The best climbing shoes for beginners
New to rock climbing? Not really familiar with the ins and outs of climbing lingo, culture and especially climbing gear. Yes, what’s up with all the different rock climbing shoes? Well, you are in the right place. The climbing shoe is the only piece of gear that climbers are really really particular about. There are different shoes for different types of climbing. For some specific situations, climbers even wear different shoes on different feet to help them perform better. However, for those who are new to climbing that topic is for another day.
What you are here to know is what type of climbing shoes you should buy if you had just recently hopped onto the rock climbing bandwagon.
We are not going to suggest cheap as chips climbing shoes just because you are a beginner. We are sure you already know that it doesn’t make sense to fork out well over $200 on your first pair of climbing shoes. However, we are not here to stop you because there are some fairly expensive climbing shoes that are well suited for beginners.
Beginner climbing shoes
In order not to scare off would-be future sport climbing superstars. Beginner climbers should not wear climbing shoes that are too tight and too downturned. You should ease yourself into the sport not dive headfirst into it. We are here to get you to love climbing not to reshape your feet.
Five Ten
NIAD VCS
Probably one of the most iconic climbing shoes back in the day. The Anasazi VCS had evolved and it’s now rebranded to the NIAD VCS. An all-around shoe with a comfortable flat sole for any type of climbing and climber of any level.
La Sportiva
Katana
Comes with innovative closure, consisting of two closure straps with differentiated and opposite pull directions. The Katana has a Vibram XS Edge sole making it an all-around shoe, suitable for any type of climbing.
La Sportiva
Tarantula
Design specifically for beginners in mind. A comfortable suede leather shoe with velcro closure. The rubber used for the sole is not top of the range but the low price makes up for it.
Scarpa
Force V
A high-performance flat shoe designed to be softer, more compact that a perfect balance between all-day comfort and climbing performance with a Vibram XS Edge sole.
Scarpa
Origin
A flat-lasted profile and a plush leather upper provide excellent comfort designed for newer climbers just getting into climbing.
