L. Marie
What To Look For
The most critical element in selecting a pair of rock climbing shoes is fit. Look for shoes that fit so that you can wiggle all of your toes together as if they'd fused into one solid toe across the front of your foot. If your shoes are so loose that you can wiggle your toes individually you'll find that they don't do their job--focusing the force of your weight on your big toe--effectively, and if they're so tight that they hurt to put on, you probably won't want to wear them at all; the purchase price will have been wasted.
Climbers who climb steeply overhanging rock may want to purchase shoes with downward-pointing toes to help them hook into holds; climbers who climb a lot of slab may want relatively soft, sensitive soles on their shoes; and those who spend a lot of time climbing in cracks will want relatively stiff soles on their climbing shoes for extra support.
Common Pitfalls
The most common pitfall in purchasing climbing shoes is buying something that's poorly sized or doesn't fit the shape of your foot very well. There's nothing you can do about this except to try on as many pairs of shoes at the store as necessary, then return them if you find that they don't fit your feet well after a few climbing sessions.
While new shoes might be uncomfortable during a break-in period, this tends to last only a few climbing sessions. Hot spots, or places where the shoe rubs on your foot or is so tight that it restricts circulations, are unlikely to go away no matter how much you torture yourself by climbing in the shoes.
Other common fit problems to watch out for include very high arches, flat feet or tight-fitting heels on the shoes that cut into your Achilles tendon. The only remedy for all of these common problems is to keep trying shoes on until you find a pair that fits comfortably.
Where To Buy
Your best sources for climbing shoes are retailers that focus on outdoor recreation gear--such as Cabela's and REI--or online retailers with the same focus. Your odds of finding climbing shoes for sale at general-purpose sporting goods stores like Sportsman's Warehouse or Sports Authority are low.
Cost
Climbing shoe prices vary widely and usually, but not always, correlate with the durability of the shoe. Comfort and fit, however, depend so much on the shape of your foot that they have little correlation with the price of the shoe. The cheapest full-price climbing shoes you're likely to encounter will cost in the neighborhood of $80, while more expensive shoes may cost up to $200. You should be able to get a decent mid-range cost pair of shoes for between $110 and $140.
