Climbing Shoes – Types

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Information Articles Wearing the right Rock Climbing Shoes can help enhance your performance. There are many types of shoes on the market today and there are some very specific types that will give the climber the control that they need in different situations. Make sure you have the pair that meets your requirements. In this section, know the different types of footwear used in Rock Climbing:

• Edging Rock Climbing Shoes Edging shoes often have supportive ‘board lasting’ inside the shoe to take the ‘edge’ out of standing on one. In general, these are stiff and are recommended for the beginning climber as they have a lining that protects the feet and are easier on the leg muscles, especially the calves.
• Smearer Rock Climbing Shoes Generally speaking, smearer shoes are more flexible and have more rounded edges.
• Slippers Slippers cling to all sorts of overhanging stuff, nippy little holds, and will do well if your feet are strong. In addition, climbing in these flimsy shoes will harden them up. This does mean that these slippers are not ideal for beginning climbers. In general, they have weaker feet and need sturdier shoes to support their ankles. This type of climbing footwear is generally a true slipper, or can have zipper or an elastic closure. They are fast to get into, but will wear your feet out edging and standing around if you are not used to them. They also have thinner soles, generally, and will need resoling sooner.

  The smearing/edging shoes are not as sensitive as the slipper type. Long routes often require stiffer shoes. Boulderers often opt for the slipper type of Climbing Shoes.

These are some of the basic types of Rock Climbing Shoes. Make sure that your shoes are designed for the type of climbing that you are interested in.

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