Tried on 20+ pairs of climbing shoes, none of the heel cups fit.

I have tried on loads of climbing shoes: scarpa, sportiva, mad rock, butura, millet, 5.10, red chilli, tenaya.

I have tried them on in aggressive and non-aggressive styles.

I own a pair of scarpa technos, sportiva tc pros, and 5.10 moccs and anasazi vcs all with this problem.

The problem I have, is that in all of the pairs that I have had, my heel never is able to sit on the bottom of the heel cup. It is always floating a half inch to an inch above the bottom.

I can't order womens shoes, or even try them on because they only make them to 42ish and I am a solid US 11 or eu 44-45.

Anyone have any solutions? Anybody have the same problem, or am I just doomed to have a shitty fitting heel because of my weird alien feet?

trice wrote:I have tried on loads of climbing shoes: scarpa, sportiva, mad rock, butura, millet, 5.10, red chilli, tenaya. I have tried them on in aggressive and non-aggressive styles. I own a pair of scarpa technos, sportiva tc pros, and 5.10 moccs and anasazi vcs all with this problem. The problem I have, is that in all of the pairs that I have had, my heel never is able to sit on the bottom of the heel cup. It is always floating a half inch to an inch above the bottom. I can't order womens shoes, or even try them on because they only make them to 42ish and I am a solid US 11 or eu 44-45. Anyone have any solutions? Anybody have the same problem, or am I just doomed to have a shitty fitting heel because of my weird alien feet?

Are your feet wide or narrow? High or low arch? Any toe issues, eg: Morton's Toe, bunions, etc.?

If all else fails and you are willing to spend the money there is always this option

sftclimbing.wordpress.com/

Bought the sportiva geniuses about a month ago and have had 0 problem with the heel. It's a lot smaller than my previous shoes (sportiva pythons and evolv shamans)

Marc801 wrote: Are your feet wide or narrow? High or low arch? Any toe issues, eg: Morton's Toe, bunions, etc.?

I have a mortons toe. I am not exactly sure what the dimensions of my foot are, because I really don't compare them to others. I have tried all major shoe brands and almost all models and they all have this problem. That doesn't lead me to believe that it is a narrow vs. wide problem, but a heel cup issue that spans all ranges for my foot.

I have found the loose heel cup to be an advantage. It deforms around tiny little things that I heel hook on, increasing the range of angles that the shoe sticks.

i have no idea, but are these things supposed to fit tight to the heel? the only shoes i have that do that are my flat-toe mythos

unless you have wierd shaped feet this is easy.
Pain in the toes = tight.
loose heel = to big.

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If you wear an 11 US and are trying on 45 EU you are either wearing street shoes to tight and or wearing climbing shoes to big. I wear a 13 US running shoe and 45.5 TC Pro and my toes are not knuckled under at all, they are my all day comfort shoes.

Jeremy in Inyokern wrote:unless you have wierd shaped feet this is easy. Pain in the toes = tight. loose heel = to big.

Nah man. If the shoe fits in the heel at all, still usually a bit baggy depending on the shoe, then my toes are literally curled underneath themselves. Not just curled, but at more than a 90 degree angle if I can even fit them on my feet.

Evolvs?

If you wear an 11 US and are trying on 45 EU you are either wearing street shoes to tight and or wearing climbing shoes to big. I wear a 13 US running shoe and 45.5 TC Pro and my toes are not knuckled under at all, they are my all day comfort shoes.

Have you tried Evolv with slightly asymmetric ( Luchador, Astroman) or symmetric (Royale) lasts?

These feet sound pretty freaky. I think we need some pictures!

If it's just the heel fit that's off, maybe you'd be better off looking for some kind of insert you could put in the shoes? Then you could buy whatever shoes you want and be good to go.

I'm guessing you've tried them already, but La Sportiva Mythos look like they're made for Morton's toe. The lacing system also pulls the heel on nicely without murdering your Achilles tendon.

Jeremy in Inyokern wrote:If you wear an 11 US and are trying on 45 EU you are either wearing street shoes to tight and or wearing climbing shoes to big. I wear a 13 US running shoe and 45.5 TC Pro and my toes are not knuckled under at all, they are my all day comfort shoes.

All brands are different. I have a pair of TC pros with slightly knuckled toes(big toe is flat) at 43.5

Scarpas tend to fit a half to a full size smaller hence the bump in size. Evolvs fit way small and a 12 feels ok.

I know what tight shoes feel like, and i know what loose ones do. I just tend to have a baggy heel no matter how tight I go.

amarius wrote:Have you tried Evolv with slightly asymmetric ( Luchador, Astroman) or symmetric (Royale) lasts?

I am looking for a shoe a bit higher performance than the royal, but I will definetely have to try on the luchador to see how it feels!

Chuck Parks wrote:These feet sound pretty freaky. I think we need some pictures! If it's just the heel fit that's off, maybe you'd be better off looking for some kind of insert you could put in the shoes? Then you could buy whatever shoes you want and be good to go. I'm guessing you've tried them already, but La Sportiva Mythos look like they're made for Morton's toe. The lacing system also pulls the heel on nicely without murdering your Achilles tendon.

This is not a bad idea! maybe I could craft something. I was already talking to the owner of rock and resole and we were talking about modifying some shoes. maybe he would be down to help me make an insert!

Try googling "gel heel cup"

trice wrote:I have tried on ....44-45. Anyone have any solutions? Anybody have the same problem, or am I just doomed to have a shitty fitting heel because of my weird alien feet?

NO one caught this? Solutions. HA!
Have you tried solutions? Futura? The futura has an interesting heel, might be the answer...?
Prob with heel cup is its going to keep the Achilles tendon riding high, might chafe?
$.02

trice wrote: I am looking for a shoe a bit higher performance than the royal, but I will definetely have to try on the luchador to see how it feels!

This may be your problem. All high performance shoes have a moderate to high slingshot.

If you look at your bare foot, does your heel protrude beyond your Achilles tendon? If this is not your case, you may be screwed. You can cut the slingshot rand but that diminishes the forward pressure so important in high performance shoes.

A picture would help a lot.

rocknice2 wrote:All high performance shoes have a moderate to high slingshot. If you look at your bare foot, does your heel protrude beyond your Achilles tendon?

+1 I've had a hard time finding newer shoes b/c slingshot rands dig into my Achilles. Evolv used to make the Demorto, specifically for Morton's toe. They're my main shoe b/c they fit my wide feet well, though I don't have Morton's toe.

thin foam, cut yourself, glue in if needed, done.

if you have bagginess on the sides of the heel-cup still, you could try the same strategy on the inside heel area with thin foam. an exacto knife will be helpful in this process. i wouldnt do much with the outside of the heel in terms of putting material between your foot and the inside of the shoe. the reason is sensitivity when pulling with that part of the heel.

i think once you fill in the space in the shoe that your foot will not, you will have improved fit. might take a few sessions to get used to, and for your heel to start to settle into and shape the foam to your foot.

Custom orthotic for heel and under arch $150 it's a shoe insert . Bring the shoes with you and they will fit like a dream