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gopherboy
Oct 15, 2002, 2:28 AM
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Hi all,
First post. I am rather new to climbing and as such limit myself to indoor, which I love. (The real reason I limit myself to indoor is really that I am afraid of heights, but don't tell anyone...)
I am looking to buy myself some shoes but I have rather wide, square-shaped feet. I take the widest shoe of any given size (normal shoes) and often have to go up an extra half size anyway. My toes do not really taper from the big to small like most feet so there is only about 1cm difference between the end of my big toe and the end of my little toe. (yes, my foot looks like a rectangle )
To get to the point, can anyone reccomend a good beginner's shoe that would be available in Australia (g'day) that would cater for those with wider feet.
I realise that the instant reaction may be that I don't need my own shoes so early in the piece and when only climbing at the gym but the hired shoes really hurt when tight and so I have to leave them rather loose. Not to mention needing a size up.
Any help with my problem would be greatly appreciated.
phill.
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geezergecko
Oct 15, 2002, 12:48 PM
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Leather shoes without liners have a tendency to stretch more than the synthetic ones with liners, particularly in the more recent offerings. Maybe you can find a really stretchy shoe, soak it in water, and wear it into shape.
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atg200
Oct 15, 2002, 1:07 PM
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don't soak the shoe in water.
my feet are very similar to yours. the only shoes that work well for me are unlined shoes. my favorites are the la sportiva mythos because the lacing system is so precise. my mythos are the same size as a narrow footed friends, but after a few months of use they look like a different shoe entirely. i can wear a stiffer shoe like the old synchros for edging, but they are unbelievably painful for crack climbing.
getting shoes early on is a good thing. start going outside.
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stevematthys
Oct 15, 2002, 1:10 PM
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the mythos might be an exception, but generally speaking La Sportiva makes shoes for people with narrow feet.
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holmeslovesguinness
Oct 15, 2002, 2:31 PM
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Count me in as a member of the Duck Foot Club. My feet aren't nearly as boxy as yours from the sounds of it, but they are definitely big and wide in the fore foot (12EE). Finding comfortable climbing shoes has always been a chanllenge for me.
I wear the La Sportiva Cliff right now and it has been an extremely comfortable. It's slip lasted and stretches enough to give you a good fit. It seems to be a good shoe for people with medium to wide feet (although your mileage may vary). It doesn't have as much support as other 'beginner' shoes I have worn, but makes up for that by being fairly sensitive.
Of course, the best thing to do is go to a store and try on as many different pairs of shoes as you can until you zero in on a pair that seems to work. I would recommend staying away from shoes that require a lot of break in / stretching before they fit right, as a beginner you probably want something that fits more or less out of the box to minimize your break in pain. It sucks to buy a shoe on the premise that it will be bad ass a few weeks down the road after it breaks in, only to find that it still hurts your feet so badly you can't see straight.
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atg200
Oct 15, 2002, 2:48 PM
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steve - i have always found la sportiva to fit my duck paddle feet better than anything else. the uppers seem more supple than other shoes and conform to my feet way better than other manufacturers. i cannot physically get my feet into scarpas, and 5.10 and boreal are painful even after long breakins. go figure.
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stevematthys
Oct 15, 2002, 10:54 PM
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yea, i had been told by several people that sportiva makes thin shoes, and it took me a while to break in my sportiva focus so i just assumed that all sportiva shoes were like that, guess i was wrong
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monkeyarm
Oct 15, 2002, 11:47 PM
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My friend has fred flinstone feet like yours, he has a pair of Red Chili spirit and that they fit pretty good for his feet, even without being broken in.
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gopherboy
Oct 16, 2002, 1:27 AM
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Thanks for the advice guys - near where I live there are not a lot of stores catering to the climber and those that do sell shoes usually only stock one or two brands / models. Your advice for brands of shoes means that I can find a store that sells them without going all over the place trying on shoes that would never fit anyway!
You have been an unbelievable help and my feet will thank you!
Phill.
And yes, I have an outdoor trip planned in the not-too-distant future. Last one was suggested on the morning of a rather sizeable hangover so was a no go.
[ This Message was edited by: gopherboy on 2002-10-15 18:30 ]
[ This Message was edited by: gopherboy on 2002-10-15 18:31 ]
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