UKC

Hi there,

I though I'd try to get some advice on what has been an age-old problem for me...

Apparently I've got oddly-shaped feet. I'm a guy with size 9 feet (fairly standard so far) but every shoe I've ever tried on has always had loads of excess around the heel and over the top of the foot. To give you an idea of just how much, I currently climb in a pair of size 8.5 5:10 anasazi velcros and I've had to cut about 3 inches off the end of each velcro tab! (just to also point out, I've tried going lower than 8/8.5 before and was simply unable to climb because of the pain, so that's not an option for me).

All this excess means that on small footholds the shoe just slips around my foot and I fall off, which isn't exactly ideal.

I've heard about the anasazi LV's, which apparently should better suit my foot shape, but although these are technically produced up to a size 9, I've not been able to find any supplier who actually stocks them.

So 2 questions...

1) does anyone know where I can get hold of a pair of size 8.5 anasazi LVs?

2) does anyone have any suggestions for other shoes to try?

Any help much appreciated...

In reply to Albo Baggins: What is the shape of foot?

My feet are narrow with long toes, I have to buy shoes with a flat toe fit.

In reply to Papillon: I would say yours sound fairly similar to mine. Are there any shoes you've found that work for you?

In reply to Albo Baggins: La Sportiva Mythos were my favourite for years, but they are hard to get now and are expensive where you do see them. I'm currentley in Red Chilli Durango (old version), which work well. Shoes described as 'all rounders' are usually worth a try. I must admit I went through a phase of trying to up my grade by getting more technical shoes, but eventually found my foot work is much better when the feet are comfy.

In reply to Papillon:

I also have trouble getting shoes narrow enough for my feet. Currently in a pair 6.5 Mythos, but when I tighten them up, the laces meet in ght middle and they still aren't quite tight enough - so I either need to get a smaller pair from somewhere and wait for them to stretch so I can stand to wear them, or find a suitabel alternative... so far no luck!

Si

In reply to Albo Baggins:

Its a tough one, but i'd reccomend a shoe thats got a lot of leather in the upper (ie minimal stapping, webbing or synthetics). Something like a scarpa force is the king of thing i mean. I'd also go for velcro.

Over time, a decent grade leather upper will stretch and will mould to your foot. Velcro adjustment will help you to tweak the fit throughout the shoes life.

It sounds like you are going to need to start with a tight fitting shoe and break it in/stretch it gradually. This can take a few months before it can be worn for prolonged periods, but will sort you out. You can speed this process up by using a rubbing bar to stretch the upper.

My forces took about ten months to get right, but now they are ideal.

If i were you, I'd try to get a shoe which can be adjusted to have the right volume for the upper of your foot, and is tight when fitted. You should be able to stretch the front by around 5mm to allow good heel hold and gradually gain more comfort.

Again, this is a long way around, but failing finding an off the shelf solution it may help.