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amarius
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Jun 19, 2015
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Nowhere, OK
· Joined Feb 2012
· Points: 20
This is inspired by the "help with my first pair of shoes" questions - how many would say that their first pair of climbing shoes was a good choice? My 1st pair was not good ;)
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Eric D
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Jun 19, 2015
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Gnarnia
· Joined Nov 2006
· Points: 235
It generally doesn't matter. My first pair was probably a full number size too big. But that is certainly not what was holding back my climbing. That concept applies to 99% of beginners.
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Ken Noyce
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Jun 19, 2015
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Layton, UT
· Joined Aug 2010
· Points: 2,648
amarius wrote:This is inspired by the "help with my first pair of shoes" questions - how many would say that their first pair of climbing shoes was a good choice? My 1st pair was not good ;) I'd say mine was good, I got a pair of 5.10 spires 1/2 size down from my street shoe size. They were never uncomfortable, they stretched to conform to my feet perfectly, and at the level I was climbing at I didn't need anything that was higher performance (how hard is it to stand on a jug anyway).
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WoodyW
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Jun 19, 2015
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Alaska
· Joined Sep 2014
· Points: 70
Clearly, my first pair of shoes failed. They made me slip and fall every once in a while. And, they turned my feet BRIGHT red and wouldn't come clean for a day....Darn things. (end sarcasm)
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Shane Noble
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Jun 19, 2015
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Portland, Maine
· Joined May 2013
· Points: 25
Fail! They were evolv defys, sized so big you never needed to take them off. If I still had them I would wear them as house slippers.
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trice Rice
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Jun 19, 2015
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Unknown Hometown
· Joined Mar 2014
· Points: 0
down sized way way too much with a pair of anasazi vcs. by down sized i mean that i bought my street shoe size and my toes were curled. horrible choice when you are also trying to crack climb, but i didn't know any better and always heard, "they should be tight enough to hurt" ended up selling them for close to what i paid for them and bought a pair of half size up spires. those ended up being great shoes for me. good enough for all the climbs I was capable of.
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Rick Blair
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Jun 19, 2015
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Denver
· Joined Oct 2007
· Points: 266
Late 90s EBs that were so tight I can't believe I still climb, hurt like hell. Everyone back then told me you had to get them really tight. I still have them.
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David House
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Jun 19, 2015
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Boulder, CO
· Joined Nov 2001
· Points: 453
Ha ha! My first pair of shoes were a total waste - 1982 Galibier RR (for Royal Robbins). Barely better than the Nikes I used before I got real shoes. In about '86 I got Fires which were a total revelation!
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SM Ryan
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Jun 19, 2015
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Unknown Hometown
· Joined Jul 2008
· Points: 1,090
Not good I started climbing when all shoes were male/uni-sex models. When they started manufacturing climbing shoes with a better last for female feet, I was ecstatic to have a shoe that fit like a glove without pain. But I have to agree with Eric D, I still climbed a couple of 5.12a TRs at Devils Lake in them and managed to climb 5.11c sport.
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matt c.
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Jun 19, 2015
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Unknown Hometown
· Joined Nov 2009
· Points: 155
Success. My first pair were old run down shoes from a local gym. I am not sure of the brand but they cost my $10. They were big, floppy and comfy. It was a great beginner shoe because my feet didn't hurt and they forced me to be really careful with my feet.
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Jeffrey L
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Jun 19, 2015
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Hillsdale, NJ
· Joined Mar 2015
· Points: 5
Great success! I got a pair of La Sportiva Tarantulace. I've actually owned two different pairs of them as the first one was a bit too big, I still managed pretty well. I got my second pair about 1.5 months after my first buy and ended up with ones 1.5 sizes down(to 41). With my current tarantulaces I have been able to climb v4 and 5.12. To add, I can wear them all day with very little discomfort even if it's a long day at the gunks.
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Paul Ross
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Jun 19, 2015
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Keswick, Cumbria
· Joined Apr 2001
· Points: 22,236
My first pair of rock shoes (black sneakers) were purchased in 1953 at Woolworths store ..price 35 cents..Climbed then up to 5.10
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Mathias
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Jun 19, 2015
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Loveland, CO
· Joined Jun 2014
· Points: 306
I got lucky. The store had one pair of 5.10 moccs and it was a size 12. They were tight but I bought them. They stretched to fit and were good enough to buy a second pair while the first were getting resoled. I've got other shoes too, but the moccs are still a shoe I wear often. Comfortable but not very technical.
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mountainhick
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Jun 19, 2015
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Black Hawk, CO
· Joined Mar 2009
· Points: 120
1st pair Galibier Royal Robbins RRs... fail. 2nd pair EBs, state of the art at the time
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Matt..C
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Jun 19, 2015
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South Lake Tahoe, CA
· Joined Apr 2011
· Points: 20
First pair were 5.10 coyotes. They stretched out way too much and I didn't size them down. Bad decision. Picked up Anasazi Verdes after that, huge improvement.
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Steven Groetken
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Jun 19, 2015
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Durango, CO
· Joined Sep 2012
· Points: 390
^ 5.10 coyote, exact same shoe and same thing happened to me. I could pull the Velcro as tight as it would go and still slip them off with ease.
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Ryan Canny
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Jun 19, 2015
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Illinois
· Joined Jun 2012
· Points: 20
First shoes were a pair of black and gold boreal diablos I was about 11 and though they helped me climb better at least at eleven I thought they did.
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Anonymous
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Jun 20, 2015
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Unknown Hometown
· Joined unknown
· Points: 0
My first pair fit fine but the rubber on them sucked and i remember slipping off things all the time. My next pair was Anasazi (new pair / resole once a year) and I have used them for years and only rarely swap for some agressive ones for special routes.
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M Clark
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Jun 20, 2015
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San Antonio, TX
· Joined Jan 2015
· Points: 45
Happened upon a sale on Amazon, got a pair of 5.10 Anasazi's for something l like $50. Love them (only a few months into climbing) and plan to have a pair around until I find something better.
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Eliot Augusto
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Jun 20, 2015
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Lafayette, CO
· Joined Dec 2013
· Points: 60
May this be a cautionary tale. I purchased a pair of mythos that stretched to be about a size to "big". I could wear socks in the winter time. Then the gule between the sole and the rubber came off in an area and I had them replaced. It wasn't until I replaced them that I realized the Mythos were fine and I could have had them resoled. My replacement shoes were a different brand and way to small, and I never wear them anymore. I had to buy a second pair to climb multipitch, and they turned into my main shoe. My first pair were a success, but I turned it into a failure.
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Luc-514
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Jun 20, 2015
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Montreal, QC
· Joined Nov 2006
· Points: 12,506
Boreal Ballet, resoled them 5 times so I guess they worked out. Narrow toe, high top, crack and edging fiends. Still have them somewhere with the original fluo yellow laces, too bad the rubber is all dried up.
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