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You Need Sport Climbing Shoes To Start Rock Climbing

Do not expect to just throw on a pair of sneakers and go climb your nearest rock face. In order to get anywhere in sport climbing you need a solid pair of sport climbing shoes. There are a couple of things to look for in your shoes so be sure that they have them or you could be out of luck in a very bad spot.

Author: Jeremy S. Abrahamson
Date: Feb 1, 2010 - 12:36:03 AM

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Do not expect to just throw on a pair of sneakers and go climb your nearest rock face. In order to get anywhere in sport climbing you need a solid pair of sport climbing shoes. There are a couple of things to look for in your shoes so be sure that they have them or you could be out of luck in a very bad spot.

Qualities Of Good Sport Climbing Shoes:

The first thing you want to make sure of is that they are comfortable. While there may be much more important things from a safety standpoint, if a shoe is not comfortable you will not where it. Remember that you may have to have these shoes on for days at a time so be sure to find a pair that fits you well and are comfortable.

You also want to make sure that your shoes are lightweight. While not really a part of comfort, having light weight shoes is a real plus on longer climbs. The one bad thing about light shoes is they tend to wear down quickly so see if you can find a pair that has solid tread. Which brings us to our next point, tread and traction.

You want to make absolutely sure that the shoe you are going to get will not slip on the rock. This is most definitely the most important feature for your sport climbing shoes from a safety standpoint. Having a good solid grip on the rock face is very important for a successful climb. In addition a shoe with a good grip will cause you to work less hard to more on the cliff face. The easier it is climb, the less energy you will lose and the farther you can go.

Another important feature is how well you sport climbing shoes respond to bad weather. You want to get a shoe that resist water and dries very quickly. Getting stuck on a rock with cold wet shoes is absolutely no fun. A lightweight and porus shoe that can dry quickly is very helpful.

Well there you have some basic features that you should look for in your sport climbing shoes. While there are other features that are important these really stand out as the most needed. In the end though it is up to you. I would suggest going out and trying as many different kinds of sport climbing shoes as you can till you find the one you want. Good luck and hopefully this helped!

View all articles by Jeremy S. Abrahamson

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