blew through the toes of my shoes, are they gone?

I blew through the toes of my Scarpa Vapor V's, is there anything I can do to revive them as climbing shoes or are they totally done?

There are holes in them that go all the way through.

Send them in for a resole.  You'll need a new rand/toecap but most places should be able to revive them unless the hole is massive.  

Sam Hoffman wrote: I blew through the toes of my Scarpa Vapor V's, is there anything I can do to revive them as climbing shoes or are they totally done?

There are holes in them that go all the way through.

Common problem. My daughter goes through the toes of all her shoes like that. It costs an extra $20 on resole, usually. Considered new Rand + Resole rather than just the resole. Still worth doing for a pair of expensive shoes. 

Yeah, although your shoes will never be quite the same so it’s questionable whether it’s worth it.

Ted Pinson wrote: Yeah, although your shoes will never be quite the same so it’s questionable whether it’s worth it.

$30- $40 to resole a pair of $160 shoes? Seems worth it to me if the rest of the shoe is in good condition. 

I recommend contacting a resole shop and asking them.  If they are blown all the way through the leather they are likely not repairable.

PS.  That happens when you drag your feet up the wall.  Improve your footwork and you won't blow out any more shoes.

 Yosemitebum.com

they are not gone unless they went somewhere? they simply have holes in the toes. sometimes I have to tape the spot on my toe where the hole is so that I don' get shredded while crack climbing ;)

Paul Hutton wrote:  Yosemitebum.com

I posted a 20% off discount code for them in the "Great online deals" thread a few weeks back. If anyone wants to go look it up. 

I do this with most of my shoes.  Less from dragging than from the way I place my feet on holds.  Never had a problem getting a resole.  The resole may change the shoe slightly, but in my experience it's usually better, not worse.

Señor Arroz wrote:

$30- $40 to resole a pair of $160 shoes? Seems worth it to me if the rest of the shoe is in good condition. 

It’s obviously worth it from a purely economic standpoint, but you’re not going to get the same performance after toe caps, which arguably is the reason you paid $160 in the first place.  Thus, it’s only worth it if you don’t care about performance, which means you may as well just buy cheaper shoes.  Personally, I like to rotate shoes regularly enough so that I can send them in for a resole without toe caps.  If I screw up (or the shoe reaches the end of its life), then I drive it into the ground or retire it.

JaredG wrote: I do this with most of my shoes.  Less from dragging than from the way I place my feet on holds.  Never had a problem getting a resole.  The resole may change the shoe slightly, but in my experience it's usually better, not worse.

I am very curious how you stand on footholds if it puts holes in the toes.

Parker Wrozek wrote:

I am very curious how you stand on footholds if it puts holes in the toes.

+1

This is a common problem, usually caused by toe dragging for balance. Try resoles with toe caps and/or new rands. As Senor Arroz notes, you may not like the shoes after this repair, but I like them just fine.

Doug at Postitive Resoles can take a look and give you an honest answer.

I've mailed my La Sportiva Miuras and TC Pros to Rock and Resole on numerous occasions and I've have also had my fiancé's and friends' shoes sent there... all super happy with the repairs they've done. I'm pretty sure they fixed my leather holes at least once or twice, but this most recent pair were sent back and labeled "rejected". It's my fault as I waited way too long to send them in and wore a pretty big hole in the toe. You can send them in and they'll either fix them and charge you or send them back and you pay shipping ($10.00 I believe). If you know someone that needs shoes repaired, it may be worth sending them together and it only costs $1.50 for the second pair. If you have a shop in the vicinity, you can always take em in and have them look at the 'shoes, and they'll let you know if they can fix it or not.... In the end, i've been climbing on my rejected shoes for the past year because my expenses have been focused elsewhere. You can keep climbing on them as long as you'd like if they're still getting the job done. I plan on retiring mine when I start losing skin!!! In the future, send them in when the outer rubber sole is worn away and you still have the inner rand intact. 

Learn how not to drag your feet when you move. Problem solved.

Try getting them resoled. I am a "toe dragger," and most of my old shoes have replacement toe caps. They work just fine.

Parker Wrozek wrote:

I am very curious how you stand on footholds if it puts holes in the toes.

(Hey amigo)

I have this issue and have known others who do as well. I do not drag my feet. My theory is that it may have to do with foot shape, length of toes and the way it forces some people weight the toe edge of the shoes.

Here's a pair of Vapors I just had resoled. To the OP, when your shoes look like this, it's time for a resole. In this pic I almost waited too long and was starting to climb on the rand rubber. Don't do this and you'll avoid the cost and fit downsides of a toe cap.

 

Justin Peacock wrote: I have this issue and have known others who do as well. I do not drag my feet. My theory is that it may have to do with foot shape, length of toes and the way it forces some people weight the toe edge of the shoes.

I have a similar issue, I'm generally pretty deliberate with my foot placement (or at least I think I am) but I consistently notice that one shoe wears more quickly than the other (I have completely different sized feet)

That being said, it never hurts to pay more attention to footwork

Menna Mourad wrote:

I have a similar issue, I'm generally pretty deliberate with my foot placement (or at least I think I am) but I consistently notice that one shoe wears more quickly than the other (I have completely different sized feet)

That being said, it never hurts to pay more attention to footwork

Yeah, I'm extremely deliberate with my feet and that may actually contribute to the wear pattern. Even when placing my foot on a big hold I tend to go for the toe and focus on foot pressure for balance. Maybe I need to be less ballerina-like all of the time and use my inside and outside edges more...

Is the wear more dramatic on your dominant side/foot?