I remember hearing somewhere, possibly a Nike commercial, that the fastest way to go from expert to hopeless beginner is to try something new. Since it's been a while since I tried something new, I thought it was time to step outside my developed comfort zone of backpacking, kayaking, snorkeling, and biking, and add yet another equipment-laden expensive pursuit to my ever-growing list of interests.

Recently I significantly altered the way I work out to eliminate almost all machines (except a couple arm exercises with a rope and pulley) and rely largely on my own body weight (push-ups, bridges, pull-ups, sit-ups) with some free weight work. I also started looking for an exercise that would work the entire body, provide solid cardio, and keep my mind occupied -- stationary bikes and treadmills bore me to tears and result in me not giving my all. I settle don taking advantage of the gym's climbing walls and, more specifically, the treadwall -- a climbing treadmill, where you set angle and resistance then let your body weight pull the climbing wall beneath you, allowing you to climb endlessly without worrying about a high fall, harnesses, or belaying equipment. Even though it's a tread, the nature of climbing keeps my mind occupied. Even when you hit the same patch of wall, it's unlikely you will be tackling it in the same way you did last time, so you constantly have to think about where your next foot or finger hold is going to come from. Plus, if you want something that works large groups of muscles at once, it's hard to beat climbing.

Anyway, after struggling multiple times to stay on the wall wearing a pair of cross-trainers, I realized that if I was going to get in any way serious about climbing as both a gym workout and an outdoors hobby, I was going to eventually have to fork over for a pair of specialized climbing shoes. Now I've bought all sorts of sports footwear, from trail runners to soccer cleats, hiking boots to water shoes. But climbing shoes were entirely new to me, and it was pretty clear that this wasn't the sort of purchase I could jump into without getting a little guidance. I had no idea how the shoes were supposed to fit, which design would be best for what I wanted to do, how it should feel, what material -- basically, I had no idea, and when in doubt, I head to Eastern Mountain Sports to take advantage of their expertise.

So what follows is by no means the commentary of an expert. As of this posting, my shoes are a day old on my feet and have seen the climbing wall twice. Instead, look at this as a novice relaying to you, "what I learned yesterday."

First, there are a lot of climbing shoes, each one designed for various tasks. As a beginner who was planning to work several times a week on an indoor climbing wall, then a few times a month on rocks and boulders, I was steered toward an inexpensive pair of multi-use shoes. Don't let the term multi-use fool you. You wouldn't want to go hiking in them. The times I've worn climbing shoes in the past, I was on walls staffed by guys you would not rank as especially knowledgeable about what they were doing. So when choosing my rental shoe, I went for one that fit snug and comfortable like a sock, with room for my toes to sit normally. In fact, this isn't what I should have been doing at all.

"Uncomfortable but not painful," explained Luke, the attendant and experienced climber who was helping me cycle through a series of shoes in search of the right one. While it's possible, even probably that one can get a more spacious and comfortable climbing shoe and never think twice, the science behind the shoe when applied to more ambitious climbing goals calls for a fit that transfers power to the big toe. Thus, the shoe fits in a way that doesn't seem quite right if, like me, you're used to the cushion and comfort of hiking shoes. My toes were slightly curled, and I had a new definition of "snug fit."

"There shouldn't be any extra fabric," Luke explained, "and if you have your finger behind your heel when you are putting them on, they're too big. You should have to use the pull loops there on the back."

A second climber explained to me and one other guy who was in the store also shopping for his first pair of climbing shoes how the standard was for a climbing shoe to be around half a size smaller than you think you need. "And they get smaller the more technical you get," he added, "until they turn your foot into this amazing claw." He was, he said, currently climbing in a shoe two sizes below what he normally wore.

I wasn't looking for that degree of foot binding, so I was happy to stick with "uncomfortable but not painful." My feet, of course, proved to be challenging, as I am rather small and have short toes. Eventually, however, we settled on the Mad Rock Flash -- an inexpensive pair of sport and bouldering shoes that were a step up in technical design from what I'd been wearing but that would allow me to advance my skills without having to show up in a couple months ready for a new, more technical pair. The other guy buying his shoes -- they told him to come back when he'd trimmed his toenails, otherwise he'd never get a proper fit. I was, I admit, still ambivalent about the fit. I couldn't get my mind around the difference in what I expected and what the reality was. But I decided it was best to trust the experts, and I'd had two of them helping me diligently every step of the way. But the true test would be the first time I slipped them on and tested out the difference in performance on the wall. Luckily, my gym was only a block away.

So the first thing you notice is how much cooler you feel when you walk up to the climbing area and put on your "special shoes." Forget these peasants in their running shoes! I have special shoes. Why, I can probably climb straight up the regular walls and across the ceiling! Anyway, the first obvious difference is that I don't have to twist my foot, ankle, and whole leg into unnatural positions to find a toehold. Climbing in trainers obviously means you can't negotiate the nooks and crannies very well. With the Mad Rocks, I was able to put my foot in the places it was supposed to go. It took some getting used to, as the weight in your foot is distributed differently, but once you get the hang of it, a good pair of climbing shoes makes a world of difference. Which means, at the very least, I can stop worrying about my shoes and start working on actually advancing my skills and strength.

So there you are. Climbing shoes. Don't buy them online, at least without going somewhere to try them on first, and if possible, get fitted by someone who knows exactly what they are doing. Otherwise, you are almost certainly going to get the wrong thing (especially if your foot is somewhat wide or narrow), because the wrong thing will feel good in the store, and right thing seems like it doesn't make any sense -- until, that is, you wear it up a boulder or a climbing wall. And that is, after all, where it needs to count.

Labels: Gear