Picking out your first climbing shoe
Where to start
When selecting your first pair of climbing shoes it can be overwhelming with the amount of options out there. Each company has a different kind of shoe style they offer and all are trying to sell you on the idea that their rubber is better than the rest. Generally speaking if you are just starting out with climbing, any shoe you get is going to be better than what you were going to rent at the gym. This page is going to give you a rough idea about the various brands out there with the average cost of a shoe from each site and hopefully steer you to a starting point so you can spend less time shopping and more time climbing!
Starting as a company in 1928 in Italy, La Sportiva has had its experience in the shoe world for quite some time. It wasn’t until 1991 that they started to get popular in the climbing scene though. They released a shoe called the Mythos that aimed to compete with the other shoes currently on the market and it was a hit for the next 20+ years because of its design (it was one of my first shoes as well). It’s a laced shoe with a flatter bottom designed to be more comfortable when you’re on the wall for extended periods of time. This paired with the rubber they used made it a perfect starting shoe for new climbers because it wasn’t as aggressive on the feet.
Another pair that quickly shot up in popularity is the solutions. They are a velcro style slip on shoe that is more aggressive and designed for digging into a climbing hold when bouldering. This shoe in particular is not something I would recommend you start with because of the price and the experience when wearing the shoe. It’s a fantastic shoe when you use it in the right setting but overkill on the climbs you would typically be on when first starting out. This is a good example about how buying an expensive item isn’t always the best first choice. I would recommend something like the Finale to start with because they are reasonably priced and will last you for a long time when starting out.
Another very popular climbing brand you’re likely to see in any climbing/outdoor shop you go into. They have also been around just about as long as La Sportiva, starting as a company back in 1938. In the beginning they focused mainly on creating shoes for the local farmers that would be comfortable and up to the task of heavy manual labor. It wasn’t until the 70’s that they began to design and create shoes for the specific purpose of mountaineering and climbing. One of the first shoe models that Scarpa came out with was called the Rock master or Rock stars and helped put them on the map in the climbing world through the 80’s and 90’s.
Scarpa shoes tend to be more specialized in the bouldering scene as a lot of their shoes are more downturned and aggressive. Some of the more popular models are going to be the Dragos, Instinct, and Boosters. Like mentioned above, these shoes are on the more expensive end ($200+) and are incredible shoes for the sport but l because of the way they are designed it would be recommended to start with one of the cheaper models like the Origin or Veloce. These are going to be more beginner friendly and easier to break in.
Evolv is common around most climbing gyms because they are typically what gyms will use for rental shoes. That’s not to say the company provides cheaper quality shoes, they just have a model that is easier to produce in mass and more economical for gyms to use. Evolv is one of the younger companies listed so far, they started back in 2003 and quickly grew in popularity from the quality of the shoes they produced. If you’re looking for a good brand to start with this is a solid option.
Some popular starting shoes that are nice mid range shoes to start with for Evolv are the Defy and Shamans. These are common to see throughout most gyms you go to and are a nice balance between bouldering and sport climbing shoes. They are also in the typical budget range between $100 and $150 so it’s not breaking the bank if the pair doesn’t quite work out for you.
They are a brand founded in 2017 by the previous members of the company called Five Ten that was acquired by Adidas. Five Ten has not been a good choice for modern climbing shoes since it seems they focus more on different outdoor activity shoes instead. Unparallel took what they learned from Five ten and transferred that knowledge over into their personal line of shoes. They seem to be growing in popularity over the years and are good choices for some middle ground climbing shoes when first starting out. They also have more expensive shoes for intermediate and advanced climbers as well but like mentioned.
Some popular choices that would be good to start with are the Up mocc, a nice slip on flatter shoe. This style is built for comfort and meant to be for casual climbing so it’s a perfect choice when picking a first shoe out. The Up Rise is also a nice mid range shoe that isn’t super downturned and aggressive. Both options can be found for under $150 and should last quite a long time before you’ll need another pair.
Final Thoughts
No matter what brand you decide to go with, any shoe is going to feel like a magnet on the wall at first and is truly a gamechanger when you’re a beginner. Just by focusing on technique alone you can get very far in the climbing world on a single pair of climbing shoes. Once you’ve found a particular style of climbing you enjoy, that’s when researching the different options out there will become more important. Finding a shoe that fits your style of climbing is a different matter and will be covered in another article here. Until then we hope this helped cover some questions you may have had!