Rockclimbing!!

Rock Climbing

In 2008 I planned on climbing for a day in Thailand. I did the day then decided I enjoyed it so would go to 'Railay ' in Krabi for 3 or 4 days. I got there, met a couple of guys with all their own stuff, loved it, so ended up staying 3 weeks in Tonsai :D

Fast forward 6 years and I have just found out there are 2 indoor climbing centers close to where I live in Leeds. I went to one on Saturday and did a bit of bouldering which has re-kindled my love of climbing again

My back, Legs and arse are still in bits so will give it a miss tonight and probably go tomorrow

Can anyone recommend some good climbing shoes or advise on how to go about buying them. Are they the same as ski boots in that you just try some on and sort of get 'fitted out' with some instead of picking a pair because they look nice! (The ones I borrowed in Thailand were Scarpa Techno)

I have forgotten how to knots, belay and put on all the gear so will stick to bouldering for the time being and maybe get some lessons soon (or go with mates who know what they are doing)

Thailand 2015 is already in the planning :)

Any climbers here from Leeds / surrounding area? I went to The Leeds wall on Sat and trying out City Bloc tomorrow. Maybe try the Depot in the near future but heard its harder than both the others (Bouldering at least)
 
I don't know a lot but I've got several friends who are really into it and having gone along with them once they told me you want tight fitting bouldering shoes.
 
http://www.bananafingers.co.uk/ is where i got my gear from when i was into it. When i first started with my mate we did a lot of climbing on the wall then kinda hit a wall on what we could do so we went into bouldering for a month going 2-3 times a week. After this we tried the wall again and it seemed sooo much easier ended up jumping like 2-3 grades
 
Shoes are specific to many different factors your best bet will be to go to a shop where you can talk to someone and gain some advise based upon what activities you are likely to use them for.
 
I'm no expert but I would recommend trying to find a shop and trying on a few pairs. Climbing shoes aren't like normal shoes where you just put in your size and order, different climbers prefer different fits, for example boulderers normally like a much tighter fit than beginners. If you don't have a local shop then BananaFingers have a "shoeculator" tool which will reccomend a size based on your normal shoe size: http://www.bananafingers.co.uk/ . Just click on any shoe and it will be on the product page.
 
You absolutely must try climbing shoes on before buying. I would be surprised if the climbing centre you went to don't sell at least one manufacturer, but you're probably better off going to a shop which sell a few makers.

For a first pair of shoes, I like red chilli.

If you go to a decent shop, they should give you advice on fit. But, briefly, they should be very tight, your toes should be against the end and slightly curled and bear in mind that they will stretch. A lot of people wear no socks with climbing shoes, I personally like to wear thin trainer socks to absorb sweat. I'm sure if you google it then you can find a guide about fitting them.
 
www.outside.co.uk
Have used these a fair bit. Have more gear than you could shake a pooey stick at. 5.10 are a good shoe nice and sticky. You need a tight fit yes tight. Best lace I have climbed is Squamish. Lived near Van cover for a while and loved the place. Highly recommended and easy to find a climbing partner.
Just look on the net for climbing knots or get a book
 
I've been climbing for about 12 years so have had a few pairs of climbing shoes.

Go to an outdoor store and talk to the staff and try on a few pairs.

Lots of factors come into choosing climbing shoes.

Size - Usually you'll go 1-2 sizes smaller than your street shoes, but it depends on the other factors.
Your skill - The harder the grade your climbing the tighter the shoe you'll want. But if your just starting you won't get the benefit of the added precision and will just curse the cripling tightness.
Durability - Pro shoes have a lot softer rubber for added grip. Great when you've developed precise foot placements. But you'll destroy them as a beginner as you flounder your foot around and smear them all over the wall.
Target Climbing Type - Steep pocketed limestone or miceo edged Welsh slate quarries will demand a much more aggressive assametric shaped shoe. As a beginner you'll find these crippling.
Time in the shoe - Something you plan to wear for 4 hours at the climbing wall will be very different to something designed for a pro to wear for 3 minutes on their latest world class test piece
Material - All shoes stretch. Different makes and models will do it different amounts.

So there is a little more to it than "Mad-sick green shoes bruv"... but the people in the shop will know what you'll need and will be happy to help.

Having said all that... don't get bogged down in marketing hype.
All the rubber on shoes is probably within 90% of each other, I've climbed some of my hardedt stuff wearing "beginner" shoes just because they were comfortable.

And anyway all the nails hard routes you see in the guide book that you'll never be good enough to climb were put up by guys not wearing anything remotely as good.
 
Hey OP

I go to the Depot 3 times a week and absolutely love the place. If you're into bouldering it's definitely the best option in Leeds and has tons of climbs from V0 all the way up to some V11s. Everyone there is really friendly and they have free pizza on Friday's.

As for shoes, the Depot has a shop where you can try a bunch on and see what you like. You want them to be tight, but so tight that you lose all circulation in your toes! I have some 5.10 Rogues which are a good all round show designed with indoor climbing in mind, Avoid anything with an incredibly downturned toe. You're not ready for those yet!
 
gary996 said:
Best lace I have climbed is Squamish. Lived near Van cover for a while and loved the place. Highly recommended and easy to find a climbing partner.
Just look on the net for climbing knots or get a book
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The 2 guys I met were from Vancover and were always talking about Squamish and Joshua tree I think they said.

paddy (and everyone else) - Some great info, thanks

I have been doing a bit of reading and guess I will look for some 'all rounder' shoes - something like some Scarpa Thunder. Slightly aggressive but not like a banana!

I wouldnt say I am beginner but certainly not expert. I got up to climbing 4c / 5a french grade a few years ago and bouldering on sat was doing the intermediate (blue) and attempting some of the greens - though these were much harder
 
I use Boreal Spider. They need to be tight fitting (don't wear socks). Some shoes are stiff and some are softer. You must try them on before buying because you want them tight the shape, length and width of your foot will all factor into the boot you choose.
 
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delta0 said:
I use Boreal Spider. They need to be tight fitting (don't wear socks). Some shoes are stiff and some are softer. You must try them on before buying because you want them tight the shape, length and width of your foot will all factor into the boot you choose.
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If I go into a high street store like Cotswold outdoors or Nevisport, do you think they are qualified to fit climbing shoes properly? (over going to a specialist climbing place where there is a shop)

My dad recently was fitted for some ski boots and snow and rock and the guy was a tit... he ended up going back because they were way too tight and was fitted by someone else
 
FishFluff said:
Hey OP

I go to the Depot 3 times a week and absolutely love the place. If you're into bouldering it's definitely the best option in Leeds and has tons of climbs from V0 all the way up to some V11s. Everyone there is really friendly and they have free pizza on Friday's.

As for shoes, the Depot has a shop where you can try a bunch on and see what you like. You want them to be tight, but so tight that you lose all circulation in your toes! I have some 5.10 Rogues which are a good all round show designed with indoor climbing in mind, Avoid anything with an incredibly downturned toe. You're not ready for those yet!
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Happy to meet you there soon if your up for it? It is a bit further away than citybloc and leeds wall (in Pudsey so would need to get taxi/bus from the centre)
 
Guest2 said:
Happy to meet you there soon if your up for it? It is a bit further away than citybloc and leeds wall (in Pudsey so would need to get taxi/bus from the centre)
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Yeah sure. Email is in my trust if you want to set something up. I'd be happy to show you the ropes (except it's bouldering so there are no ropes - I'm hilarious).

Edit: If you get the 16 from town that will take you to right outside the Depot or the 72 stops at the bottom of the road.
 
Guest2 said:
If I go into a high street store like Cotswold outdoors or Nevisport, do you think they are qualified to fit climbing shoes properly? (over going to a specialist climbing place where there is a shop)

My dad recently was fitted for some ski boots and snow and rock and the guy was a tit... he ended up going back because they were way too tight and was fitted by someone else
Click to expand...

I don't have experience of buying shoes from them unfortunately. However there are a lot of shops joined with climbing centres which is where I got mine. Otherwise get help from someone local to you. I got my shoes in Guildford. There is a good climbing shop there at Craggy Island. A mate got me into climbing so he helped a lot with the shoes.
 
My first shoes were the Evolv Defy/ and now Valor.. really comfartable so great for getting started again, pretty standard fit to so would probably fit your street shoe size.
 
Well, I have just been into a highstreet store (will not name for the sake of the salesman) and at first I thought the salesman didnt have a clue (not that I do really) and just wanted to sell my something that was expensive...

I tried on 5 pairs and got talking to him and he does a bit of climbing locally and recommended I buy from a climbing place where I can try some, get more of an idea, better info and a range of makes. Legend

I tried 5 pairs;

Red Chili Durango
Scarpa Thunder
Scarpa Force
Scarpa Vapour
Evolv Defy Rock Climbing

Out of these the ones that felt the best (by best I mean tighest fitting without crippling my feet, slightly curled toes) were the Scarpa Force and then Evolv Defy. I even said I would buy a chalk bag and chalk but he said not to as I would probably get one thrown in with shoes.

We need more honest people like this guy in the world

edit - I was trying size 43 (uk 8) and 41 (uk 7) and the 8s were good, 7s too small. I am a size 9 shoes or 8 in some big trainers
 
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I'd advise against the Defy. Whilst they're really, really comfortable, within a few months you'll find they aren't stiff enough and will hold you back on really tiny footholds. That was my experience anyway.
 
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