Lesson 1

Shoes

Climbing shoes vary from climber to climber. Some climbers like shoes that are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Some climbers like shoes that can only be worn for about 10 seconds before being reduced to tears because of the agony (possible over-exaggeration). Personally, I've gone for the in-between shoe because I'm new. Didn't want a shoe that would give me a false sense of comfort but didn't want a shoe that would destroy my feet.


The purpose of a climbing shoe:

Grip - Just like slick tyres on a race-car, rock shoes are flat rubber with no tread. This means the surface area of the bottom of the shoe is optimised when climbing. The rubber is soft too, not hard like on hiking boots, which means.. well.. it means it grips better, ok?

Shape - Rock shoes shape your foot while they're on. It's a little hard to explain with words, but I'll give it my best shot. Basically they cram your toes together, and point them all to the same place. So instead of your toes being straight out, they're all pointing to a… point… Girls with high-heels will probably be able to grasp this idea better than us guys, but the whole point of it is to make your whole foot more rigid, and for pressure to be directed to a smaller surface area - namely your big toe. This aids climbing, take my word for it. More aggressive shoes also bend the arch of your foot so that it works a bit like a bridge over a river or a talon or something. Unsupported bridges use an arch and a keystone, the same idea goes with aggressive climbing shoes - it means more weight can be applied to a smaller area at the expense of comfort.

Coolpoints - Talking point amongst climbers comparing how aggressive their shoes are. May as well measure penis length.

I've learnt to rely on my shoes a lot, and believe that the grip is enough to hold up my full weight. A couple of climbs now I've had to trust that my feet (the grip and the strength of my feet) will hold me, and they have. It's a bit of a leap of faith but you have to take it, so you know what grip feels like. Last night at the wall I had my full weight on a tiny hold with just the tip of my climbing shoe, like a ballerina on tippytoe. /feelsgoodmang - didn't complete the climb /sadface but still, awesomeness.