UKC

Help with climbing shoes

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FR5811 16 Jun 2016
As a new climber I didn't want to spend big on some climbing shoes and a friend kindly sold me his old pair, they weren't awfully fitting but as I've gotten more into climbing I've realised they're not quite what I need, that and the fact that they are basically falling to pieces now means that I am in the market for some new shoes. Unfortunately, finding a shoe to fit me has been a problem, I have long (UK size 10.5) feet which are ridiculously skinny and I've noticed that particularly around the heel, this has caused problems in getting the right fit (masses of dead space), I'm looking for a moderate/high end shoe, not too aggressively down turned as I've only been climbing 8/10 months however I'm now climbing approximately 7a/7a+, any suggestions as to potential ideas would be appreciated! Thanks
 GridNorth 16 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

7a+ after 8/10 months. That's impressive. Do you mean you are leading that grade reasonably consistently without resting on the bolts or is it more a case of being hauled up on a top rope? Indoors or outdoors? If leading, fair play you must come and give me some coaching lessons.

Anyway to get to the point I have always found La Sportiva Miuras are the only shoes that snuggly fit my feet without excessive space in the heel area.

Al
 bouldery bits 16 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

If you've got skinny feet than La Sportivas are often they way forward. Lace up Muiras / Mythos?

(Not solutions though. They fit my flipper feet.)

Tenaya and SOME Evolv models are also very slim. Maybe try the women's (or LV) range of 5.10's?

Good luck!
 zimpara 16 Jun 2016
In reply to GridNorth:

Interesting. I use katana lace ups.

And find scarpas really narrow-especially the heel! Lasportivas are wide I'd have rather thought.
 bouldery bits 16 Jun 2016
In reply to zimpara:

Ive found scarpa heels skinny and the tow box super wide. I am weird tho!
FR5811 16 Jun 2016
In reply to GridNorth:

Ah okay, 7a top rope fairly consistently probably 6b+ lead regularly, although I have lead a 7a+ without resting on bolts ect...

Thanks for suggesting miuras, I'll have a try, would you recommend downsizing? If so, how much by?

FR5811 16 Jun 2016
In reply to bouldery bits:

I've never come across Mythos but I'll take a look!

Appreciate the suggestion!
FR5811 16 Jun 2016
In reply to zimpara:

I found that the katanas somehow cut into the back of my achilies tendon when I tried them on, fit the heel quite well apart from that but they were just too painful to be productive in, thanks for the suggestion though
 duchessofmalfi 16 Jun 2016

5.10 pink lace ups 1/2 size down from street size laced tight to remove the excess volume. The verdes used to be better, especially around the heel and and had better laces (5.10 note the verde laces has bobbles which meant you could lock the tension in down the toe end without having to have it too tight across the extensor hallucis longus tendon). For me the pinks require more breaking in whereas the verdes worked pretty much straight out the box.
 Cheese Monkey 17 Jun 2016
In reply to duchessofmalfi:

The verdes were shocking around the heel I thought! Utter slopfest when doing heel hooks, but really good on the toe. They sorted the pinks out though mind. Definitely agree about the laces, the ones on my pinks are knackered already.
 slab_happy 17 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

Miuras -- you'll definitely need to downsize, I'd say, not least because the sizing is a bit wacky. I'm a 5.5 in street shoes, and a 3.5 (euro 36) in Miuras, which is with toes curled but not remotely the foot-crushing agony you'd imagine from the numerical sizes.

The lace-up Miuras might work well for you because you can winch them tight round the arches.

But if they're still too wide, try the "women's" Miura velcros (the women's laces aren't stocked in the UK, alas). The velcros are a bit stiffer and more down-turned than the laces, but still not super-downturned. And the "women's" version are a nice gender-neutral blue.
 GridNorth 17 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

My Miuras, both VS and lace ups are two sizes down from my normal shoe size. I'm a 42 shoe but 40 in Miuras. They were uncomfortable to start with but after a while they seem to bed in and are now comfortable, in climbing shoe terms at least.

Al
 zimpara 17 Jun 2016
In reply to GridNorth:

I wear size8 street shoe, bought katanas in a 6.5.
Those hurt! Can't wait to replace them.
Any problem with the miuras rand peeling like the katanas?
 GridNorth 17 Jun 2016
In reply to zimpara:

Not with mine but then I never had that problem when I had a pair of Katanas. I always wear through the toe.
 Niall_li 17 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

My feet sound very similar in size and narrowness - I ended up with scarpa vapour v's (size 9, could probably go 9.5 for a little more comfort, they don't stretch much), I previously had verdes and pinks which were both pretty good, but don't think i'd go back to them now, heel is a different class. Actually tempted to check out the new laced version of the vapours! Best way is to go into a shop and try everything on and see what works for you, the guys in Rock On were great if there's one near you
 deacondeacon 17 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

My advice would be to go to a specialist climbing shop. They'll have 30-40 different types of shoes which will include all the main makes/models.
Speak to the assistant and try loads and loads on. They'll all be slightly different shapes and the sizing will vary between manufacturers (and quite often within the same manufacturer).
Also the requirements for a bouldering shoe will be different to a multi-pitch trad shoe so explain what you'll be using them for to the assistant.
FR5811 17 Jun 2016
In reply to deacondeacon:

I work at an outdoor shop and I've tried on literally everything that comes in, been to hathersage as well and achieved the same result :/ not really sure where the nearest climbing specialist place will be (derby area)
In reply to Francisr5811:

Some (many!) years ago I posted this (which has been slightly edited) on the uk climbing newsgroup; it's still relevant in a general way, and I hope it helps.

There are a few issues here. Firstly, your own shoes will help. You get used to them, become accustomed to what they will and won't grip to, how you need to position your foot to get them to stick to things. They'll bend around the shape of your foot and develop a smell which may have the character of an independent lifeform but which is all your own work. Nice...

Secondly, ignore image, ignore what you've hired, ignore what your mates have bought. Fit is everything. Take your shoes off and look at your feet (you can do this now if you like, no-one's looking). What do you see? Are your feet long or short? Wide or narrow? High volume or low volume? How do you know? Do you spend a lot of time looking at other people's feet? The point here is that you *may* be making assumptions about the relative shape and size of your feet and you need to test those against reality - of course, a good shop will do this for you, but I don't know enough about shops in wherever it is that you live to recommend one to you. Which of your toes sticks out the furthest? This will dictate the general shape of the boot you buy - if it's your big toe, then you're after a boot that curves back, if it's your second toe then you want a boot shape that mirrors this. Which is the widest part of your foot? You want the shape of the boot to mirror this too.

Then, you need to ignore all the stuff you've heard about buying a half-size smaller, or that boots should be painful; it's rubbish. Get the ones that fit. One manufacturer's size x is not the same as another's; they can sometimes differ by a size (x=x+/-1), or even more. Don't get hung up about it. There shouldn't be excess space, the boots should bend in the right place (though different lacing patterns can tweak this, if it's wrong in the first place it'll never be right), they shouldn't slip on your feet and your heel shouldn't lift. You need to put the boots on and get yourself into a variety of strange postures to check this. Many places will have somewhere for you to try the boots out. If you can't, then you can often improvise (try standing like you would on climbing wall holds and see what if anything hurts).

And try your boots on in the afternoon, preferably the late afternoon. Your feet swell as the day progresses, so what feels merely snug in the morning might feel like chinese foot binding come the evening.

For all these reasons, go and buy your boots in person rather than by mail order.

T.
 deacondeacon 17 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

Maybe you've just got weird feet
Don't know about Derby but in Sheffield The Foundry (crag x) have the best selection. The staff know there stuff, and they won't get pissed if you take an hour trying them all on.
Never get shoes by mail order. They can vary slightly in size from one batch to the next.
FR5811 18 Jun 2016
In reply to Francisr5811:

Sounds excellent, I'm probably going to end up in Sheffield sometime soon so I'll take a look.


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