The Importance of Finding the Right Climbing Shoes

For anyone who goes rock climbing you know just how important a good pair of climbing shoes can be. It can make the difference between a successful climb and one that ends with an injury. If you are new climbing or hiking for that matter, you will want to know what to look for in buying the right kind of shoe.

One of the first things you will need to determine is whether you should buy a board-lasted or slip-lasted climbing shoe. There are big differences between the two as you will see.

Slip-Lasted Climbing Shoes

The most important feature of this type of shoe is how the rubber on the outside of the shoe is permanently attached to inner part of the shoe. This helps in providing a great deal of 'feel' to the climber, especially on those tricky toe holds. You are able to get a better feel for the rock.

A slip-lasted shoe is designed to be extremely flexible on your foot. This type of flexibility allows your feet to adjust and conform to any cracks or crevices as well as provide better footing on flat wall surfaces.

Board-Lasted Climbing Shoes

Like the name suggests, a board-lasted shoe is much stiffer than any of the slip-lasted counterparts. This extra stiffness has some benefits for anyone doing any kind of climbing.

First, you will notice that your feet do not get tired so easily. With a slip-lasted shoe there is little support which can make your feet can tire quickly from having to use your muscles to remain on various toe holds. The stiffer board-lasted shoe takes much more of the support off of your foot and puts in on the shoe. The result is more comfort over a longer period of time.

A board-lasted shoe is also much better for climbing on tiny edges. The extra stiffness helps in tranferring your weight, regardless if it is a toe hold or a multi pitch climb.

With that said there are drawbacks though. They are not the best shoe to have on while climbing extreme overhangs.

For anyone just starting out rock climbing, I would recommend a multi-purpose shoe that is great for climbing on boulders to multi-pitch climbing.

One other area to decide on is whether you want a lace up shoe or a Velcro type shoe. I prefer lace up climbing shoes myself because I feel they are more comfortable. The only drawback is that they can be tougher to get on at times.

No matter which type of shoe you decide upon, be sure you always try them on first and get fitted properly. This is the most important tip of all. Not only does your climbing enjoyment depend on it, but your safety as well.