and finding one that has a roomier toebox, adequate stiffness to help support your toe, and is properly sized. 

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

Yes that's exactly what I'm describing. The way my shoes currently flex, the effect is basically the same as cramming my feet into a much smaller shoe and then putting all my weight on my toe and the balls of my feet. Combined with the top of the shoe pressing down it creates a tremendous crushing pressure on my big toe and over time has caused a small sprain in my first MTP joint. I'm definitely sizing up, though I may still go for a softer shoe, might not be a problem if my toes aren't being crushed. A wider toe box might be helpful too.

You are picking up on the right issues and stressors but probably not the right solutions.  

Try one of these instead:

1.  If you want your toes flat, go with a stiff shoe where your toes reach the end of your shoe but don't curl.  To do this, you will want a shoe that has stiff rubber and a full sole.  Something like a TC Pro, Miura, Katana.  The reason you want a stiff shoe and a full sole is so that you have a better "platform" to stand on.  When you use your edge, the force will be distributed across more of the shoe via the stiff rubber, and you'll have to use less pressure on your toes.  The softer the rubber, the more pressure you need to exert (on small edges).  The reason people use soft rubber is because they can increase the surface area they have with the rock in situations where they aren't using their edges (smearing, sloping feet, volumes, that sort of thing).

2.  Moving in the opposite direction:  you could purchase a shoe that is aggressive where your toes curl.  You'll still want something on the slightly stiffer side, for the extra support.  Something like the Scarpa Instinct, perhaps.  

The easy way to think about this is levers:  the longer the lever, the more force you can apply.  When your toes are outstretched, they're a longer lever.  When they're curled, it is much harder (if not impossible) to bend them upwards, or in a manner which would hyperextend them.  This type of shoe should allow you to stand on smaller edges without your toes bending upwards/out, as they'll be more or less in a fixed position.  Think about aggressive shoes like the hoof of a mountain goat.  You're basically making the same shape, and fixing it in that position to gain power on very small edges.  

The downside of these shoes is that a lot of them do not have full soles.  Meaning, the power you are exerting is through your toes, and you do not have that "platform" to stand on as you would with the aforementioned style of shoe.  If your foot is weak, you'll have to get a bit stronger.

Honestly though, it just seems like your toes aren't used to the discomfort, and amount of strain.  If you climb long enough, I'm sure they'll get strong enough to handle the loads you're subjecting them to.  Similar in a way to finger strength.  If you put someone who has never climbed on tiny holds, they're going to blow their tendons up.  That's just how it goes.  A lot of tendon strength/health is genetic, you might just be unlucky in that regard, or have put way too much pressure on your foot on accident.

Terry Owenswrote:

Sounds like you should try on some shoes that fit you better before jumping to the conclusion that you need custom climbing shoes. That's what everyone else does. 

I can, I would just rather avoid another 6 weeks in a boot 4 months from now because I made the wrong choice. 350 bucks is not that much when you put into perspective the cost of the rest of climbing equipment.

Another Climbing Engineerwrote:

I can, I would just rather avoid another 6 weeks in a boot 4 months from now because I made the wrong choice. 350 bucks is not that much when you put into perspective the cost of the rest of climbing equipment.

It tends to be your most frequently recurring cost though aside from chalk. On that note though, some resolers will add stiffeners to your midsole on request. If you have a shoe that fits okay, but needs to be stiffened, that may be a way to go about it without doing the full custom shoe.

Well, you don't want to talk about your foot shape, fine. IIRC Finales put too much pressure on my big toe, cramped  my toes too much. Don't want to generalize, but I find that "comfort" oriented shoes are the least comfortable for me. I discovered that shoes described as "aggressive", "asymmetric" fit my feet better than others.
My current comfort shoe is Evolv Geshido/Laces - shape is quite aymmetric. I find the toe box roomy enough, sole stiffish, laces allow for adjustments. Geshido/Velcro feels softer, the toe box feels tighter as well. When I desire to look like a climber, I usually break out Shamans, they have similar fitting toe box.

BTW - Yosemite Bum, the other side of Evolv, provides a few customization option - stiffer soles, stretching. Here is link - https://www.yosemitebum.com/services 

Reese Stanleywrote:

Honestly though, it just seems like your toes aren't used to the discomfort, and amount of strain.  If you climb long enough, I'm sure they'll get strong enough to handle the loads you're subjecting them to.  Similar in a way to finger strength.  If you put someone who has never climbed on tiny holds, they're going to blow their tendons up.  That's just how it goes.  A lot of tendon strength/health is genetic, you might just be unlucky in that regard, or have put way too much pressure on your foot on accident.

My thoughts exactly.  I had a similar issue to OP a few years back and it has nothing to do with what type of shoe I was wearing.  Slab climbing and stepping on tiny pebbles sticking out of the wall majorly overloaded my big toe joint.  It just takes time and conscious effort to build up the strength to hold your body up instead of letting all of your weight rest on the joint of your toe.  A custom shoe likely wont help and at best will just mask the cause of the issue.