How to fit climbing shoes and how tight should they be?

Yoga talks a lot about how Intention is essential to successfully navigate life’s journey. Such as choosing a specific focus or purpose for your practice, whether it’s cultivating self-love, releasing negative emotions, or simply being present at the moment. One example I can think of is max performance on short indoor boulders vs. climbing outdoors for multiple days. So what is your intention when choosing your climbing shoes?

So how tight should climbing shoes feel?

This winter I decided to take a seasonal part-time job in an Outdoor shop in the French mountains thinking this could be a good way for me to practise my French and integrate better into the local community of climbers. Since I am a climber they put me in charge of the climbing section so not that long ago I had a client looking to buy climbing shoes. I wasn’t surprised when I was asked the very question “How tight climbing shoes should be?”

My answer was and will always be: how long can you be uncomfortable while also climbing? If you buy your shoes ridiculously small you might get the opposite of precision and not be able to climb because of the toe-crushing pain!

Not to mention:

• Chronic pain
• Real damage to your bone structure and nails
• Overstrain injuries
• When feet are too squeezed, toes are bonded into one unit, which decreases your foot’s capacity to absorb the impact of a fall – even on a pad!

The video below explains this topic in detail:

Do your homework!

Did you know brands use different sizing? For my street shoes, I measure 23.5 cm which means a 5 (UK size). However, my La Sportiva climbing shoe size fits around 1.5 sizes smaller than my street size compared to Scarpa or Five Ten which is more or less the same as street size. So this means I use a 3.5 Comp or Solution for crag and bouldering on cold days whereas, with my Scarpa Instinct Lace, I comfortably fit a 5 for the same thing!

Adapt your shoe to the heat and use

Years of “inexplicable” pain and discomfort that made me cranky have taught me a lot about my levels of comfort and tolerance to pain and that those can shift and vary according to the temperature AND, in the case of women, also based on where one is in their Menstrual Cycle. In both situations, I prefer sizing up by half a size and I even lower my climbing expectations.

Owning two sizes of my favourite model for the same use generally does the trick for me. And, if possible, a climbing shoe that is adapted to the type of climbing I intend to do. Keep in mind that what works for me might not work for you – One should always try to adapt other people’s knowledge to their own experience, level, and sensation.

Why are climbing shoes so tight nowadays?

They aren’t necessarily tighter but rather more specialised. A paradox I often see is that although climbing shoes are more specific, many try to find a model that fits all possible types of climbing. I am not saying it’s not possible but this will stop you from getting the best out of the shoe. And sometimes even yourself.

There are so many options such as brands, shapes, sizes, and fabrics that I don’t see the point in having geisha feet when rock climbing, bouldering, indoor climbing, etc.. Your mind should be on the game not on the pain: a hole in one toe, not being able to focus on climbing or enjoying, being a threatening dragon to my partner, and ultimately crying while climbing the last 3 pitches from a total of 15 were finally enough for me to understand that I don’t need to stop my blood from circulating to climb well. Listening to what your body needs and how it feels is key.

Tip: Regardless of the shape and rigidity of your shoe, what should be a common feature and a good indicator that you are using the right shoe for you is curled toes – BUT not to the point of being painful.

While growing up – when I did not know climbing even existed, I remember hearing often about how high heels alter your foot functions, change your body mechanics, and cause degenerative arthritis. Bad news: so does any tight shoe – climbing shoes included!

Do not confuse things:

While the rise of bouldering and shorter sports routes put to the table the option of wearing more aggressive shoes people also started choosing very tight ones in the pursuit of optimal performance. However, even in this case, adaption is key and you can see how having the opportunity to take the shoes off regularly plays a huge role in wearing tighter options that would otherwise become unbearable and detrimental to your health on a full-day use.

How to fit climbing shoes

Stiffness and Softness in climbing shoes: While a rigid shoe compensates with a stiffer midsole and outsole to provide extra support for your toes allowing them to be more relaxed, a softer one usually has a more aggressive downturn shape that grips around your foot and is by definition tight-fitting to provide support and precision on small footholds. Found in moderate to aggressive climbing shoes, a cambered or downturned shape is best for overhung walls where the use of tips and heels is essential to progression.

As you can see, your chosen activity becomes quite important when deciding between stiffness vs softness!

Bouldering and Cragging: you might prefer a more aggressive shoe that generally fits tighter and uses tension rands to perform. You will spend less time in your shoes so you won’t have to sit too long with your pain.

Note: You want tight shoes that compress but you still want to be able to feel your toes and heels – especially when bouldering. This way you avoid injuries and allow your feet to absorb impact when you fall.

Multi-pitch and all-day shoes: Heat, prolonged compression, and other factors can make your feet swell, so keep in mind that you should allow for some space in your shoes when buying them. You should feel comfortable while standing on small holds and not at all in excruciating pain. When I climb I like to think about myself as being a second-hand ballerina: precise while comfortable!

Note: In general, each brand has at least one model specially designed for such days.
A good video that talks about it is this.

Crack and Slab climbing: After a bigger break, this summer I got again into multi-pitch climbing. Somehow, I did not think of adapting my shoes so one time I put myself in the situation of having to climb a crack pitch and a slab pitch with La Sportiva Comp. And oh boy, that day was hot!

While I adore this shoe for its precision, sensitivity, and overall fit, that day I resented my decision to bring them on the wall! As I mentioned in this article – I learn best from experience so after managing my pain and emotions pretty well that day I did some research and decided to buy Mythos – the perfect shoe for both cracks and slabs that changed my life at Valle Orco Climbing Festival.

Note: Avoid at any cost climbing slabs with soft, aggressive, or extra-tight shoes!

Signs of a shoe being too small or not right for you

• You need a plastic bag to fit in
• You feel all 14 bones that make up the toes will break one by one if you spend another second inside
• You can’t focus on climbing and instead, you focus on how bad it hurts to have them on

Signs of a shoe being too big or not right for you

• Weird noises that force you to say “It was my shoe, not me”
• You have air/space around your heel, on the sides, or in the toe area
• The tip bends too much when you stand on your toes

IMPORTANT

• It is not always a matter of size but also a matter of shape. A good sensation in the right shoe should feel closer to compression than to your toes being crushed!
• Always try on a new shoe before buying it and feel free to spend some time in it.
• If your shoe is painfully pressing on some points (especially on the Achilles tendon or bony area), this means it will only get worse after a few hours of wearing them.
• Choose your shoe according to what your idea of comfort is.
• Shoes do break in a little (leather more, synthetic ones less). However, do not confuse moderate compression that feels like a good grip with your toes hurting and turning white/purple-ish

This video is worth a watch as contains some useful hacks to break in your new but right (!) shoes with zero pain:

The Bottom Line

Just like with other things in life I believe you just have to try a few wrongs until you find your ‘right’ shoe! And when you do, project or no project, slab or overhang, climbing hard or chilling at the crag, make sure it’s not painful!

On what do you base your decisions when it comes to buying climbing shoes? Please do share your experiences and any tips in the comments.

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