UKC

Is there any way of getting more life out of my climbing shoes besides using them less? I am wondering if there is something I am doing wrong that can be fixed? Shoes I got new in November have already worn through on the toes which doesn’t seem very long given I at most used them about 4 hours a week indoors and outdoors only got to use them about 8 times usually only for 1 or 2 routes. I don’t think I drag my toes much and where possible I try to stand with other parts of the foot on easier routes. 

are you indoor climbing at a wall with textured walls? if you go too deep on the holds you can wear the fronts really quickly. Also what shoes are they? if they are soft shoes I get about 6 months out of them climbing 3 times indoors and twice outdoors a week.

The shoes are ocun jetts which I don’t think are soft. The bouldering wall at the centre is textured so that might be it, should I just make an effort not to have my shoes touching the wall standing on holds? 

It is common to go through the toes on your first pair. I certainly did back in 1994! My mum managed to convince the shop to replace them for free!! 😂😂😂

You will probably find that you are not placing your feet precisely on the footholds. Beginners have a tendency to hit the wall a few inches above the hold then scrape down on to each hold.

Try looking at each foot until it is placed on the hold. Also precise placements using just the front, inside edge and outside edge even on big holds is great practice for when moving onto routes with smaller footholds. 

It's probably your footwork, pretty normal if you've not been climbing long. Jetts are pretty durable shoes.

Best thing I ever did to improve my climbing was to always warm up with footwork drills. 

Look down, choose the foot placement, place it, once, silently, then think about looking up for the next handhold. Do it on even juggy warmups and it soon becomes instinct, and moving up the grades onto barely existent footholds is much easier. And you save a fortune in shoes.

It's guesswork without actually seeing you climb, but for what it's worth ... you might try shifting your weight more fully onto the higher foot before moving the lower one. You're probably already doing this to some extent, but a lot of climbers fall into the "nearly but not quite" category in this regard. If fully unloaded, the lower foot can move up in mid-air, and not touch the wall at all.

Is there any way of getting more life out of my climbing shoes besides using them less?

Better footwork, basically that's it.

"I don’t think I drag my toes much" is a big clue.  I don't drag my toes _at all_ and that includes going up and coming down. Do some footwork drills as part of every warm up, especially silent feet and not moving (intentionally or unintentionally) feet once they have touched down. It will also improve your climbing because you'll learn to place your feet carefully and delibrately and learn to adopt the best position for the move _before_ you do it.

I usually run two pair at once saving the best for best and doing indoor mileage in the worn pair.

I know people who use a cheap pair indoors or for easy and an expensive pair for top-end but I prefer train my feet in the shoes I'll use when I need to be precise.

I have a pair of the same shoes as you. I only use them on my home board. They are noticeably softer than my usual Scarpas and are getting chewed up really quickly. 

Stop using your feet. I heard this will help your climbing too as you will grow big arms.