What’s good and what’s not?

What ever fits and feels good. Something too uncomfortable and you’ll not want to climb.

FWIW my first pair of shoes were La Sportiva Miura VSs, very much not a beginner shoe, but they felt great and I found a very good deal on them, so hard not to.

If bouldering I like Velcro one so you can slip them on and off quicker . Otherwise nice and tight but comfortable is all I can recommend really

What kind of beginner? Indoors or out? Or both?

General advice is snug but comfortable. Your footwork won’t get better if it’s agony sticking your toe on a hold.

🙂

Decathlon are fine, not the very cheapest lace ups though.

Fancy joining a club?
I can recommend a damn good one.
😀

I can’t recommend these highly enough. Bargain too!

La Sportiva fit me well. I would recommend trying various styles from a few manufacturers in store – rather than on line.

First shoes I wouldn’t be too precious about, whatever you get will be too big but you won’t know that until you’ve trashed them… 😆

Go for tight but ‘comfortable’ i.e. They feel a bit of squeeze but your feet don’t cramp after 30 seconds… Try your normal shoe size on first. Get something with a decent thickness of sole as thin ones will hurt your feet until you’re used to the lack of support.

Velcro are good but can getting baggy in the toe box (5Ten I’m looking at you). Lace up are more faff but more able to adapt as they stretch/you get used to them.

Oh, and don’t spend a fortune they are going to be too big….

What kind of beginner? Indoors or out? Or both?

Indoor bouldering.

Took the kids to https://www.rockoverclimbing.co.uk/ yesterday and my daughter wants to go back. My Merrell trainers weren’t the best though.

Go to shop with a big selection, try lots on. The shape of your foot will be a massive factor in what works or doesn’t, specifically is your big toe or 2nd toe longer? Then width then a few more things….

I have a wall in the midlands and this is correct :

What ever fits and feels good. Something too uncomfortable and you’ll not want to climb.

Go for something relatively cheap as your technique will be rubbish and you will trash them fairly quickly – don’t go for anything too aggressive as you won’t need them.

Basically comfortable and snug are the main ones at the mo. All feet are diff and so all shoes will fit differently, so choose somewhere with a decent range and decent staff to steer you in the right direction, so don’t go to eg Go Outdoors and pick up a bargain that doesn’t fit, or take that deal off the internet !

Indoor bouldering.

You can generally pick up old-style Scarpa Vapour Velcro for about sixty quid. They will be comfortable and you will be ‘overbiked’ in shoe terms for quite some time. I tend to stick to my shoe size in them.

A lot of bouldering walls will let you hire shoes for a couple of quid.

we took Finn to rockover a couple of weeks ago HtS, it was his cousin’s birthday party. the owner bloke was watching him and said he has a lot of natural ability (he’s 4!) and he loved it. i’m thinking along your lines too, i should start up myself. again.

HtS, gimme a shout next time you’re going. My kids are well into it, my oldest is doing bouldering comps now. Decathlon in stockport are good for kids shoes, and pretty cheap. They grow out of them very quickly. As for you, what size shoe are you? I’ve got about 6-7 pairs of rock shoes in various states of disrepair which you can have. They’ll need nuking on a hot wash first though.

Andrew, Daz. It’s a (play) date!

We’ll probably be going next time there is a wet Saturday, we’re only beginners so we’ll do another family session. £5 for an hour with tuition.

My wife is working on two Saturdays in September so we will definitely be going then.

I’ll be in touch.

I’m a size 9.

while you don’t want cripplingly tight shoes as a beginner you also don’t want them too loose and baggy or you’ll never learn to use your feet (this is Dave MacLeod’s advice not just mine before anyone tells me i don’t know what I’m talking about). Trying them on to find the brand that suits your foot shape is essential

The Climbing Depot in Trafford Park is also a brilliant place if you fancy mixing it up a bit. They do kid’s clubs as well.

https://www.theclimbingdepot.co.uk/manchester

I’ve got the cheap as chips from Decathlon, not as grippy as a better quality shoe but very comfy and make you work that little bit harder.

HtS, I’m the uk rep for Boreal, give me a shout at a mnpr I’m sure I can sort you out with something.

Cheers fella.

riklegge

It would have to be a set of Spiders for the OP then 😉

MNPR bouldering night once the winter sets in?

What ever fits and feels good. Something too uncomfortable and you’ll not want to climb.

This, and,

Go to shop with a big selection, try lots on.

This.

There’s an adage that if rock shoes aren’t painful when standing, they’re too big. Whilst there’s an element of truth in that, it’s terrible advice for a beginner (and even at an intermediate level). An aggressive fit is ideal if you’re climbing E7s, but by the time you need such a thing you’ll have a very good idea of exactly what you do want.

Try on lots of different pairs, find something that is form-fitting and comfortable. There shouldn’t be any pressure points. The last pair I bought, I came away with something very different to what I thought I wanted when I went in; it’s not wholly dissimilar to buying a bike I guess, when I found the right one on a test ride I just knew.

If you’re buying for kids, it goes without saying but I wouldn’t be splashing vast amounts of money on a first pair when a) they’ll quickly grow out of them and b) the novelty might wear off after a fortnight. Some shoes will stretch out a size or so as you break them in depending on construction, but don’t rely on it (I made this mistake once, ended up with an expensive pair of instruments of torture). The firmer the sole (actually the ‘last’ inside), the less they’re likely to stretch.

MNPR bouldering night once the winter sets in?

I’d be up for that.

Back when I was climbing regularly I was going a minimum of three times a week, but I’ve not climbed in, oh, six or seven years now so whilst I know what I’m doing any semblance of ability has long gone out the window. I’ve been threatening to check out the bouldering wall in Blackburn for ages but suffer badly from inertia and apathy.

Definitely up for both MNPR bouldering night and kids days. I actually got back into it a few months ago, and in typical fashion, forgot I couldn’t climb french 6c anymore and promptly popped a finger pulley. Seems to be ok now though. Must look after the tendons better next time.

When I finish* building the bouldering wall in my garage I’ll have to have a grand opening party.

*Like I’ve ever finished a DIY job 🙂

When I finish* building the bouldering wall in my garage I’ll have to have a grand opening party.

I turned mine back into a bike workshop – wasn’t getting enough use. Here it is de-holded (mostly).