Climbing shoe

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Climbing shoes

A climbing shoe or kletterschuh is a piece of foot wear that is specifically designed and worn for climbing. To increase the grip of the foot on a climbing wall or rock face due to friction, the shoe is covered with a rubber layer. Usually, the shoes are only a few millimeters thick and will have a very tight fit around the feet.

High performance shoes are soled with a special vulcanized rubber that becomes flexible as it gets warm due to friction. This vastly increases the surface area between the shoe and the rock thus providing a better grip for the climber. The rubber extends up the sides of the shoes for still more gripping opportunity, though as a very thin layer since it does not bear any loads. The rubber being relatively soft, it is prone to being worn away by rough rock surfaces, and it is not unusual for a favorite pair to be resoled periodically; this may be done by a service, or with a kit.

Some of these shoes are asymmetrically shaped so climbers can stand on smaller ledges than with symmetrical shoes. Climbing shoes are not suitable for hiking, so outdoor climbers usually carry them to the base of the rock.

[edit] Construction

[This is very preliminary -- I am not an expert on the subject!]

Early climbers used heavy-soled boots designed for alpineering or hiking. Gradually, the shoes have evolved with the sport. Lighter, tighter-fitting shoes allow more precise foot-work, culminating in the moccasin-style shoes one finds today. Modern shoes use jealously-guarded carefully crafted multi-piece patterns to conform very closely to the wearer's feet. It is common for an advanced climber to try a dozen brands of shoes before they find one that performs best for them. I believe cow-hide is still widely used, although at least some companies have started using synthetics for their improved stretch qualities, strength, and feel (e.g. the proprietary material Five-Ten calls Cowdura).

The original lug soles have also evolved. It was quickly discovered that the more surface area one has in contact with the rock the better the friction. Some early climbing boots were nothing but alpineering boots with the soles replaced with smooth tread-less rubber. Later advances in material science has resulted in a variety of so-called "sticky" rubbers developed specifically for climbing. (I have heard that the original source was rubber designed for race cars, but I haven't confirm this.) Modern climbing rubber can now dramatically outperform even bare feet on average-textured rock. Modern shoes also feature thinner rand rubber to protect the heel, toe, and sides. This not only protects the shoe from abrasion, but also aids in climbing cracks and in techniques such as toe-hooking and heel-hooking. The margin around the bottom sole is ground down to a very precise edge. This edge is an extremely important property. Softer rubber, while giving greater friction, suffers in the rigidity and precision of the edge, making soft rubber better for some types of climbing than others, and vice versa.

Climbing rubber is becoming increasingly popular on non-climbing shoes. So-called approach shoes are hybrids between light-weight hiking shoes and climbing-shoes. They are comfortable enough to wear for long distances, yet also have sufficient traction on rock to make third-class scrambling on the approach to the foot of the crag easier. Many kinds of river shoes also use sticky rubber due to its ability to retain traction even on wet rocks.

The rubber is attached to the leather using barge cement. This cement has the rare ability to bond to both rubber and leather very well. Some other glues are also capable of bonding to both materials, such as Shoe Goo, but these apparently don't work nearly as well. Both surfaces are cleaned thoroughly with a solvent such as lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol. A very thin film is applied to both surfaces. Note, it is important for the cement to be sufficiently liquid to penetrate the pores of the leather deeply. After the cement has been allowed to dry fully (i.e. allowing all the solvent to fully evaporate), the surfaces are heated to activate the glue. The surfaces are then pressed together under extreme pressure to ensure a tight, permanent bond. (Does the pressure also help the glue penetrate the leather farther?) Professional shops have a special pneumatic press to apply strong but even pressure to all parts of the shoe. Do-it-yourselfers have been known to wrap the whole shoe in duct tape over and over again until sufficient pressure has been achieved. To resole the shoe, heat is applied again to reactivate the glue, allowing the old sole to be removed. You can find additional discussion on climbing forums about techniques for resoling your shoes.

Shoe Fit Climbing shoes are designed to re-enforce your foot (and subsequently its gripability) without deterring greatly from its maneuverability. This said, shoes should be worn fairly tightly, so that there is not extra "slosh" space between the shoe and the foot. Generally, people use shoes that are a full size or two smaller than their normal shoe size. When you try on a shoe, it should almost be uncomfortably tight! Not to the point of creating a situation with toes doubled up in a situation commonly referred to as "hammer toe." Rather, a shoe should fit snuggly! Also, climbers tend not to wear socks in order to maintain closer contact with the shoe, hence enabling more technical movement.