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A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a tight fit, an asymmetrical downturn, and a sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand to the heel and the toe.
A typical climbing shoe is made out of 9 parts: heel loops, lining, tongue tab, tongue, closure system, upper, toe box, rand, and heel.
Materials
Leather is the most common upper material, but other materials such as fabric and synthetic leather are also used. The climbing rubber used for soles was developed specifically for rock climbing. The two types of leather used in shoe construction are unlined leather and lined leather. Climbing shoes have rubber that are unique to the type of shoe as it molds onto the holds of a wall. There is a tradeoff between stickiness of a rubber and its durability.
Nose types
Climbing shoes are typically made with one of two types of noses: pointed or rounded.
Pointed
Pointed shoes can make it easier for climbers to stand on smaller holds. A smaller size allows the toes to be at the front of the shoe, preventing it from shifting inside the shoe, and can allow the climber to generate more force. As a result of their tightness, most climbing shoes, particularly the more aggressive or technical styles, are uncomfortable when properly fitted.
Because pointed shoes may cause the toes to not reach the front of the shoe, this can lead to the use of smaller shoes. Depending on the material of the upper, the shoes may stretch up to an additional two sizes, which can encourage climbers to buy shoes that are even smaller than they typically would. The tight fit of climbing shoes has raised concerns about the impact on climbers' feet. Foot pain or discomfort as a result of tight shoes is a common complaint among climbers. Given their stiff nature, the foot can be compressed while wearing climbing shoes, and chronic injuries and deformities, like hallux valgus and achilles tendinitis, can occur with long-term usage of overly-tight shoes.
Smearing
Smearing is when a climber uses the sole of their shoe to walk on a wall or a flat surface without any footholds. Shoes with a more sensitive sole made of thinner rubber allow for the climber to have more flexibility in their feet and not use footholds.
History
thumb|Early rock climbers used heavy-soled mountaineering boots
Early rock climbers used heavy-soled mountaineering boots studded with metal cleats and hobnails. An advance on this for dry rock, were boots with Vibram soles, with a pattern of rubber studs developed by Vitale Bramani in Italy in the 1930s. In postwar Britain, a new generation of climbers like Joe Brown began to climb harder routes wearing plimsolls (rubber-soled canvas sneakers), sometimes with woollen socks over them to improve grip. Pierre Allain was an enthusiastic French rock climber who experimented with hard composite rubber-soled canvas boots; by the late 1950s, his "PA" boots were being used by climbers worldwide. Fellow French climber Edmond Bourdonneau later introduced "EB" boots in 1950 after purchasing Pierre's company, which had softer rubber soles and became very popular in the 1960 and 1970s. In 1982 Boreal, the Spanish company located in Villena, produced the "Firé" style of shoe with a revolutionary sticky rubber sole. When climbing shoes experience wear, especially damage that prevents use, they can be sent to a resoler. The injuries and health complications related to tight climbing shoes have also prompted research into developing more appropriate climbing shoes. One group of researchers has developed a climbing shoe prototype that molds to the foot for a more natural fit with features that accommodate the variance in foot width among climbers. Adults who frequent these gyms inhale more RDCs than the average person, and this raises potential health concerns about rubber additive levels in climbing shoes’ soles.