UKC

Just wandering what is the proper way of wearing climbing shoes. Should you wear socks with them or is it best to be just your foot in them?

In reply to claymore:

Bouldering/technical stuff/outcrop climbing = STRICTLY NO SOCKS (whatever Chris Craggs might say!)!

Trad climbing/mountaineering/cold days = SOCKS R OK

If wet, you can wear your woolly socks OVER your boots

what about indoor walls?

In reply to Marc C:

Corse you wear sock - otherwise yer boots stink, yer toes hurt and yer feet get cold!


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

No socks ever!!

In reply to Chris Craggs:


Can't argue with that.

In reply to Marc C:

I've bought myself a nice pair of orange ones

http://upload.pbase.com/image/84089518/original

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Orange, eh? ... bit close to red for my liking!

Next odd question: What sort of socks are best? I guess not big hi leg things?

In reply to claymore:

i used to wear small ankle socks wen i first started climbing as my boots rubbed me like hell, but now i dont wear socks at all...
i seem to get a better feel for the climbing without socks now..

In reply to claymore:

I got some skimpy, thin, trainer liner socks from Marks & Spencers - 3 pairs for £5, I think.

In reply to All (but Chris)

cant belive your all trying to argue against socks in shoes, if you can climb ok in socks (not gay and scarey ones) then its ok.
Surley Chris is of good enough standing within the climbing communtiy to make his point, and it should be resonably unquestionable whether socks work ok or not.

Chris - can i have the new DWS book PLEEEAASE

of to mallorca on tuesday.

Kev

In reply to claymore:

fishnet stockings are the in thing, light airy and warm. If in extremis you can knot them and use them as a sling to abb off.

In reply to JimR:

Do you wear them with suspenders or garters?

In reply to kevin k:


Available from RockFax for proto delivery!

http://www.rockfax.com/publications/books/item.php?id=132


Chris

PS cheers for the comments!

In reply to claymore:

You can do either - it is up to you, and won't make much difference when you are starting out.

Wearing socks - advantages, stops your boots smelling, keeps your feet warm.

Not wearing socks - advantages, you can have your shoes snugger fitting and so can feel very small footholds better and your shoes roll around less on your feet, although you will not notice this until you climb very technical stuff (it will not matter for most people, quite honestly, and if you are climbing that hard, then you will know that no socks is the way for you).

Wear very thin socks to keep as much feeling and snugness as possible.

In reply to claymore:

I only wore socks when I didn't have my own shoes and used the rented ones from the wall. I never ever wear socks and I don't climb well enough for it to be classed as extremely technical etc

In reply to claymore: thin sock if its winter, or you wear red chili shoes, as they leak all over your feet.

In reply to claymore:
Thin trainer-liner socks are the way to go... First I climbed without socks, but my feet started to dislike me, as well as everyone in near vicinity of my climbing shoes- it came close to olfactory harrasment.

I don't really feel less in them, as the socks are quite thin.

I think even Dave M wore them when doing Rhapsody, so it can't be that disastrous for your climbing.

In reply to claymore: Socks always....unless you want to be the smelly kid........

In reply to Marc C:
Well personally I'd rather not have my feet sliding about in highly lubricated shoes, so I find thin liner socks essential in all but cold conditions.

In reply to claymore: I can't actually believe what I'm reading! If it's deperately cold then maybe where some socks if you're going to be dangling around for a period of time. Otherwise no socks ever, ever, never!

Bouldering = Never
Sport = almost never depending on coldness
Trad = same as sport

Yeah they can get a bit whiffy but it's not to bad and if you stick a couple of deodourisers in your shoes once they start to hum then they'll be fine 'til you wear them out. Look at some hardcore climbs/climbers and see how many pairs of socks you see. Also I know what people mean by "It only makes a difference on hard stuff" but for people who aren't very good "easy" stuff is hard so every little helps.

No socks, tight shoes, climb lots and don't be a dick!

Hmm that might have to become my motto.

In reply to claymore:

Don't be a sheep - get some boots that fit and see what works for you.

Personally I do both depending on conditions and my mood at the time.

In reply to Nom:


So your suggesting that folks starting out on VDiffs wear their rock-shoes, sockless and cripplingly tight?


Chris

Also I know what people mean by "It only makes a difference on hard stuff" but for people who aren't very good "easy" stuff is hard so every little helps.

HA HA HA it doesn't matter a sod on anything. People can't climb harder or better because they don't wear socks.


No socks, tight shoes your a dick
socks, tight shoes, climb even more, absolutely fine
Hmm that might have to become my motto.

In reply to Chris Craggs: look at his profile hes a bragging boulderer/ sports climber so obviously fashion is important

In reply to claymore:

I wore thin socks when I was renting shoes from the club to start with but have not done so since i brought my own. Not for reasons of performance (which im scheptical that it would make any difference in any case) but simply because i find it more comefortabel (sp?) If you chose not to then buy a can of spray from sports /shoe shop to stop any pong.

Also if you doing mainly trad then you might also find it helps to clip em on the outside of ur pack when walking off the crag as it will give them time to air, where as if you just bung 'em inside your pack they will get all ick and make it pong by the time you get home.

Whatever you chose ignore the idiots that say they are meant to be tight etc and just get ones that fit nice and comfortably, trying them for size as you intend to ware them, you will be grateful of it after your first full days climbing.

In reply to claymore: no socks, pretty tight shoes. no slippage, tight edges to toes, pressure available at tip and edges.

In reply to claymore: i always wear socks, when your partner's faffing like a bad'un and you're *really* bored on a belay ledge it stops you making a mess.

In reply to simon geering:


It's not fair to call people idiots when they are offering advice from their own perspective. I agree that when you are starting out, especially if you intend to do lots of long trad low grade routes, then comfort can be more important than performance. But the OP said indoor walls, so they are looking at performance in an environment where comfort is less important. In that case the comfy fitting shoes will become limiting quite soon.
If you are prone to sweaty feet socks are a necessity. If not then sockless is better.

In reply to claymore: Which do you find comfiest i'd go with, i normally wear thin socks and can't say i've had any major problems.

In reply to Alison Stockwell:

Sory but, while i agree that at a certain level and more so in more technical aspects of climbing it may be of benefit to have more tightly fitting shoes, I still think it is idiotic to advise someone starting out climbing to ware shoes that are of that type of fit. For any performance such a fit would make is of relative insignifigance to imrovements in fitness and movement technique made in initial progression after taking up climbing for the first time.

Indoor wall or not the best way you can improve when new to climbing is to get a lot of climbing time in and if your doing that you want to be comfortable.

In reply to simon geering:

To be honest, I think you have to go through the 'tight as possible' phase to appreciate the merits of really comfortable shoes and how little difference it really makes most of the time.

In reply to GrahamD:

Absolutely. I wore no socks for in mega tight shoes for the first 8 years ish of my climbing. It was very sore and my shoes reeked.
Now I wear reasonably fitting shoes with trainer socks and I can climb exactly the same grades (or even slightly harder) as I did when I didn't wear socks. My feet are now warm and (relatively)comfy.
I'm sure people can find their own arguments about performance to suit themselves....
I took a bit of a slgging for wearing girl's socks off one or two mates but-
The fact that the hardest trad route in the UK, and some of the hardest sport routes and boulder problems were done in socks is the best reply to any 'performance' debate.

Davie ; )

In reply to claymore:
Try it with socks.. then try without.
I found without socks is much better.. and looks less silly.
However ma shoes do rub a bit.. and it turns my feet yellow (my climbing shoes are yellow).. but that's how it is.

Better than yellow socks I suppose.. easier to wash feet.