How Long Do Climbing Shoes Last?

Whilst not an essential piece of climbing safety gear, climbing shoes are definitely an essential item to improve your climbing technique and experience. As someone new to hiking, I was keen to find out how long climbing shoes last.

In this guide, you will find out how long your climbing shoes should last and how you can keep them in good shape for longer.

How Long Do Climbing Shoes Usually Last?

For the average climber, climbing once or twice a week indoors or outdoors, you will find that your climbing shoes will last somewhere between 3-12 months, depending on the quality of the climbing shoe you buy. Improving your climbing technique will help to make your shoes last longer, which I will cover in more depth below.

As you will use your toes the most when climbing, this is naturally the area where you will see the most wear on your climbing shoes. This can occur on both the sole of the shoe and the rand of the toe (the rubber at the front of your toe that is connected to the sole).

How Long Does Climbing Shoe Rubber Last?

By far the most worn part of any climbing shoe is the rubber. Whether it is the sole and the front of the shoes or the rand that covers your toes at the front of the shoe. The reason for this is that these are the parts of the climbing shoe that will be in contact with the wall the most.

The rubber at the front of your climbing shoe will last between 3-12 months on average, but this is heavily affected by how often you climb, your climbing technique, the surfaces you are climbing on and the quality of the climbing shoe you buy.

Frequency of Climbing

As you will know, the more times you use something in life the more likely it is to break or show signs of wear and tear. This is true of cars, bikes and even your shoes. Your climbing shoes are no exception to this rule.

If you climb 1-2 times a week, you will likely see more wear and tear to the rubber of your climbing shoe than someone who climbs once a month.

Climbing Technique

Your climbing technique is the next thing that can influence the life of the rubber on your shoes.

If you are a dragger, meaning that you drag your feet up to the nearest hold against the wall, you will wear away the rand of the shoe at a much quicker rate.

If you are prone to placing your foot above the hold and sliding down to get the right foot placement, you will wear away the rubber on the sole of the climbing shoe at a quicker rate.

I cover how to correct it later in the guide.

Climbing Surfaces

Whether you are climbing indoors or outdoors, the climbing surface can have an impact on the length of time the rubber lasts, particularly if you drag or slide into holds.

Outdoor surfaces by their very nature are rough, which for providing grip is a positive. However, the rough surface of the rocks will increase the speed at which the rubber of the climbing shoe will wear away, decreasing the life of the shoe.

When climbing indoors, the surface of the wall is not completely smooth and has a slightly rough, sandpaper-like texture, which is designed to help you get a similar grip as you would get on outdoor surfaces. Just as with outdoor surfaces, this can increase the wear on the rubber of your shoe, particularly when combined with poor technique.

Quality of the Climbing Shoe

The quality of the climbing shoe you buy also influences the length of time that the rubber will last. The quality of the shoe is often determined but the rubber used in the manufacturing of the shoe and as you might expect, not all rubbers are made equal.

A large proportion of high-quality climbing shoes will be made with Vibram rubber soles, so look out for these if you want a climbing shoe that will last longer than most.

How Do I Know If My Climbing Shoes Are Worn Out?

Being able to work out when your climbing shoes are worn out can make all the difference when it comes to deciding whether you can resole your climbing shoes or whether you buy a new pair.

Climbing shoes will normally wear out first in the front, where they are in contact with the wall the most. There are two telltale signs that you climbing shoes are worn out:

1. The rubber has worn away revealing more of the rand – This can be checked visually where more of the rand is showing as the sole has worn out at this point.
2. The rubber is starting to look glossy and no longer has the matt black look.

If your climbing shoes get to this point, you don’t need to throw them out. If you identify the signs that they are worn early, you can get them resoled.

How Many Times Can You Resole Climbing Shoes?

The simple answer is that there is no limit to the numbers of times that your climbing shoes can be resoled. Many people have reported having their shoes resoled as many as 5 times. The secret is identifying the signs of wear and tear to the rubber early and get your shoes resoled before the wear is too extensive.

The chances are though that other parts of your climbing shoes will wear out before you can get to multiple numbers of resoles to your climbing shoes.

Is It Worth It To Get Climbing Shoes Resoled?

Whether it is worth getting your climbing shoes resoled is really a matter of how much is costs for a resole vs. the price of the climbing shoes.

As a guide to how much is costs for a resole, Feet First Resoles will charge around £47 to resole a pair of climbing shoes and a further £10 for rand repair.

Deciding whether you feel it is worth it to resole your shoes is a personal choice. For me, if I have spent over £100 on climbing shoes and the only part that is really worn is the sole, I would be more inclined to have them repaired.

How To Make Climbing Shoes Last Longer?

There are a number of way in which you can make climbing shoes last longer:

1. Make sure you buy the right climbing shoes
2. Keep your shoes clean
3. Only wear them when you need to
4. Only put them on clean feet
5. Use a shoe bag when not in use
6. Use the right technique when climbing
7. Resole them

Make Sure You Buy The Right Climbing Shoes

There are lots of different styles of climbing shoes on the market, so know which is the right one for you is important. Buying the wrong shoes for the job can lead to excessing wear on the shoe in places it is not intended.

Below is a quick summary of the types of shoe and what they are best used for:

Keep You Shoes Clean

Cleaning your shoes is a simple way to ensure your climbing shoes last as long as possible.

Whilst you are out climbing, you can keep them clean using a small hand towel or bar towel. This can be used to remove any surface dirt that might have accumulated on the shoe.

Once you get home, use a damp cloth to give them a proper clean, making sure you remove all of the dirt that is on the shoe from climbing that day.

Only Wear Them When You Need Them

The more you put your hiking shoes on, the more you will wear the rubber on them. Remember that these shoes are designed for climbing and not day to day activities.

When heading to your climbing spot, known as the approach, don’t wear your climbing shoes. Only put them on when you need them, which should be when you are at your climbing route.

Only Put Them On Clean Feet

This will really only make a small difference, but sometimes making changes around the margins can make all the difference to performance. Making sure you have clean feet when putting on your shoes can help avoid odours and bacteria inside the shoe.

The easiest way to ensure this is to make sure that you have clean feet before heading out climbing and also avoiding open shoes, like sandals, on the approach.

Use A Shoe Bag When Not In Use

To protect your climbing shoes from bumps and scrapes, make sure you store them in a bag. This will not only avoid them getting knocked on rocks when making your approach to the rock, but also avoid them getting squashed and scraped when being stored at home.

The only exception to this is that when you get back home from climbing, make sure you give them an airing to avoid bad smells setting in.

Use The Right Technique When Climbing

Making sure you have the right technique with foot placement can also help to make your climbing shoes last longer. The more you scrape your feet along the surface you are climbing the more you will wear away the rubber on the sole of your shoe and the rand around the toes.

Here are some things you should avoid when placing your feet on the wall:

• Scraping your toes up to a hold – Whilst this might help you feel your way up to the next foot hold, you will also scrap the rand of the shoe. Try to keep your foot away from the wall until you are positioned correctly to get your foot in the hold
• Sliding your foot down into the hold – This is a compensating behaviour for not positioning your foot correctly in the first place. Sliding down will increase the wear on the sole of your shoe. Again, try and position your foot correctly in the first place.
• You only need your big toe for a hold – If you are a beginner you will be more inclined to put your full set of toes into the hold. As you progress, try to use just your toes and the edge of your shoes on the hold.

In order to avoid these problems, make sure you look where you are putting your feet and try to get your positioning right first time.

Resole Them

The final way to make your climbing shoes last longer is to get the resoled as soon as they need it. You can resole your climbing shoes numerous times before you need to fully replace them. If you love the shoes you have, show them some love back when they need it.

Summary

So now you know that climbing shoes will last somewhere between 3 -12 months before they will need to be resoled, assuming average usage. Resoliling your climbing shoes will make them last longer and could save you money in the long run.

Happy climbing!