{"id":38679,"date":"2022-11-23T14:15:45","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T13:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-01.bergfreunde.de\/blog\/are-your-climbing-shoes-too-tight\/"},"modified":"2022-12-29T14:31:35","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T13:31:35","slug":"are-your-climbing-shoes-too-tight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alpinetrek.co.uk\/blog\/are-your-climbing-shoes-too-tight\/","title":{"rendered":"Are your climbing shoes too tight?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Climbing<\/a>
How tight should climbing shoes be?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We see it much too often: climbers putting on their climbing shoes with pain written all over their faces, only to take them off as soon as humanly possible with a huge sigh of relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or what about those poor souls who run to the wall on their heels so that they don\u2019t put too much pressure on their forefoot? I know, it\u2019s a dreadful sight when you see a climber with shoes too tight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, how tight<\/strong> should climbing shoes<\/a> be? Are they really supposed to hurt? Can wearing your shoes too tight have negative consequences, or should we all just stop being such wimps and grin and bear it? After all, you\u2019ve got to reach the next level of difficulty, right?
Climbing began with climbers wearing boots studded with cleats and hobnails. Then, a long time ago, climbers realised that they could climb more difficult routes by wearing special climbing shoes. This was not only due to the special soles<\/strong> but also due to the fact that shoes became tighter<\/strong>, which resulted in climbers having more sensitivity in their toes for small footholds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, in turn, resulted in a back and forth between increasingly difficult routes and more and more aggressive shoes. What all this meant for climbers\u2019 feet, however, was completely disregarded for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many climbers who wear the wrong shoes and even more who wear their shoes too tight! And, the reasons why they do this are manifold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creatures of habit<\/h2>\n\n\n
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You wouldn\u2019t want to wear this shoe for very long<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Climbers are used to wearing their shoes tight. After all, even well-fitting climbing shoes tend to be much tighter than your regular casual shoes. Over the years, climbers have just become increasingly desensitised<\/strong>, and now, tight shoes just feel right! Whereas a beginner would moan incredulously, \u201cAre you sure my foot\u2019s supposed to fit in there?\u201d, experienced climbers would simply shove their feet in the shoes in hopes that they would indeed stretch half a size. And, if they didn\u2019t, well, they\u2019d just have to live with it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This phenomenon is not just limited to climbing shoes. We\u2019ve become so used to wearing tight shoes that we unwittingly buy our casual shoes too tight as well. We simply don\u2019t know any better! After all, we\u2019re used to them being much tighter! And so it continues…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No pain, no gain<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"\"
Something for specialists – Scarpa<\/a> Drago LV – climbing shoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cClimbing shoes are supposed to hurt\u201d – this little pearl of wisdom is just as untrue as it is persistent. It simply leads to beginners buying shoes that don\u2019t fit. Which is completely unnecessary! You don\u2019t even need aggressive shoes in the beginning, but rather \u201csimpler\u201d shoes that will allow you to develop your footwork and technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, your climbing shoes should be relatively tight<\/strong> at first, especially if you buy a pair that is supposed to stretch after a few hours of climbing. But, the shoes should never make your feet hurt, especially if you\u2019ve had a chance to break them in over a period of several weeks! But, if they do hurt, you should seriously consider exchanging the shoes for a different pair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do the shoes expand?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well, they do it all by themselves! Leather shoes are particularly good at this. So, just keep climbing! And then climb some more! Why? This will allow the shoe to conform to the shape of your foot. If the mere thought of having to stretch out your new climbing shoes with your own two feet makes you break out in sweat<\/a>, you may just want to buy a half size larger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, bear in mind that climbing shoes expand when they get warm. So, don\u2019t be surprised if they feel really comfortable after two hours of climbing and then awfully tight the very next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The better you climb, the more aggressive the shoe<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"La<\/a>
La Sportiva<\/a> – TC Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is yet another very popular rumour in the world of climbing. The better you are at climbing, the more aggressive your shoes are. Or vice versa, if you want to show everybody how good of a climber you are, you wear an aggressive climbing shoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever notice what shoe Alex Honnold<\/strong> wears on his free solo ascents? The La Sportiva TC Pro<\/a>, among others. I mean, it\u2019s a good shoe, but it\u2019s by no means a MACHINE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When deciding what shoes to wear, professionals and other experienced climbers differentiate between disciplines and routes. Not a single one of them would ever think of climbing in overly tight shoes with a lot of heel tension on a multi-pitch climb<\/strong>. Except when it comes to the crux, and for that they have other shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance and embarrassment are often much closer to each other than you think. If you were climbing an alpine route with multiple pitches in a extremely aggressive shoe, it\u2019d be rather embarrassing. Why? Well, because it\u2019s completely unnecessary. On the other hand, if you managed to climb crazy roof routes in a slipper like the Anazasi, you\u2019d surely earn the respect of those around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is it really bad to wear your climbing shoes too tight?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Blisters<\/a>
And this one is one of the easier ones to look at<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Based on an article written by Volker Sch\u00f6ffel in 1999, here are some of the various \u201crisks\u201d of wearing the wrong climbing shoes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n