Shoe Advice

Hey everyone! I'm new to climbing, and looking for some advice on shoes. I went to REI, and the employee in the climbing section helped me fit my shoes. I normally wear a size 13 shoe, but he convinced me to downsize to a 9.5, saying that my toes need to be pointed down. They are La Sportiva Tarantulace shoes, and after putting them in a stretcher, and climbing at a gym and outside several times, they still hurt my feet like crazy. I'm looking into getting a new pair of shoes, and keeping these for when a friend comes along. I will be climbing primarily at Devils Lake in Wisconsin on quartzite. Any recommendations for types of shoes, and sizing are greatly appreciated.

Yikes...are you kidding me? I would say that is grounds for a refund. His advice was horrible. While most people do downsize, 3.5 sizes is ridiculous and dangerous. I wear a 13 street as well, and the lowest I've ever gone is 45 euro (11.5 US). Tarantulaces are comfort-fitting beginner shoes; your toes should be slightly curled and the shoes should feel snug, but pain is never good, especially if you feel pain whenever you weight them (like stand on a hold).

I climb at Devil's Lake often. The quartzite is super slick and there are lots of small edges, so you'd do best with a stiff shoe with good edging abilities. A Miura VS, Katana Lace, or TC Pro would all excel at this, but they're also rather expensive, and might not be a great idea if you're just starting out. To be honest, Tarantulaces are garbage. You might want to try a pair of Mythos if you're sticking to La Sportiva, or even Nagos.

Agreed, absolute BS, horrible sales advice. Sadly, I hear this all too often about REI employees. Definitely take them back and bitch up a storm. Tarantulas incl. the lace, are NOT toe-down type shoes.

Thanks! I've got no problem forking out the money for a good pair of shoes, so I'll look into those.

How did you end up taking them home if they're so tight? If you bought them at an REI, I assume you tried them on.

The guy told me they would stretch a lot, and they would feel better after being broke in.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:How did you end up taking them home if they're so tight? If you bought them at an REI, I assume you tried them on.

The first time I got a pair of climbing shoes (some beginner full leather 5.10 lace up) in store (from the defunct chain that occupied the tall climbing wall in Park Meadows mall), the kid manning the section also spewed similar BS. Good thing I ignored him, but it's all too common.

If you are new to climbing your shoe should be comfortable. It should be snug, but comfortable. 3.5 sizes down is absurd. Having tight painful shoes wont help you climb harder at first.

You don't need higher performing shoes as a beginner. You're going to totally destroy the first pair or two while you're learning your feet.

I think of sizing in a more European sense and going several sizes down makes more sense. I wear 9. That's 42-43 depending on brand. All my climbing shoes are 39-40 and they aren't terribly tight. In 'merica to drop from a 9 to a 5.5, I can't imagine that being possible for me. Are larger feet more compressible? Do you put your shoes on with a hammer, a tub of butter, and 12 strong men?

Sportiva Mythos at street minus two 'Murican sizes is great, leather shoes do stretch. Great first shoe.

Matt, if you are new to climbing, you definitely do not want to get a super-aggressive shoe, nor do you want to fit your shoes too tight.

There will be plenty of time for both of those things later in your climbing career (though some very good climbers never go in for the super-tight shoe thing).

My recommendation is that you buy a classic all-around climbing shoe. A tried and tested shoe that you see at the crags all of the time, but also a shoe that has put up some of the hardest routes anywhere.

Given that you are a size 13, I recommend that you look at a pair of 5.10 Anasazi "pinks." They're lace-ups, and the sizes that you should try are 12 and 12 1/2.

My other recommendation is to look at La Sportiva Miuras (lace-ups). Try them in sizes 45 and 46.

The key thing is this: DON'T FIT THEM TOO TIGHT.

You all are so dumb.

5.10 and Evolv fit tight at your street size. Just remember that synthetic doesn't stretch, buy a flat shoe and not a down hook shaped one, and never order online until you understand the brand nuances.

I've found that to be the case with Evolv, but not 5.10.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I ended up going with the Katana Lace in 45.5, and they feel amazing compared to my other shoes! I know they're not a "beginner" shoe, but for me they are the most comfortable while still being tight. I can't wait to try them out!

KL is a great shoe...probably my favorite all-around. Just be careful with scraping the walls with your feet, as this destroys shoes and they're not cheap.

I had a pair of Tarantulace as my first shoe, and they were great at first but they did stretch out so they are maybe one size bigger than I would like. However, for the sales person to suggest they would stretch 3.5 sizes is absolutely ridiculous.

Katanas seem like a good all-around shoe, I haven't used them though. The Muira VS were my second pair and while they are great shoes, I do think I bought an aggressive pair of shoes a little too early as the toes on them wore down fairly quickly because I hadn't developed good footwork yet. So +1 to Ted about the scraping on the wall: be mindful of your footwork, as bad footwork can really wear your shoes prematurely.

The big feet get special deals on ebay. I recommend you shop there .
ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R…

Whoa! No kidding. Might bid on those $50 Moccs...could use a pair sized for crack climbing.