When I first started climbing I was amazed at the amount of gear I needed. Harnesses, ropes and caribiners of course, but what about shoes? Do I really need to wear specific shoes to go rock climbing or can I just use my own hiking boots? In this guide, I will cover what shoes to wear rock climbing, whatever your climbing experience.
For those of you in a hurry, check out my recommended climbing shoes below:
Recommended Climbing Shoes
Beginners Climbing Shoe | Intermediate Climbing Shoe | Advanced Climbing Shoe |
Simond Rock Climbing Shoe | Simond Climbing Shoe Edge Laces 2 | La Sportiva Otaki Climbing Shoe |
With a flat, rigid sole to reduce foot fatigue and resin-rubber for extra grip, these are a great choice for beginner climbers. | This shoe comes with a rigid shape that is designed to give more power on micro-holds and a cambered shape with pointed toe for better precision. | With a medium/stiff midsole and Vibram XS Edge rubber, this makes them ideal for more advanced climbing routes. |
Do You Need Special Shoes For Rock Climbing?
If you have watched any expert climber scaling a wall inside a climbing centre or up a rock face, you will most likely have noticed that they are not wearing your bog-standard trainers or hiking shoes. They are most likely to be wearing a climbing shoe, which is specifically designed to help you get a better grip and support from your feet when climbing.
Do you need special shoes for rock climbing though? Put simply, no you don’t need specific shoes for rock climbing, however, just like with other sports, there are distinct advantages to wearing climbing shoes, which I will come on to later.
What Shoes Should I Wear Rock Climbing?
The type of shoes you should wear rock climbing will depend on your experience and what you aim to get out of it. Below, I have broken out what shoes you should wear for each level of experience as a climber.
Just Starting Out
If you are just looking to try climbing for the first time, with friends, for instance, you should feel free to turn up on your normal sports shoes or trainers. As these shoes will be used to support your weight against an abrasive material, you don’t want to wear something that you would hate to see getting scuffed. Therefore you might want to leave those limited edition Yeezys at home!
If you do want to get a feel of what climbing is like with some specific climbing shoes, a lot of climbing centres will allow you to rent climbing shoes when you are there. This is a great way to find out whether you like wearing climbing shoes or not, as well as understand how to make sure you get a pair that fits well.
My tip here would be to wear a pair of comfortable hiking shoes. At the end of the day, climbing was invented before the climbing shoe, so there must have been another type of shoe that climbers used to wear right?
Beginners Climbing Shoes
At this stage of your climbing experience, you will probably have had a few test climbs and might be looking to buy your first climbing shoes.
Before you go out and get yourself an aggressive climbing shoe, with extra-pointy toes and a curved sole, you should consider the type of climbing you will be doing, as this will have the biggest influence on the type of shoe you should buy.
As a beginner, you are most likely still climbing indoors or rocks with a bit of a slope. These types of climbs will offer a generous amount of space for foot placements compared to more complicated routes.
As a result, a climbing shoe with a flat sole and hard toe edge is the best bet for beginners. These all-purpose, neutral climbing shoes are great for beginners as they allow you to learn how to position your feet on the wall without as much risk of damaging your feet. You will also get used to the fit and feel of a climbing shoe, which is very different to normal shoes.
As these shoes can be used for a variety of climbing situations, assuming you find them comfortable, there is also no need to replace them once you progress to more technical climbing. Many climbers will keep their all-purpose shoes for years as a backup for their newer climbing shoes for use on easier routes.
Intermediate Climbing Shoes
As an intermediate climber, you will be looking for a climbing shoe that offers more than just comfort and protection when climbing.
For more technical climbing routes, you will need a climbing shoe that has a softer edge with a stickier grip. This will help you get a good grip even on the smallest of holds. You should ignore the comfort of the shoe though as the chances are you will be wearing these shoes for longer periods as the climbing routes also get longer.
You will also notice that a lot of the shoes you are seeing at this level have a slight curve to their sole. This is to provide better support for your foot when climbing and offers more stability of smaller holds.
Expert Climbing Shoes
At this stage of your climbing career, you will feel more like a seasoned pro and will be tackling much more difficult climbs than more climbers would attempt.
Whilst your intermediate climbing shoes have served you well up to this point, you will feel like you need more stability from your climbing shoe and increased grip for smearing the rock.
Expert climbing shoes, also known as aggressive climbing shoes have a much more pronounced curve to them, almost looking like ballerina shoes. This will come down to a point to allow you to balance your weight on even the smallest of holds with the comfort that you’re not going to slip.
Other Types Of Climbing Shoes
There are a couple of other types of shoes that will come in useful when climbing and that you also might hear about from other climbers as well. These shoes are there to help your climbing shoes last longer and not get damaged when doing non-climbing activities (such as belaying).
- Approach Shoes – These shoes are very similar to hiking boots and are worn by climbers when approaching the climbing spot. As most climbs tend to involve a hike or scramble of some kind, these shoes are intended to help you get to your climbing spot without damaging your climbing boots.
- Slip-On Shoes – The secret weapon in any climbers arsenal is a comfortable pair of slip-on shoes, such as Crocs. There is no need in ruining a perfectly good pair of expensive climbing shoes when you are not actually making your way up a wall. Instead, climbers will ususally get their climbing shoes off as soon as they are back at ground level and will switch into something more comfortable.
Pros and Cons of Climbing Shoes
For each of the different types of climbing shoes, there are several advantages and disadvantages. Below is a table for each of the shoes mentioned above, outlining the main pros and cons for each type of shoe:
Climbing Shoes Type | Pros | Cons |
Beginner/Neutral Shoe |
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Intermediate/Moderate Shoe |
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Expert/Aggresive Shoe |
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Can I Use Running Shoes For Rock Climbing?
When you are just starting out with rock climbing, yes you can wear running shoes rock climbing, however, you will find that they don’t offer the support that you need for more technical and difficult climbing routes.
Climbing shoes need to be tight to the foot, almost like a sock as well as rigid for climbing walls. Running shoes tend not to be anywhere near tight enough and they also are designed to flex a lot more in the toes. This means that a running shoe will offer less support than a climbing shoe.
That said, don’t be discouraged from starting out with your running shoes at first. It might just help you get into climbing and realise the importance of climbing shoes a little bit more!
Should I Wear Socks With Climbing Shoes?
I am one of those people who, no matter what time of year it is, always has cold toes. I pretty much always wear socks to make sure my feet don’t get too cold, but should you wear socks with climbing shoes?
The simple answer is no, you shouldn’t wear socks with climbing shoes. Climbing shoes are designed to be very tight to your foot and act more like an extra layer of skin. By being tight, your foot won’t move around inside the shoe, helping to improve your power distribution when climbing.
Wearing socks with your climbing shoes harms your climbing as, no matter how hard you try, your foot will start to move inside the shoe. This movement will reduce your ability to apply the right amount of pressure to the hold and therefore reduces your climbing ability.
Simply put, ditch the socks and just wear your climbing shoes.
Why Are Climbing Shoes So Expensive?
As with many sports, the barrier to entry can be quite high with climbing due simply to the amount it will cost you to get all your gear. One of those necessary items that will set you back a pretty penny is your climbing shoes. But why are climbing shoes so expensive when compared to other sports shoes, such as running shoes.
Climbing shoes are so expensive for several reasons:
High Quality Raw Materials
Climbing shoes, unlike other mass-produced footwear, use very high-quality raw materials. As with most products, the more money you spend on raw materials, the more money it costs to make unless you can save money on manufacturing time. Speaking of which…
Climbing Shoes Are Handmade
Due to their complex design, the majority of climbing shoes are handmade. This includes all the glueing and stitching used for finishing the shoes. Handmade products, in general, are more expensive to produce than those made by machines.
Low Demand For Climbing Shoes
The lower demand for climbing shoes means that you don’t see the same economies of scale as you would do with other types of sports shoes.
With most manufactured products, being able to buy raw material in bulk will allow you to save money on the costs of those materials. When it comes to climbing shoes, the manufacturers aren’t able to get those bigger discounts for the materials as they don’t buy enough of them to benefit from pricing discounts. As a result, the price of climbing shoes is high.
Summary
So now you know, there are several different types of climbing shoe on the market and the type you should buy will depend on your level of experience. If you are just starting out, don’t splash out too much on a brand new set of climbing shoes and instead just take a comfortable pair of hiking boots!
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Happy climbing!
