Rock Climbing Shoes

Climbing shoes aren't your ordinary tennis shoes. Take a look at the picture below:

This is an all around climbing shoe. There are two large categories of shoes: lace up and slippers. Then there are shoes that are used indoors, outdoors, for edging, for cracks .....

There are just tons of shoes out there. It is hard to pick a good all around shoe. Most manufacturers tell you what their shoe is used for. If you are a beginner, get a lace up all around shoe that fits well. A climbing shoe that fits well is tighter than a street shoe that fits well.

Many advanced climbers use slippers that are smaller than their normal foot size. Slippers take a lot of foot strength, and excellent technique - stick with the lace ups until you are feeling like a duck!

Climbing shoes use a sticky rubber sole. This sole covers more of a climbing shoe than the sole of a normal shoe would. If you have a favorite pair of shoes that fit great, and you wear them for three climbing years, the sole might start to wear out. Don't despair, you can have your shoes resoled. There are many professionals who will put a new sole onto your climbing shoes for a fair price. If you are feeling ambitious, you can try it yourself. There are many resole kits out there.