4 ms·
I've tried bouldering in a borrowed pair. Edging gets painful fast. Far too much stress on my toes. Having separated toes and a relatively pliable sole produces
by edj 16y ago
I've tried bouldering in a borrowed pair. Edging gets painful fast. Far too much stress on my toes. Having separated toes and a relatively pliable sole produces an awful lot of foot strain.
Real climbing shoes are tighter and more rigid. They do just the opposite of what these barefoot shoes do; they bunch your toes together, forming them into a kind of single supertoe. It's probably about as bad for you as wearing high-heels, but it's very effective.
Also, the soles on barefoot shoes are not sticky enough for climbing, so smearing doesn't work too well.
- avar 16y agoI've done rock climbing in both the five fingers and regular rock climbing shoes. Rock climbing shoes are definitely better 99% of the time, their rigidity helps you to maintain secure footholds. There's the occasional exception though, I was once able to gain a foothold in the five fingers by sticking my big toe in a hole that fit it exactly.