Climbing shoe
Climbing shoes are shoes that are used in climbing and mountain sports .
properties
These shoes have a particularly good static friction or grip and thus give the wearer a good grip when climbing. Since most of the strength comes from the legs when climbing, the benefits of climbing shoes should not be underestimated. The climbing shoe not only has the advantage of a high coefficient of friction, but also enables the use of climbing techniques such as heelhook or toehook .
The climbing shoe is mainly used for sport climbing (rock climbing, indoor climbing), alpine climbing and bouldering . It is also used on more difficult via ferrata . Unlike mountain boots , which are more suitable for hiking or mountaineering , climbing shoes have a soft sole and usually sit very close to the foot. Today, low shoes are mainly used, which are available as lace-up shoes, with Velcro fasteners and as slippers. The main difference to mountain boots is the type of foot load. In contrast to other shoes, the aim of climbing shoes is to stabilize the foot in order to put maximum strain on the tips of the toes.
Since the main stress in climbing and bouldering is normally on the tip of the big toe, the shape of the shoe and the tightest and air-free fit possible ensure optimal use of strength and support for the foot muscles. This enables very small kicks and high pressure to be applied to a small area (tip of the toe). In connection with the high coefficient of friction of the rubber, this results in a safe standing position.
A pronounced preload increases the strength of the toes and thus increases the pressure on the kicks, which in turn enables a better grip. For extremely small steps in vertical and slightly overhanging terrain, aggressively pre-tensioned shoes are suitable, but too much pre-tensioning can also mean a disadvantage in the overhang.
Size selection & number of climbing shoes
In general, it can be said that with increasing difficulty (e.g. in sport climbing or bouldering ) closer-fitting shoes are used. Experience has shown that it is sufficient for beginners to choose a ( subjectively ) tight-fitting climbing shoe that does not cause pain when trying on. In order to still be able to choose the best possible climbing shoe, the toes can be actively clenched.
Climbing shoes can stretch through their use. Climbing shoes made of natural leather are mainly affected by this effect . Advanced climbers take this into account when purchasing the shoes. Regardless of this, they usually have several pairs of climbing shoes that they use depending on the level of difficulty or special requirements. Another possible reason is that in multi-pitch routes there is only one pitch of the tour that is significantly more difficult than the other pitches. A possible variation of the climbing shoe is useful here.
literature
- Peter Albert: Slipper Heroes (shoe test) . In: Climb! No. 3 , 2006, p. 30–34 (full text on the web).
- Peter Albert: high-end climbing shoes. Show profile . In: Climb! No. 3 , 2008, p. 32–36 (full text on the web).
- Matt Stanley: Rock Shoe Review: Part 1 . In: Climbing . tape 231 , June, 2004 (full text on the web).
