Climbing Shoes
Looking to buy new climbing shoes and were told you have to downsize? Let's make sure you know exactly what that means and if you should actually downsize.
Dec 24, 2022
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Asked Sep 27, 2022,
Top Answer
I know some climbers that have been climbing for quite a few years, and while I do not know how their feet were before they started climbing, I can say that their toes do have a shape resembling that of a climbing shoe. Mainly, the toenails have a curve to them, and their toes are sort of squished together.
Though, this doesn't mean it's necessarily because of the climbing shoes. I know people who have similar feet/toes that do not climb, and I also know climbers whose feet have not changed, so it's hard to say for sure if climbing shoes change the shape of your feet or toes.
I have been climbing for a few years now, and my toes seem to be more curved now than they used to be. The tips of my toes used to all be round, now they are sort of "pinched" in the corners.
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Top Answer
Climbing shoes can be comfortable! But, that is in comparison with other climbing shoes, and not with everyday shoes. I believe that climbing shoes will never be as comfortable as everyday shoes.
If you manage to find the right pair of shoes for your feet, though, they can be very comfortable, considering they are still climbing shoes.
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Top Answer
Because it is both a physical challenge, and also a mental challenge. Yes, many sports include a mental challenge, but climbing specifically requires problem-solving skills.
The sport requires you to understand the routes, to understand your options and how to get to the top. A rock climbing route is essentially a puzzle that you need to solve. Solving it is both a mental and physical challenge. To solve it, you need to understand the route, how it's built and what it requires, and you need to understand what your capabilities and skills are. Then you need to use those understandings to find the best way to reach the top for you.
This is another great part of the sport - there is no one correct way to reach the top.
Every climber can have their own climbing style, some are more powerful, some are more technical, some combine the two. Some prefer crimpy holds, some prefer pinches. Some are flexible, some are not.
Every one of these elements, and more, contribute to the climbing style of the climber, which makes each climber quite unique in the way they climb, and in the way they solve the puzzles (climb the routes).
This means that you may see 10 people reaching the top of a route, and each of them may have done it in a slightly different way, and you yourself may also do it in a different way.
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Matt Asked a Question
General Climbing
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Jul 28
how quickly would i see a difference in my climbing if i start flexibility training?
It's a joke among my friends but it is true, I am the least flexible of all of the people I see in the gym. I know I should start training flexibility anyway, but I am curious about how long it will take to actually see the benefits of it in my climbing.
Asked In Article: Climbing Flexibility & Mobility: Unlock Your Performance & Prevent Injuries
Asked Jul 28,
Matt Asked a Question
Climbing Shoes
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Jul 28
Asked In Article: Don't Downsize Climbing Shoes Before Understanding What It Means
Asked Jul 28,
Recent Answers
Beginner here but I have been doing that for a few month, I don't know if it's ok or not though. I come from a weight lifting background, so to me it just comes natural to lift weight, it's the climbing part that is new for me, and in order to not be in the gym everyday I have been combining sessions. I haven't found what works best yet though as it's pretty random what I do first, either weight lift and then climb or climb and then weight lift.
I haven't gotten injured yet, but that might be because I have been physically active for years now. I would assume that if it's someone who has not been physically active and that climbing is the among the first and only physical activity they do, that they should be more cautious about weight lifting and climbing in the same day and take it slowly.
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I just learned at the gym that this is actually an international way of encouraging or saying "you can do it". Pretty cool when the whole gym is yelling at you "alle" or "you can do it!".
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I haven't gotten there yet, but I have come pretty close to doing one, but I think it was very much my "style" as it was a very physical boulder and I have been weight lifting for a few years and have some strength. I think I was just very much lacking the technique needed to actually do the boulder. If I would have done it though I don't know if I could have counted it as actually doing a real v6, since it might have been a very soft one and very much my style. I'm not sure that really counts.
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Anonymous
General Climbing
·
Nov 6
Hello.
Good cheer to all on this beautiful day!!!!!
Good luck :)
Good cheer to all on this beautiful day!!!!!
Good luck :)
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Bouldering
·
Jan 1, 2024
I kind of like the grading differences between climbing gyms. In some gyms a v4 could be as hard as a v6, and in some gyms a v8 can be as easy as a v6. It makes me sort of have to ignore the grades and just go for what ever route interests me and challenges me.
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Bouldering
·
Sep 9, 2023
I understand the concept of soft grades, but, when it gets to the point where the grades are so soft that a v5 is actually a v3, shouldn't they just give it a v3-v4 grade instead of just calling it a soft v5?
All of the boulders in my gym are actually around 2 grades below their given grade, I don't understand why they give them the higher grades and not the actual lower grades. Is there a reason for it?
All of the boulders in my gym are actually around 2 grades below their given grade, I don't understand why they give them the higher grades and not the actual lower grades. Is there a reason for it?
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