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Climbing Shoe Buying
Guide
A Bridge Between Rock and
Feet
Climbing shoes aren't
gear. They're the translators that let the feet speak rock language, with all
its variances. One shoe knows subtle pocket poetry, one the taut prose of dime
edging. Only a comfortable, patient boot can make it through the novels in Grade
V granite. Am I getting carried away? The point I want to make is: there's no
such thing as an "all-around" rock shoe. So get ready for the most
complicated buy you will face as a climber. First, let's cover the rock-shoe
characteristics you'll see in the nice little charts.
The Basic Criteria
- Price. Rock
shoes are made in small quantities, by small companies - you'll never see
them on the $9.95 clearance rack at Payless. No, brace yourself, because
you're talking serious change, $100 to $150. The best ways to save real
money on shoes are to buy them used (usually a bad idea, since a climbing
shoe will conform to its owner's foot), look for close-outs on discontinued
models, or hang out with elite sponsored climbers who wear your same size.
To soften the blow, try to imagine that your bucks are going to climbers
instead of a huge, faceless megacorporation in Paramus, New Jersey, even if
it's not quite true.
- Weight. All
rock shoes are light, and I'm not sure why we even bothered to put this in
the chart, except maybe because it was one of the few things you can measure
about a rock shoe. The weight of a shoe will usually depend upon its
construction, which will depend upon its intended use
- Size. If
your foot is average-sized, you'll get your pick of shoes. But if you're
shopping for a kid, are extremely petite, or wear size 13 or larger, the
shoe you want might not come in your size. Check the charts.Keep in mind
also that sizes vary between brands, both in the scale used (U.S., British,
or European) and the fit for each size. It's essential that you try on the
boot; never just mail order your street size.
- Rubber. You
won't find this in the charts, I guess because we couldn't figure out how to
describe it. Sticky rubber? Check. All the shoes mentioned here are sticky.
Really sticky. Be assured that the boot on your foot is soled with the
stickiest rubber known to man. Fact is, over the years we've tried to test
shoe rubber, only a few testers have ever claimed to notice a difference
between the top brands.
- Use and ability
level. These are the crux issues for buying a shoe. The burly high-tops
that hold their shape during a brutal bout of heel-and-toeing on The Crack
of Fear are going to feel like cement overshoes in the gym. The powerful but
crunched foot position you want for a short, extreme sport pitch will
hospitalize you on an all-day route. Think about what you're going to use
the boot for and buy accordingly. Your choices will reflect two factors:
what/where you want to climb and your ability level.
The charts make a
general statement about the ability level each shoe is designed for - beginner,
intermediate, expert - but the question is really too complicated to answer with
checked boxes. Acquiring shoes is a gradual process, and will parallel your
climbing learning curve.
Let's begin at the
beginning
Buying your first pair of rock shoes? Choosing beginners' shoes is easy. Why?
Simply because, no offense, it doesn't really matter. This is not because you
want an "all-around" shoe - if there were such a thing - but because
you won't know the difference. If you've been climbing in your tennies, any
climbing shoe is going to amaze you and improve your climbing 1000 percent. Look
and ask around at your local crag for the shoes that suit your area. You'll
probably settle on a semi-soft low-top, the closest thing there is to a modern
"all-around" shoe.
Grade-wise, it's hard
to say what defines an intermediate climber nowadays. A Berkeley kid might climb
5.11 on her first gym day, while many a distinguished Gunks rock rat spends
years working his way patiently through the traditional grades to 5.9. There's
only one objective benchmark to indicate you've become an intermediate: the day
you buy a second pair of climbing shoes.
Your second pair of
shoes
Two pairs of climbing shoes is an outward sign of an inner growth. You've either
started to branch out in the kinds of climbing you do, or, God forbid, you've
begun training.Let's say you started out a year ago with a medium-soft, low-top,
not-too-tight sport shoe - maybe a Boreal Zephyr, Sportiva Aero, or 5.10 Hueco.
Such boots are also best for the mixed crack and face of general trad climbing.
- Slippers Your
second shoe should probably be a slipper, especially if you climb indoors.
Why? First, slippers work great on plastic. They're super sensitive so you
can really feel those glassy blobs you're supposed to stand on. And since
gym holds are generally rounded and relatively large, a slipper's poor
edging performance is seldom a problem. The slipper's floppiness also makes
it strenuous to climb in, which is good in a training shoe - your foot and
calf muscles need toning the same way your upper body does.
Other benefits of slippers: you can fit them tighter than your old shoes, so
they're precise; after the three minutes it takes to top out your route,
slip the things off your heels while you belay or rest. Slippers are
compact, so you can hide them in a fanny pack or briefcase and take
advantage of unexpected climbing opportunities.
- Stiff high-tops
OK, another second-shoe scenario: maybe you started in a tighter,
gym-friendly sport shoe - like a 5.10 UFO, Sportiva Kendo, or Scarpa
Dominator - and now you're lusting for Yosemite or the Tetons. For you, shoe
number two might be a stiff high-top. You've already got a good sport shoe,
so fit the new boot for comfort, maybe even with a sock. Socks will cushion
your tender feet against the brutality of Valley foot jamming, and keep your
toes warm while you belay your slow-ass partner up the Exum.
Now, let's say you've accumulated a general sport shoe, a slipper, and a
high-top, all-day shoe. You can go a long way on these three shoes - gym,
sport, short or long trad, alpine free climbs. If I really did have to give
away my extra rock shoes, I'd cling to these as the bare minimum.
Specialty shoes for
specialty climbing
Beyond this point, we're talking specialty shoes. Though "slabs" are
temporarily out of fashion, every rock expert should own an edging boot. If you
hate thin face climbs, maybe that's because you've been wearing the wrong
shoe.It's easy to overestimate a shoe's edging performance. Step out onto a
little nubbin, crimp down your toes and your soft sport shoe or slipper will
edge pretty darn well - for a move or two. Ten feet higher, your calves start to
burn, your feet buckle and cramp, and you're out of there.
- Edging shoes
An edging shoe must be stiff; this means it'll have a good midsole, coupled
with thin rubber to retain some sensitivity. An edging shoe should click
into place; it should hold its shape and distribute the stress away from
your big toe to your whole foot. Edging shoes take a little getting used to.
Pawing, smearing, or other sloppy maneuvers will lead to doom. Once you get
the hang, though, edging is jigsaw-puzzle fun.
- Steep-rock shoes
Next? Check out one of the new steep-rock shoes, like the Sportiva Mirage or
Boreal Stinger. Slippers go a long way on overhanging limestone, but as you
go up the grades, you encounter smaller edges and power dynamics where a
solid foot platform comes in handy. The weird, twisted contours of such
shoes match your foot anatomy, and the sculpted footbed helps you
"pull" on footholds. You may not need these shoes, but they're fun
to climb in, and they work. You might even find them becoming your
"all-around" shoe.
- Comfortable
shoes Now what? Well, if long climbs are your bag, your arsenal is still
a little generic. You don't really want the same boot for Astroman as for
Pingora in the Winds. For the long, harder crack stuff, you might pick a
comfortable low top, like the Ace, or a high top, like the Kaukulator, fit
snugly (and without socks). For all-day, mid-grade stuff mixed with boulder
hopping and scrambling, a super-comfy high-top vies with a high-performance
"approach" shoe - like the Sportiva Boulder - as footwear of
choice.
- Bouldering
Into bouldering? You're probably set for shoes. With the advent of crashpads,
boulderers now favor slippers, but if you find yourself beneath the huge
dynos of Horsetooth Reservoir without pad or spotter, you'll be glad you
packed your foot-saving high-tops.
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