Climbing shoes

Choosing the right climbing shoe can be a daunting task. Alpinstore gives you some tips to help you make the right choice.

Combat preconceived ideas!

When it comes to choosing a climbing shoe, we hear all kinds of nonsense.

- A climbing shoe is uncomfortable: NOT NECESSARILY

- Bigger is better: NO

- Soft rubber is more comfortable but wears out faster: FALSE

- A pair of climbing shoes can be versatile : YES

- It's hard to find the most comfortable and best-performing shoe: TRUE

All you need to know about climbing shoes!

First of all, it's important to define your level, your practice (mountaineering, cliff, bouldering, indoor,...) and your expectations to find the best compromise. La Sportiva, for example, offers a range of shoes to suit your climbing style.

There are several criteria:

• liner shape:

- Camber: This can be zero, medium or high. The more pronounced the camber, the more the liner is reserved for elite climbers. In use, on overhangs and boulders, the liner is cambered and supple to enable you to push on holds and work with grip or flat on volumes. Rigid climbing shoes, on the other hand, are ideal for beginners or indoor use, to load on small holds with less foot and calf fatigue.

- Straight (or Symmetrical) : neutral in shape, with a rather central toe (or even a very slight asymmetry), often intended for beginners looking for comfort above all, and allowing use of all the toes. Best suited to Greek feet

- Asymmetrical: with the tip centered on the big toe (i.e. off-center). This toe being the strongest, it concentrates its technicality on a finer tip. Often less comfortable and less forgiving than a straight boot. They are designed for regular clim bers, and offer considerable support precision. For this, Scarpa's top-of-the-range climbing shoes are perfect. These versatile, precise shoes are just as suitable for performance as they are for training. Most suitable for Egyptian and Roman feet.

• Materials used: 2 main materials are used to make these shoes: leather + synthetic.

- Leather: very resistant, it relaxes more or less easily depending on thickness and whether or not a lining is used. The tighter the liner, the more likely it is to adapt to the shape of your foot. A period of discomfort that may last a little while.

- synthetics: they relax very little, but tend to soften.

Black Diamond even offers Vegan booties with no animal ingredients!

• The tightening and closure system: there are 3 types

- Elastic (or ballerinas): Generally very flexible and close to the foot, the ballerina system relies on compression and an elastic band on the instep. As a result, you need to anticipate springback and choose them very tightly when you buy them. This makes some very difficult to put on.

- Velcros: Developed to overcome the disadvantages of ballerinas, velcro booties have an opening on the instep with two or three velcros, like the Black Diamond Velcro booties. Quick and easy to put on and take off, and precise if the foot fills the overall volume of the shoe.

- Laces : Often longer to put on and take off, lace-up booties offer the best fit for your foot, and are often the only alternative for people with thin feet.

• Size

While there's no need to blow your feet off for a start, you shouldn't take your slippers too big just to be comfortable. In general, a beginner will tend to opt for a shoe that fits his or her street shoe size, or even one size larger, whereas an experienced climber will opt for one or two sizes smaller, depending on the model.

A liner is correctly fitted when it's tight and there's no significant gap between the foot and the liner. Your foot should also be slightly compressed, but without any painful pressure points, and your toes should be slightly curled up, giving them more strength.

Your choice of shoe size will therefore depend on your level, but also on your level of practice. If you're on a long route where it's difficult to remove your shoes at belays, it's better to have a shoe that's less restrictive for your feet than one for bouldering, where you can remove them between two attempts...

At Alpinstore , you' ll find the most emblematic brands in the sport: La Sportiva, Black Diamond, Scarpa, Millet, as well as Five Ten boots.