How to Choose the Best Rock Climbing Shoes

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Bill with Zoar Outdoor here on behalf of expertvillage.com. Today we're at Chapel Ledges in Ashville, Massachusetts, Trustees of the Reservation Property and in this series I'm going to be talking about rock climbing gear. Rock climbing has some special shoes that you're probably going to want to wear. They help you stick to the rock better, they're not really meant to be comfortable, they're technical footwear. A few variations that I have in front of me here, there are shoes that lace to the toe, there are shoes that have Velcro to snug them up and there are shoes that simply slip on with elastic. Things you want to know about climbing shoes, the rubber like I said is sticky, it's not only on the bottom it's all around the outside on what's called the rand, it's formulated to stick well to rock. There's no cushioning what so ever to these shoes so that you can feel what's going on underneath with your feet. They're meant to fit tight, you're probably going to want to wear them without socks and you won't wear them all day, so as long as you're not in screaming pain, if your toes are cramped up inside here and it's really snugged on your foot, that's going to give you the best grip on the rock. Again, a good gear store with people that can give you good advice will help fit a good shoe to your foot, find what works for you, go with that."