Introduction
Rock shoes are used for rock climbing. They are made in such a way that they aid the climber by having a good grip; they must have a sticky sole by little padding and must be off a close fit. Rock shoes are manufactured by several different brands. Choosing the right model of shoes is essential. Do not go for fancy names and fancy brands go for the shoe that fits your need. The needs of a novice climber are likely to be different from that of an expert climber.
History
Rock climbers in the old ages used rock shoes that were studded with cleats and hobnails. For dry rocks shoes with Vibram soles were used. After the world war climbers like Joe Brown from Great Britain started to wear plimsoll sole shoes with think wool socks to improve grip. Pierre Allain was an experienced French rock climber who experimented with hard rubber soled boots; by the late 1950s his "PA" boots were in use by rock climbers all over the world. Another French climber Eduard Bourdineau later introduced "EB" boots, which rubber soles that were softer, they became popular in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1982, the Spanish company Boreal created the "Fire” shoe with a ground-breaking sticky rubber sole
Features
Rock shoes can be bought from any of the top rock climbing shoe making brands. Some of the top brands are Evolv, Five Ten, La Sportiva, Scarpa, Mad Rock and Mammu. The shoes can be purchased online because there are a lot of sportswear brands and sites which operate online and sell shoes. There are websites like gearexpress.com and backcountry.com which have all the gear that you need from shoes to rope to utensils. These websites have refund policies and shipping deals so you can return anything that doesn’t fulfill your purpose or is damaged. Websites of the above mentioned brands as well offer free shipping. These brands also have dealers which sell their shoes and gear at the stores. These dealers can be found on lists on the brands website. For example the website of La Sportiva has a detailed map which helps you locate a dealer near you. The same goes for Scarpa, their website too helps you easily locate dealers of their shoes and gear near you.
Tips and comments
There are a lot of brands which are selling rock shoes, for you to make the choice that is perfect for you, try to go to one of the many dealers of gear and shoes so that you have experienced people fitting you for your shoe. By a comfortable all round shoe that has a stiff sole and high cut leather upper that lets you do plenty of climbing. Get a shoe that is snug but comfortable so that it doesn’t end up hurting your toes. If the shoe is cramped and hurts your finger don’t buy it. The best deals are available online but before buying make sure that they have a refund policy. Try renting a few pairs of rock shoes rather than buying them first so that you know that it’s a sport you like or dislike. Don’t spend tons of money on a pair if you think it’s a sport you will give up on.
