If you’re feeling keen to start climbing, now would be the perfect time to learn h0w to choose climbing shoes. Although you can certainly climb through life without specialized climbing shoes, I strongly suggest against it. With your own pair, you’ll have a better time and can avoid getting dead skin cells on climbs and plastic.

Climbing shoes are instrumental to avoiding injuries, slips, falls, and frustration. Problem is, there are heaps of shoes on the market with more added each year. While it can be intimidating knowing what to look for, I’m going to give you some helpful pointers. Also, there are tips here if you’re looking for intermediate or advanced shoes as well. Let’s get going, here’s the Simian Republic guide on how to choose climbing shoes.

How to Choose Climbing Shoes: In-Depth

Step 1: Choose a Shape

Now, when learning how to choose climbing shoes, the shape of a climbing shoe is very important. That’s because the shape is largely responsible for performance and comfort. The general consensus is this: more aggressive shoes provide more performance but less comfort. Flat-soled shoes provide more comfort but less performance. Finally, cambered shoes offer a bit of both worlds.

When learning how to choose climbing shoes, most people start off with a more neutral shape. As their climbing improves, they gradually change the aggressiveness of their shoes as well. However, a few start off with downturned or moderate shoes right away. Use your best judgement to decide what would be most suitable for you.

Flat-soled or Neutral Climbing Shoes

Flat-soled shoes are like wearing a pair of regular sneakers, with the added benefit of a layer of sticky rubber underneath to stand on rock. While the most comfortable shape, neutral shoes have an issue standing on small edges and hooking onto overhung terrain. However, flat-soled shoes generally do better with smearing and crack climbing.

Cambered or Moderate Climbing Shoes

Cambered climbing shoes have a slight arch that gives your feet a little downturn. Although not as aggressive as fully downturned shoes, cambered shoes offer more technical performance than flat-soled shoes. Compared to flat-soled shoes, cambered shoes edge and hook better.

Aggressive or Downturned Climbing Shoes

Ever seen how an eagle or a falcon hunts? Their downturned claws allow them to grab prey like a fat kid grabbing cake. With aggressive climbing shoes, you’ll be the predator and the rock your prey. These types of shoes force your feet into a downturned position where your toes curl up like a claw. This allows you to grab onto crevasses, slide into pockets, stand on dime-thin edges, and climb overhung rock more easily. The biggest downside is that most aggressive shoes are usually not very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Step 2: Pick a Closure System

The closure system refers to the way that you tighten climbing shoes. There are three options to choose from: slippers, velcro, and laces. Different styles offer different levels of comfort, fit, convenience, and performance. Let’s take a look at each…

Slipper climbing shoes

First off, you have slipper style climbing shoes where it’s a simple on and off fitting procedure. Almost like wearing a glove, slipper shoes work well for all types of climbing although they often suffer in performance once you progress to the higher levels. This is due to their fit as slipper shoes loosen up over time. Being the most comfortable type of climbing shoes, many beginners often start off with slippers. However, companies nowadays are improving their performance to meet the demands of high-end climbing as well.

Velcro climbing shoes

Velcro shoes are easy to take on and off and have a certain degree of adjustability when it comes to comfort and fit. Gym use and bouldering are where Velcro shoes shine since you are often hopping in and out of your shoes at the start and end of climbs. They also offer a more secure fit than slippers.

Lace climbing shoes

Last but not least you have laces. Lace shoes use laces to get the job done, and offer the most adjustment toward comfort and fit. However, there are those who complain that it takes more time and effort getting lace shoes on and off. That’s why they are highly recommended for either sport, trad, or multi-pitch climbing where you are going to be wearing them for extended periods of time.

Step 3: Know Your Rubber

When learning how to choose climbing shoes, rubber is a crucial subject. Ultimately, rubber is what helps you to stick to rock and plastic. Of course, there are varying levels of rubber stiffness and thicknesses that will affect your performance.

Soft or Stiff Rubber?

Softer rubber allows greater sensitivity and smearing capability (because of greater friction and area of contact) at the expense of edging and durability. A more flexible shoe also doesn’t provide as much support to stand on compared to its more rigid counterpart.

Stiffer rubber lets you edge more precisely, is more durable, and offers more support. However, you’ll lose out on some sensitivity and smearing can be a challenge.

Rubber Thickness

Most rubber soles on shoes vary anywhere from 3mm to 5mm. Thinner soles will be more sensitive although they’ll wear more quickly. Thicker rubber will be more durable & supportive at the cost of sensitivity.

• 3mm rubber — Very sensitive, allowing you to feel very small footholds with lots of confidence. However, durability is lacking and support on face climbing is minimal.
• 4mm rubber — Good balance between sensitivity, support, & durability. However, 4mm rubber doesn’t excel at any one category.
• 5mm rubber — Durability and foot support are excellent although foot sensitivity will not be very high. However, bang for your buck with 5mm rubber is also at a maximum.

Step 4: Pick The Essentials

Materials

What’s a climbing shoe made of? It’s often unlined leather, lined leather, or synthetic materials. There’s really no best type of material since it’s all a matter of preference and each offers their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s talk a little about each:

• Unlined leather — Can stretch a lot, it’s not uncommon to stretch a full size or more. You’ll want to size these right to accommodate the stretch. It’s okay if they are painful at first, over time they’ll form to your feet to become super comfortable. They’re also often very breathable and has the least amount of stench.
• Lined leather — These will stretch less than unlined leather, but still expect them to stretch quite a bit. Around half a size is reasonable. Just like unlined leather, they are also breathable and the least stinky. Lined leather shoes will also mold to your feet as well which is a huge plus.
• Synthetic materials — Synthetic materials are great for vegetarians and vegans, and they hardly stretch at all. Size close to snug (or very snug for better performance) and you should have a well-fitting and well-performing pair of climbing shoes for the duration of its life. Synthetic materials are also very durable although not as breathable as leather. Be prepared for some amount of odor though, although climbing shoes can always be washed if the smell becomes too unbearable.

Asymmetry

Something you might not hear a lot about when learning how to choose climbing shoes is the asymmetry. This refers to the sole of the shoe and the shape of its curvature which can affect your climbing in different ways. Asymmetric curvature focuses all of your power over the big toe, which lets you edge better and with more precision.

The more curvature, the better the performance. However, the less natural the sole shapes your feet, the more uncomfortable it will be. Asymmetric curvature can range anywhere from a small amount to a very large amount. So, look for more asymmetry if you want performance and less asymmetry if you favor comfort.

Midsole

Some climbing shoes have a midsole and some don’t. What the midsole ultimately affects is the level of flexibility, and each has its own pros and cons.

A more flexible midsole helps for climbing steeper and more technical terrain. With its minimum foot support and excellent sensitivity, it excels at smearing and grabbing. That makes climbing shoes without midsoles ideal for bouldering and technical climbing.

A full midsole on the other hand is more ideal for vertical climbing, where you’ll want extra foot support for stability. Stiffer midsoles work perfectly for edging and standing on for long periods of time. However, it’s more difficult to grab steep rock with these types of shoes. That makes climbing shoes with full midsoles ideal for face, sport, & multi-pitch climbing.

Primary Usage

Now, let’s consider what you’ll be climbing most. Will it be the gym, bouldering outdoors, sport climbing, trad, multi-pitch, crack, or slab?

Gym climbing

You’ll most likely want a pair of comfortable velcro or slipper shoes to get on and off easily. Durability is also a good thing to look for when starting out (so look for thicker and stiffer rubbers) as you’ll get the most value out of a pair of shoes while learning the ropes. 

Bouldering

Since you’ll be hopping in and out of your shoes often jumping from one boulder to the next, you’ll also want shoes that are easy to get on and off. Velcro is probably the best choice, followed by slippers. However, there are some great lace shoes out there that can take your bouldering game to the next level. Size snug to tight for maximum performance.

Sport climbing

For sport climbing, since you’ll be climbing more than when bouldering, you’ll want shoes that can last you a good pitch or two. It’d also be ideal to buy shoes with full midsoles for extended support when standing on little nubbins.

Trad climbing

You’ll want a flatter, stiffer, more comfortable pair of shoes if you’re climbing trad/multi-pitch since you’ll be on the rock for extended periods of time. The La Sportiva TC Pro is the perfect example of a great shoe for this.

Crack climbing

Look for a flat sole and a relatively bare toe with soft rubber for the most comfortable experience. Slippers are the best for sliding into cracks with ease, and no protrusions on the shoe means you’ll get no pressure or pain when jamming them into slots.

Slab climbing

A soft and sensitive sole will work best for smearing, and flat soles are your best bet when it comes to non-existent footholds as it maximizes area contact with the rock.

Step 5: How to Fit Climbing Shoes

When learning how to choose climbing shoes, fit is very important for getting all of the performance you can out of a shoe. To ensure a perfect fit, make sure all the following ring true:

Signs of a Perfect Fit

• A snug fitting heel with no movement
• No extra deadspace in the toes (unless you’re climbing trad/multi-pitch)
• No pressure points or painfully curled toes
• Fits the shape of your foot (especially for those with Morton’s toe)
• Adequate width and volume for your foot 

Climbers also choose a tighter or looser fit depending on what they are climbing. Those that want more comfort in order to stay in their shoes longer often size up while those that want more performance often size down in order to have a tighter fit. Some climbers go through immense pain working in feet binding shoes in order to climb harder. However, this a terrible myth that should be dispelled, you should not be in considerable pain when sizing shoes.

How to Choose Climbing Shoes: Quick Tips for Fitting

• Try climbing shoes in-store for an accurate fit
• Fit shoes in the afternoon as feet tend to swell up to their largest later in the day
• Take stretching into account and size accordingly
• Know what you need in a pair of shoes before you start shopping for them
• Do not wear socks (or wear thin sockliners) while fitting shoes for the best fit
• If possible, try climbing in shoes on a climbing wall or gym to gauge comfort and performance
• Performance or comfort? It’s usually either one or a balance of both, choose wisely
• Low volume versions are often better for narrow feet and smaller heels
• Fitting a size in one brand does not mean you’ll fit the same size in another brand

additional In-Depth Tips

Your street shoe size is a good starting point but is not definitive. Different climbing shoe manufacturers make shoes differently and fit different types of feet, which means the fit will vary from one brand to the next. For example, some American companies that make climbing shoes make them so they are pretty accurate with your street shoe size. On the other hand, a handful of popular European brands like La Sportiva and Scarpa tend to run on the larger size, so downsizing is always necessary.

Take note of how climbing shoes will stretch. Generally, unlined slipper-like shoes will stretch around one full size while lined shoes will stretch about a half size. Thus, if you’re purchasing an unlined leather shoe, fit them in-store in whatever size until all the points discussed above are covered. When that’s done, simply buy a pair roughly a full size down from that initial size and they will eventually stretch and mold to your feet as you break them in. For lined leather shoes, a half size down should suffice and you should go true to size for synthetic shoes.

Don’t let men’s or women’s specific shoes deter you from trying them out! Men’s climbing shoes are just larger volume with bigger heels, while women’s and low volume versions accommodate more narrow feet and smaller heels. Remember, it’s all about a snug and comfortable fit, not the looks!

Ultimately, just listen to your feet, they’ll point you down the right road!