Socks and Climbing Shoes Your missing Out

I use to believe in not wearing socks and climbing shoes, but boy was I missing out. I changed and have never gone back. Keeps them smelling a little bit better, yes I can feel the rock under my toes, and my shoes are comfier. What's not to love. Just make sure you're not wearing a thick sock otherwise it might not work; however wool socks and TC Pros are a game-changing cold weather climbing combo. Who else is a sock and shoe fan out there?

1% of climbers climb at a level where the difference between socks and no socks matters. 99% of climbers climb without socks. 100% of these statistics were made up. 

Love socks for all the reasons you mentioned. So comfy on long routes too. I'm learning to embrace to old guy look.

If you want to stick to dime edges ditch the socks and make sure the shoes are tight, so tight you can't wear socks with them.

Tradiban wrote: If you want to stick to dime edges ditch the socks and make sure the shoes are tight, so tight you can't wear socks with them.

It's like you're barely even trying. We deserve better than a phoned in troll post. 

Been climbing now for 25 years, and MOST of that time I've worn socks in my climbing shoes--no matter what shoe I'm wearing.  I find the tightness is still there, as long as it's a thin sock (like Icebreaker).  No more fungus issues, no stink, no stickiness.  TC Pros and thin socks: year round for me

Socks are aid.

B Jolley wrote: Socks are aid.

Shoes are aid. Socks adding additional levels of aid don't matter because you can't over dry, you can't over aid. 

Tradiban wrote: If you want to stick to dime edges ditch the socks and make sure the shoes are tight, so tight you can't wear socks with them.

Oh please.  I've stuck to plenty of dime edges and less and I've always worn socks.  My climbing socks are about 1.5 mm thick, uncompressed.  Your experience is obviously different.

https://vimeo.com/117503263 “Hayden wore socks, Nick did not”

If you wanna wear socks, go for it. Doubt at our level it makes a bit of difference

Jake P wrote: https://vimeo.com/117503263 “Hayden wore socks, Nick did not”

If you wanna wear socks, go for it. Doubt at our level it makes a bit of difference

Hayden also climbed 5.13 with  socks on his hands

Jon Frisby wrote:

Hayden also climbed 5.13 with  socks on his hands

Come on you can't just say that and not give us a video!

kevin deweese wrote:

It's like you're barely even trying. We deserve better than a phoned in troll post.

...

phylp wrote:

Oh please.  I've stuck to plenty of dime edges and less and I've always worn socks.  My climbing socks are about 1.5 mm thick, uncompressed.  Your experience is obviously different.

Nvm, I guess we don't. 

One of the premier sock sends in recent years. 

TaylorP wrote:

Come on you can't just say that and not give us a video!

Man I wish I had filmed it. He did most of the arsenal at Rifle in an afternoon

Lets be honest, wearing socks with climbing shoes look ridiculous.

Also in when climbing cracks - socks would be considered AID climbing. 

Yes, Kevin, I got that it was a troll. Not exactly hard to figure out when 99% of his posts are trolls. I will sometimes, when I’m in the mood, respond to trolls seriously just as a protest against the stupidity of the practice. Most of the time, I just ignore them too. 

As a boulderer (also sport climber) I prefer no socks in my shoes. My guess is many people talking about socks in their shoes are climbing trad in cold temps. In that case, def socks. 

phylp wrote: Yes, Kevin, I got that it was a troll. Not exactly hard to figure out when 99% of his posts are trolls. I will sometimes, when I’m in the mood, respond to trolls seriously just as a protest against the stupidity of the practice. Most of the time, I just ignore them too. 

Lol. Having to explain your troll response to a fellow troll-e might be a whole new level winning for me.

However, no troll. If you wear a sock your feet won't grip the inside of the shoe as well and slide a bit, rendering your edging less effective. Sometimes it takes a little chalk on the feet beforehand for the sweaty type in order for this to work.

I used to never climb in socks.

Then one day on North Dome, after endless friction slab pitches, my sweaty feet were rubbing raw on the leather, it hurt bad, and it made trusting my feet more difficult, as my feet shifted ever so slightly as i weighted them.

So I pulled my socks out of the back pack, and donned em. Mostly, this was to just make the shoes a bit tighter, but god damn... they absorb sweat! even with the tighter fit, they just felt more comfy. leather on skin vs fabric on skin.. no brainer.

Since then, I've exclusively worn socks. Also makes it easier to switch between normal shoes and climbing shoes.

Think about it: your aiding your way up some steep bullshit, and then you come to a long free section. Youve got your free shoes on the harness, easy peasy to swap shoes and fire off the rest of the pitch.

or cragging, swapping shoes between pitches... none of this fixing inside out socks and putting em on and then putting shoes on and then taking everything offf again to put the free shoes back on.

And offwidths? Ankles?

If I ever start climbing delicate 5.12 with tiny desperate nubbins for feet, maybe I'll ditch the socks and get some disguistingly tighly agressive shoes... but until then its SOCKS AND MOCCS BABY

Here's an idea to save this thread - post up the photo of the hardest route/problem being climbed in socks. Bonus if it's the FA. I'll start - Jeff Gruenberg on Vandals (5.13 the Gunks), then the hardest route east of the Mississippi: