All climbing shoes have a break in phase. During this phase, the climbing shoes will stretch and get slightly softer in some areas. The amount at which they will stretch and get softer depends on the size of the shoe, the material, and how you climb in the shoes.
If the shoes are synthetic, the break in period may be shorter than that of shoes with leather since synthetic shoes normally do not stretch that much, they usually stretch around half a size to one size. This means that if you buy a size 9 synthetic climbing shoe, it will most likely still be the same size and fit as you bought it, even after many months of climbing in it.
With synthetic shoes, though, It's important to keep in mind that they will get softer after consistent use, but, since they won't change in their fit too much, and they will be almost as tight as you bought them even after 6 months, it's important to really get the correct size and to choose shoes that fit your feet properly. Otherwise, the break in period can take much longer, and may not happen at all if the shoes just don't fit your feet.
If the shoes are leather, the break in phase is a little bit different, since leather shoes can stretch up to a few sizes larger than when you bought them.
This is from personal experience of having 4 pairs of synthetic climbing shoes, all of which are as tight as they were when I bought them and have not stretched (from what I can feel at least) even half a size, and this is after between 2-3 years of consistently climbing in them 4 times a week. They have become softer to some extent, which reduced the feeling of tightness in some areas of the foot. The break in period for me was relatively non-existent, since they didn't really stretch, and I bought them with a pretty good fit out of the box. They started getting softer, I would say, after about a month of consistent climbing,
Rock climbing shoes are worn the same way normal shoes are worn, just without socks. Their sizing, though, is a different matter.
Rock climbing shoes are very tight in comparison to regular sport shoes, this is to provide better performance while climbing. This extra tightness is a little bit weird at first, but eventually you get used to it and the discomfort goes away.
You normally wouldn't wear socks in climbing shoes to make sure that your foot does not move around inside the shoe, which could reduce its performance.
Most climbers like to take the heel off in between routes. This is because the shoes are tight, so taking the heel out just reduces that stress on the feet and helps get you ready for the next route, and allows you to climb longer with less pain in your feet.
While you technically can climb in regular sport shoes, and even with no shoes, it is highly recommended to climb in climbing shoes to not only help you climb better, but also to prevent injuries. In some climbing gyms, it is a requirement to climb in climbing shoes.
Climbing holds are very rough and can damage your normal sport shoes if you climb in them often. Climbing shoes on the other hand are made specifically for these rough surfaces. They are made to handle gritty rocks and climbing holds and to not get ruined by them.
Climbing shoes will also help you climb better and give you a much better experience overall, as long as you choose the correct size for your climbing shoes.
Most climbing gyms have rental climbing shoes that you can use so that you can get used to the type of shoe before spending a lot of money on new ones.
Generally, you would not wear socks with climbing shoes unless you have a reason for it. Socks can help prevent chafing by providing an extra layer between your toes and the shoes. This could help in cases where you have new climbing shoes that are very tight or that you are not used to yet, or, you are a beginner climber, and you are not used to your climbing shoes yet. In these cases, the climbing shoes may be rubbing against your toes to the point where it actually breaks the skin and peels a thin layer off. Wearing socks can prevent this.
Other than this, though, it is usually preferred to not wear socks, since an important reason for climbing shoes being so tight is so that your foot will not slip inside of it or move around. Wearing socks can cause your foot to move around in your shoe, even in very tight climbing shoes. This can happen especially in the heel area and when you have difficult heel hooks where you really have to pull on your heel. Wearing socks can cause your shoes to not stay on as tight as they should, and could result in your foot slipping, the heel of the shoe coming off, and even in injuries if your foot slips in a risky way.
So the recommended way to wear climbing shoes is without socks. If you really want to, though, you can find a thin pair of socks to wear, just until your toes get used to the friction of the climbing shoes.
Climbing shoes are bent downwards to enable you to put more weight on very small edges. By being bent downwards, you are able to apply more force on the small edge without the shoe slipping off.
Bent climbing shoes are normally better for bouldering and overhanging routes, as they allow you to have a better grip on the holds, which enables you to pull harder on your toes and keeping your body close to the wall. All of this allows you to reserve more energy in your arms.
Though they are mostly used for bouldering and overhanging routes, they are not limited to them. There are many climbers who prefer aggressive downturned climbing shoes over neutral ones for sport climbing also.
Another element of aggressive climbing shoes is a slight twist in the direction of the big toe. This allows you to put even more force and power onto the toes, allowing you to have an even better stance on those very small edges.
I remember when I bought my second pair of climbing shoes, the ones I bought to replace my beginner shoes I wore for 6 months. I ordered them online and bought a size and a half (at least!) too small.
They were extremely painful to wear, even to just stand in.
My friend, with many years of experience, kept saying it's fine and that I should just wear them and climb in them, and they will loosen up.
I did as he said, but this didn't really work. They did loosen up a little bit even after climbing in them for just a few minutes, they did feel slightly better, but they were still horribly painful to wear.
The reason is, they were just too small! Climbing shoes should not be too small to begin with, even if you are expecting them to stretch and loosen up.
Also, they were synthetic. Synthetic shoes do not stretch as much as leather shoes stretch, so even if they would have stretched eventually by using them and climbing in them, they would not stretch enough to actually make them not hurt, they were at least 1.5 sizes too small to begin with.
And those are the two main points that I have used since then when buying shoes and making them not hurt:
1. Understand what you are buying
If they are leather, they will probably stretch a lot after using them for a while, so if you buy a smaller shoe size, it will probably be uncomfortable in the beginning, or even slightly painful, but as you use them, they should loosen up to be a great fit, just as long as you don't go down in size too much, they shouldn't actually be really painful.
If they are synthetic, keep in mind that they will probably not stretch too much, and if you buy size 10, they will probably stretch at the most to 10.5. I have bought since then 4 pairs of shoes, all synthetic, and none of them have noticeably stretched. They are still as tight as I bought them.
So keep this in mind when buying shoes, since if you buy synthetic shoes that are a few sizes smaller while thinking that they will stretch after you use them and that they will be a good fit, you may be quite disappointed.
2. Wear them!
My friend was actually right, wearing the climbing shoes does stretch them, even for that session, making them much more bearable throughout the session compared to when you are just putting them on.
Of course, if you downsize synthetic shoes too much, like in my accidental case, wearing them probably won't help much. But if the shoes are properly sized to begin with, then you should be fine with just wearing them and climbing with them, they should stretch and loosen up.
Rock climbing shoes are simply called climbing shoes. Some who mainly do bouldering may refer to them as bouldering shoes, but those too are just climbing shoes.
Belay means to secure a rope around an object such as a pin, rock, cleat, or a belaying device.
When you are belaying someone, you are securing the rope in a belay device such as a Grigri.
The jeans rock climbers wear are not ordinary jeans. They have specific qualities that make them comfortable while climbing, such as being more stretchy and breathable than normal jeans
These jeans are typically very comfortable, and are thick enough to also help prevent those small but annoying skin scrapping injuries.
Some climbers also prefer wearing these jeans because they just look more stylish.
Rock climbers are very efficient at pacing themselves, and only exerting the required amount of energy, and no more. They achieve this through training, experience, and properly reading the route.
Climbers do in fact get tired, just after a different amount of time than others, and they are able to handle it better than others.
In order for a climber to complete a route, which can sometimes very long and physically demanding, they must first understand the route and it's requirements, and what options they have that can help them finish it. Based on that, and on an understanding of what their own strengths are, they will decide on the beta that suits them best.
Knowing what they need to do on the route and properly reading it and coming up with the correct beta for themselves also allows them to find good resting spots. These resting spots are crucial for long and tough routes, as the climber can spend enough time in these resting spots to recover and to reduce the pump in their arms.
Climbers also train very hard in order to reduce the effects of the pump they feel in their arms, so that they are able to climb through it better, and to delay the pump from ever happening.
