SALT LAKE CITY — Like any sport, rock climbing involves a lot of nuances when picking out gear — and, in particular, footwear.

Of all rock climbing gear, shoes require the most background knowledge to fully understand and they’ll have the biggest impact on how well a person climbs. Making it even more challenging is that each shoe, sometimes even the same shoe made in the same factory, is different.

“One of the biggest things we like to tell our customers is that there’s no right way to wear your shoes,” Shingo Ohkawa, a climber sponsored by Scarpa as an athlete, said. “It’s not formulaic, it’s really about finding the shoe that fits your foot the way you want it to.”

Okhawa and Paul Harvey, the owner of Salt Lake City climbing gear store International Mountain Equipment, offered their advice for picking out the best shoes for individual needs.

A climber’s first pair of shoes

“What we recommend for the first shoe is to get one that is comfortable and inexpensive,” Harvey explained. “We try to keep (some beginner shoes) under $100 because they’ll wear the rubber sole out more quickly than they will a subsequent shoe as they learn their technique and footwork, particularly in gyms that have textured walls.”

Most beginner climbers will want to start on beginner, or “neutral” shoes, which have a very relaxed fit, stiff soles and can be worn with the comfort of normal shoes. The International Mountain Equipment staff recommended the La Sportiva Tarantula, the Black Diamond Momentum and the Scarpa Origin as great choices for a new climber’s first pair.

“They are excellent shoes with excellent fit qualities,” Harvey said. “Even in an entry-level shoe you’re getting incredible performance.”

The difference between neutral, moderate and aggressive shoes

Around the rock climbing gym, new climbers might have heard mention of neutral, moderate or aggressive shoes. These distinctions refer to the different shapes of each type of shoe, and each correspond to a different variety of rock climbing.

REI explained the three different kinds of shoes in their article on climbing shoes:

Neutral: These shoes have a very relaxed fit and can be worn with the comfort of normal shoes. They are a great choice for beginner climbers or experienced climbers who will need to have them on all day or for very long climbs.

Moderate: Moderate climbing shoes have a downturned shape which makes them better for technical climbing. They are considered “all purpose” and will do a good job on anything from slab to overhung crack climbs.

Aggressive: Aggressive rock climbing shoes have very downturned toes and a lot of tension on the heel so that feet are kept in a strong and powerful position which is ideal for hard climbs. They are optimized for precise movements and difficult foot holds. That said, they tend to be very uncomfortable and shouldn’t be worn all day or on very long climbs.

“An aggressive shoe has what we call ‘downturn’: it is curved and it has a deep heel cup and a slingshot that shoots the toes of the foot into the front of the shoe so it creates a platform for standing on small features,” Harvey explained. “There’s another style of aggressive shoe that is very soft and made for doing overhanging type routes. It’s soft so you can curl your toes around features when you’re upside down.”

How tight should an aggressive shoe be?

“An aggressive shoe shouldn’t be painful, per se, but it will be very snug,” Harvey explained. “The idea is for you to only be in it for about 10 minutes. You’re not walking around in it like you would in your flip flops.”

Some aggressive shoes might not be right for a climber’s foot shape, and that can only be determined through trying on different kinds of these shoes and seeing which is most comfortable while providing the best platform for difficult climbs.

“We try to put several different kinds of shoes on our customers so they can sense which feels best on their feet,” Harvey said.

Laces, straps or slip-ons?

There are three different “closure” options for climbing shoes — lace-ups, slip-ons or velcro straps. They each have advantages, but all might be used for different varieties of climbing.

Slip-ons: "Slippers are very soft so people typically don’t want to do long, edging problems,” Harvey said.

REI’s shoe buying guide described them as being elastic, which makes them easy to put on and encourages greater strengthening of feet when training. They are also ideal for crack climbing because they easily slide into small spaces without concern of laces or straps getting caught.

Velcro straps: Shoes with velcro straps are very quick and easy to take on and off, and they are designed to slide on like a sock. “They fit really nicely without having to have tension all the way up the foot,” Harvey said. “However, if you do crack climbing the strap where the velcro fastens and tightens can get abraded and pop and fall out. Once that happens the shoe is done.”

Laces: “Typically with laces you’ll see they lace right down to the toe, so you can tension them however you like,” Harvey said. “Laces provide more versatility. Additionally, some people’s feet don’t fit in velcro shoes, and a laced shoe provides them everything they need.”

Moderate and advanced shoe recommendations

“As a climber progresses they’ll have a quiver of shoes,” Harvey said. “They’ll have one they’ll use as a warm-up, they’ll have a very aggressive shoe they’ll use for steep climbs and a shoe they might use for cracks and smearing.”

For moderate shoes, International Mountain Equipment recommended the La Sportiva Tataki and the Scarpa Vapor V. For a more aggressive shoe, people tend to go for the La Sportiva Solution and the Scarpa Instinct.

Resoling

Climbing shoes are not only very expensive, but they also wear out quickly and need to be fixed or replaced frequently. Aggressive shoes can cost upwards of $200, so wearing them out after two months and needing to upgrade again is less than ideal.

Harvey suggested climbers get their shoes “resoled” two or three times before buying new shoes again. He added that it is always a good idea to avoid getting to the point where there’s an actual hole in the shoe, because they then become virtually irreparable.

Resoling often costs between $40-45, and the climber can even customize the kind of rubber they want it fixed with. Resoling a shoe three times before getting a new one can save hundreds of dollars. The Gear Room in Cottonwood Heights is a good option for the service.

Sizing

It’s always a good idea to try a shoe on in person before purchasing it. Harvey cautioned against buying shoes online, “You might think you’re a size 10 so you go on the internet and buy that, and then you get it and it doesn’t fit. Each shoe has its own different last. Just because you fit a Sportiva Tataki one way doesn’t mean you’ll fit the Sportiva Solution the same. People aren’t served well when they try and go on the internet to buy a shoe, unless they know their size, fit and exact shoe.”

Ohkawa said it is very common for customers to misdiagnose their shoe size online. He added that he is several different sizes in some of the same shoes.

“Whether it has more leather vs synthetic material, that might influence what size you go with,” Okhawa explained. “One of the biggest things we like to tell our customers is that there’s no right way to wear your shoes. It’s not formulaic, it’s really about finding the shoe that fits your foot the way you want it to.”

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