Things You'll Need:
- Athletic Tapes
- Climbing Gear
- Climbing Harnesses
- Climbing Helmets
- Climbing Ropes
- Climbing Shoes
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Step 1
Plan on spending between $80 and $140 for your first pair of shoes.
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Step 2
Buy regular rock climbing shoes with sticky rubber soles. You'll find a variety of styles for all levels of experience at outdoor stores.
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Step 3
Try on friends' shoes before making a purchase. Ask other boulderers which shoes they like the most.
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Step 4
Buy your first pair of shoes at a store so you can try them on. Avoid purchasing shoes over the Internet or via mail order until you're sure you've found a pair that fits well and suits your style.
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Step 5
Choose shoes that are snug around your entire foot. As a general rule, your climbing shoe should be about one size smaller than your street shoe.
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Step 6
Try on shoes at the end of the day when your feet are swollen and at their largest.
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Step 7
Feel free to ask for advice and help from a salesperson, but beware: If the salesperson doesn't climb, he or she probably won't have the faintest idea how climbing shoes are supposed to fit.
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Step 8
Try out your shoes on a practice climbing wall, if the store has one. Most stores will not accept returns on any climbing equipment - including shoes - so be sure you leave with a pair that you like.
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Step 9
Shop around for the best deals. Sometimes shoes are offered at huge discounts when new models come out or when stores try to clear their inventories.
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Step 10
Read shoe reviews in climbing magazines such as "Climbing" and "Rock & Ice." Different shoes are intended for different types of climbing (boulderers often prefer slippers to lace-ups for ease in getting the shoes on and off between climbs).
Comments
tjboulder said
on 2/19/2008 my street shoe size is 10 1/2 and i wear an 8 climbing shoe. if you know you love bouldering and are gonna stick to it, and you're tired of renting shoes, get some aggressive shoes as far as the fit goes.
as far as how far the toe is turned down, unless you KNOW that's what you want, don't go too extreme. a little campus is good but too much isn't good if it's your first shoe. there are all sorts of shoes for all sorts of feet. the important thing is not the look but how it fits and feels. it should fit your foot like a glove. or in this case a....sock. and it'll hurt. a lot. but don't worry about that. they'll break in after climbing with them for awhile and your toes will toughen. i got my first pair a couple of weeks ago. i've been bouldering for about 5 or 6 two hour sessions and they've broken in a bit already. i'm really glad i didn't go for the 8 1/2s for comforts sake. if you go
tjboulder said
on 2/19/2008 my street shoe size is 10 1/2 and i wear an 8 climbing shoe. if you know you love bouldering and are gonna stick to it, and you're tired of renting shoes, get some aggressive shoes as far as the fit goes.
as far as how far the toe is turned down, unless you KNOW that's what you want, don't go too extreme. a little campus is good but too much isn't good if it's your first shoe. there are all sorts of shoes for all sorts of feet. the important thing is not the look but how it fits and feels. it should fit your foot like a glove. or in this case a....sock. and it'll hurt. a lot. but don't worry about that. they'll break in after climbing with them for awhile and your toes will toughen. i got my first pair a couple of weeks ago. i've been bouldering for about 5 or 6 two hour sessions and they've broken in a bit already. i'm really glad i didn't go for the 8 1/2s for comforts sake. if you go
Anonymous said
on 11/30/2005 If you are doing a lot of bouldering you might want to look out for shoes designed specificly for bouldering, they have much more cusioning than regular shoes and can help lots when falling often!!