Climbing barefoot reddit. I have a lot of thoughts on this.

Climbing barefoot reddit. Wondering if anyone here rock climbs/boulders and has any thoughts, thanks. One of the best and most memorable moments in my life was just a day climb to camp 3 and me and my best mate just sat there looking down into the cwm and admiring the majesty of the Everest, lhotse nuotse landscape and across to Pumori. Tried some barefoot climbing at my gym today. They take a bit to break in but I really like them now. The one that people SHOULD follow is no climbing shoes in the restroom. I love climbing trees barefoot when possible and live on a property with lots of pines, but I always thought of them as fairly unclimbable compared to knotty/branchy deciduous trees. So I've recently started picking up rock climbing, and I enjoy the sport a fair bit, except the shoes are a torment! I understand why climbing shoes want to compress your toes, so was wondering instead if there are any barefoot runners here that are also climbers, and what do you do to help your feet cope with the shoes? Hi, I'm visiting Hong Kong for a month, and need a new pair of climbing shoes. Yes, rock climbing barefoot is doable but not recommended for many solid reasons. Climbing barefoot is not allowed in any gym I've been to. Luckily, I had a pair of goat grip style shoes (they are basically like sock-shoes, and definitely do not scrunch your toes). Aggressive/downturned/cambered shoes have a curve to them that naturally puts your foot in a pulling position. Climbing shoe recommendations Does anyone have recommendations for climbing shoes to wear that won't squish all my toes and put them into a point? My climbing gym requires shoes, but I want to wear my correct toes in my shoes while climbing because without them I have pain in my bunion. The tx4s are wide but stiff, so you won’t get a whole lot of groundfeel, and they aren’t great for actual climbing, they seem to hit a weird spot where they’re too stiff for comfortable running/walking but not quite stiff enough to be really good for climbing. I was curious about climbing it barefoot (or at least with 'barefoot shoes'), and if there was less or more chance of injury compared to climbing it with walking boots that cover the ankle area like these. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. Most climbing shoes are already built to be worn "barefoot" and don't really have any cushion or midsole whatsoever (except for a few Boreal models). The first time I tried it in the park (there is an artificial boulder in our park with easy routes mostly for the kids) I scraped my feet quiet a bit after an hour of climbing or so, but you will get better at this if you do it more often. End of story. Not worth it. The overwhelming majority of people here use climbing shoes, and you’er coming here asking for advice on non-climbing shoes. Namely, the point of the shoe is as small as possible to allow all of the pressure in your foot to focus at a single point giving you the most traction on a foothold. Thanks for help 1. L-sit climbing and climbing where only your arms are involved is still doable, but climbing with standard technique is almost impossible. If you want a wide climbing shoe, there are going to be other higher-performing options with name-brand climbing rubber, like the Veloce or some of Evolv's new models. Of course everyone is going to tell you to use climbing shoes. Your feet will adapt. I love going barefoot, and also got pretty into indoor rock climbing about 6 months ago. I was wondering, has anyone had a similar experience of wanting to continue rock climbing after your feet have changed? Even if say I were to buy larger climbing shoes, I'm wondering if wearing them could be detrimental to the progress I have made in foot health. Shoe farts are caused by trapped air under the arch of your foot. As others have said, there aren't really any actual climbing shoes with a wide toe box; but I've figured out some workarounds, and some shoes that are pretty good options in spite of that. Is there a reason no one else does this? Has anyone tried yoga socks and found success or crushing defeat? The downside is because my shoes fit properly now (that is, they are super tight and uncomfortable), I naturally want to take them off between routes and while belaying my partner, meaning I’m walking around the gym barefoot. Climbing barefoot helps wake them up and get them moving, can help strengthen them. Indoors there are no small footholds and no long climbs most climbing you will do is either steep or on volumes so soft and downturned. Then people walk on the same floor with their climbing shoes and then walk it all over holds. I had other types of barefoot shoes, but I think the fivefingers have done the most for my foot health and movement. . Let me paint a picture - I am approximately 54 weeks pregnant, and I wore apparel that fit which were a pair of thongs. If I continue to rock climb and wear barefoot shoes will my feet be healthy. Anyone familiar with barefoot shoes? I’ve been wearing bare foot shoes for awhile now and can’t stand the narrow bouldering shoes. The barefoot shoe ideology is completely counter to climbing shoe ideology. Our feet aren't as well adapted to climbing rocks compared to other animal's. It flattens out aggressive shoes, pushes dirt and dust into the rubber, causing it to polish holds, and is just uncomfortable, depending on how you fit your shoes. Foot shaped shoes seem to go against the ethos of climbing, but these are made by a company that also makes regular climbing shoes so maybe they're… The nature of barefoot shoes having wide spacious toe boxes is the opposite of what is required for climbing sadly. Because that’s what we use, and there is a very good reason for it. On steeper walls, this helps set up your toes to not just push downward on holds, but I tried rockclimbing with them once, dont ever do that with skinners. Walking on flat ground and climbing vertical walls are very different tasks. I thought of this analogy - walking barefoot/using thin barefoot shoes is like walking on hard concrete, as opposed to walking with cushioned "regular" sneakers is like walking on soft dirt or sand. It's even encouraged in Saxony in our beautiful Sandstone Tower Paradise because it's better for the soft sandstone than the rubber shoes. The art, experience, history, celebration, and philosophy of barefoot climbing. And yes we are scared of falling. Very long comment alert, TLDR at the end. Barefoot Climbing Shoes? This is an odd one - went rock climbing today and discovered the shoes are pretty painful for someone wearing ‘barefoot’ shoes constantly for years. There are a couple of people climbing barefoot at my gym. But, I think that's a per gym etiquette thing rather than some blanket rule across all gyms. 2. Everest was not and end goal but a mountain that my peer group was climbing and I wanted to try it as well. These just look super wide. This got me wondering, how much gravel and rock is too much for barefoot hiking? How tough can you reasonably become? What are your You gotta let em break in and stretch though. I know the shoes for climbing are bad for my feet but it’s just something I’ve accepted. They offered me free rentals, but I opted to use my goat grips. i want to join a climbing gym but dont want to mess up my feet from wearing the tight and unnatural climbing shoes. It's possible to go barefoot while climbing, but you have to be really careful with your footwork. I also assume it's not allowed in most gyms and definitely frowned upon to climb barefoot on public walls. Been in barefoot shoes for around 6 years, been climbing for a little under 2 years. Please put any suggestions below! Its a preference thing. I went to a climbing gym a few hours away, and when I got there I realized I left my climbing shoes in my home gym. Has anyone seen any barefoot style ‘wide’ climbing shoes that follow a proper foot shape? These don't look great to me. Heelhooks, gripping with the top of your foot, etc. For me I’m only going to be in climbing shoes for short periods of time. People go barefoot because you’re technically not supposed to walk around in your climbing shoes. Wondering if anyone's ever tried this, perhaps I should post this on r/barefoot. So you wear what you need to for what you’re doing and then go back to barefoot/minimal shoes the rest of the time. Reminder that climbing inside with bare feet, even if you're a v8 climber just flexing on a v5, is really bad etiquette Etiquette question: Climbing barefoot? Was waiting for a climb this weekend and the guy before me decided to climb it barefoot. Saltic also has the two Enigma models, which are also decently footshaped, but are otherwise more towards classic climbing shoes. Frankly, the thought of his feet mank all over the rock I was about to touch was kind of disgusting. Jul 3, 2025 · When it comes to climbing, the right shoes can make all the difference. The art, experience, history, celebration, and philosophy of barefoot climbing. I wear barefoot shoes the VAST majority of the time I spend trueBut u/gotham_possum if you want some advice from my resole/shoe shop: Just because you get shoe farts doesn't mean it's a bad fit (at least where it matters). The idea is to strengthen the foot into one sort of claw that can cling onto a tiny ledge. These are the best two suggestions I have been given has anyone used either of them and how were they? Mani made a video about a month ago how barefoot climbing in his home wall quickly and greatly increased his toe strength, recommended it as excellent means of training. Theoretically if you had this made up scenario in which you had two people; one walks without shoes for 80 years on hard concrete all day and the other walks without shoes for 80 years on soft dirt 52 votes, 13 comments. When I used my feet to wrap around the rope it hurt like hell. Finally started tree climbing barefoot. I can see some benefit in improving your precision and technique by climbing barefoot, but I think at the gym you're just going to upset everyone. Hilarious how people get so uppity about bare feer on climbing holds when people and dogs in gyms are walking shit all over the floor. com Jun 25, 2024 · In a world where we get picky about the climbing shoes we wear, there are climbers who are bouldering V17 barefoot. A subreddit dedicated to discussing and reviewing climbing shoes. Barefoot Climbing is starting to take off in certain circles, and is slowly gaining popularity among some climbers world wide. Climbing shoes are engineered to mimic the feet of the most efficient rockclimbing mammals on the planet-mountain sheep/goats. Climbing shoes help distribute the forces across your entire foot effectively, but as you'll quickly find out almost all of the force will be focused on your big toe when climbing barefoot or with those (creepy) five finger shoes. That said, climbing is dirty, bloody, and communal. They might have some momentum and fall 1-2 meters in different directions) I see climbing as an activity that needs a specialist shoe and cannot be barefoot or minimal (for me, MTB and snowboarding are in this same category). I asked the front desk, (this is a large gym in a decent sized city) about their policy, and they agreed that it was gross regarding the kids shoes, but that the policy is no barefoot climbing, but they can climb in socks or their own shoes. most climbing shoes are also wrapped in a thick layer of rubber Nov 22, 2023 · French minimalist “Barefoot Charles” Albert has announced what he believes is his hardest send to date, L’Ombre du Voyageur (The Traveler’s Shadow), proposing a grade of 9A/V17. 8K subscribers in the climbingshoes community. I considered the latter may reduce chance of spraining/twisting/rolling my ankle, or some other bodily injury from falling over. As his epithet suggests, Albert climbs monkey-style, without climbing My climbing shoes still fit but are much tighter, as expected. climbing shoes are exceedingly rigid and durable so as to allow beter traction on small foot holds or wedge into small cracks. Sep 28, 2021 · Barefoot rock climbing, can you do it? Should you do it? Info on the advantages, techniques and famous barefoot climbers. I specifically bought two casual pairs that I wear to work as well, which are pretty cool. The monk undoubtedly took a much easier route. Before I knew about the needs and functions of our feet, I was shoving my wide size 12s into aggressive climbing shoes a size too small and from this suffered bad pinky toe cramming, slight big toe pronation, and a binding tightness of the middle toes However, i would like to know if there is maybe a shoe that emulates the barefoot feeling more closely than a traditional climbing shoe. I was dismayed to find that climbers want the exact opposite of a barefoot feel for their climbing: arched rigid sole and tightly scrunched toe. Just got back from camping last week and went hiking barefoot. 44 votes, 25 comments. But what has put me off massively is the amount of people (youtubers especially) that brag about how when they do experiments to try conventional shoes again, they get knee pain basically being super biased in trying to prove that barefoot shoes are the best and you should never go back. Climbing shoes allow you to put your entire body weight on like a 1 square millimeter bump. Reddit's rock climbing training community. Asolo climbing boots for mountaineering and the La Sportiva Tarantulas (definitely good for beginners…pretty comfy and expand). 99% of redditors couldn't do this even if it truly did have little steps. I brought my climbing shoes (and hiking shoes obviously) but decided not to put them on on this boulder that was straight armz. Actually feels more secure being able to feel the branches as I climb. Furthermore the arch shape is almost never anatomical except for in beginner/rental shoes. I want some opinions on rock climbing (indoor) without climbing shoes. My first thought is to wear the vibram five finger shoes but I'd like to know if anyone else has an opinion or ideas. All much worse barefoot regardless of how strong your feet are. See full list on climbingshoereview. This video shows Albert’s process on No Kpote Only, his V16/V17 Fontainebleau first ascent, and some mellower climbing in Fontainebleau and Switzerland, including the FA of an 8B/V13 in Val Bavona. If you have any experience with this, please share what you would/would nit recommend. There is too much friction, better to go barefoot on easy routes amd use climbing shoes when the level gets too high I started climbing a couple of years into my barefoot journey. To piggyback off this, I am about 4 months into the barefoot transition and was a pretty serious boulder climber for about 6 years before this. The climb follows a thin limestone roof crack across and out of a cave in Salève, France, and is nearly 50 feet long, Albert told Climbing. I am looking at getting a new shoe as my feet are so cramped in normal climbing shoes it kills me. I have tree with about 12 feet of climbable trunk, i have been using the free climbing method of putting your feet through a loop of rope and then wrapping your feet around the tree. No one else from either his party or mine seemed to think much of it though. We're strict with people climbing without shoes at the gym I work though. Saltic is a well-established brand known for its exceptional classic climbing shoes, and they’ve leveraged their extensive experience to create these groundbreaking barefoot climbing shoes. This lets that Yesterday I went to a function for my dad's railway group. And while climbing shoes might feel restrictive at first, the sole and edge is actually essential for climbing on tiny edges and smears - stuff that would be impossible barefoot. I have been climbing in my back yard. Recently discovered the benefits of barefoot style shoes and I am looking to buy a pair soon. I think rope climbing is the only climbing sport where wearing shoes is important. There isn’t an expectation of cleanliness like there is at a corporate fitness gym. Reply reply jbnj451 • Yeah I love Barefoot Charles, but I'm definitely skeptical that he can climb 9A without shoes on. You probably touch a lot more dried blood than you realizeand don't even think about that if you're crack climbing. What do you all think of climbing sans sticky rubber shoes? Do you think there would be added grip from your toes once muscles in your foot reach their peak ability. When I do this i can climb if barefoot. I know climbing schoes are designed towards performance and have featured that help with certain grips. Not in terms of thinness, but in toe splay - or lack of. I'm not sure if this belongs here, but to me barefoot tree climbing is just an extension of barefoot hiking and would love to see more people trying it out. Any tips for training for that? May 12, 2020 · Charles Albert is the strongest barefoot boulderer in the world—and with ascents at the upper end of the grade spectrum, also one of the strongest boulderers in the world in general. Bouldering in particular can be done solo, has great crossover with calisthenics, and is a really fun way to connect with nature. Are there five fingers shoes good for outdoor (rock climbing, running) that are not made of 100% plastic material? Barefoot Thanksgiving Did any of you go barefoot for Thanksgiving at your family’s houses? And if so, did anyone else ditch their shoes and socks and go barefoot with you? Much as with running on pavement, it's unthinkable to climb barefoot with the cleanliness culture here in Asia. Carrotfueled's guide to climbing shoes (lightly edited by tinyOnion & soupyhands): Shoe Terms Downturned the general shape of the shoe, and more specifically the angle of the toe and foot posture. When barefoot you also have much greater sensation and control allowing you to more precisely feel and control where you’re placing your feet. It's not something to venture into lightly and on your own. 1. One of them we evolved for, and the other we do for sport, because it’s challenging for us. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. If everything else about the shoe fits great, take a leather punch and poke a small hole on each side of the shoe in the center slightly above the sole. I realize barefoot health is completely contrary to rock climbing practice, wherein generally, at an intermediate level, wearing tiny shoes that crush your feet is encouraged. Fun barefoot Tree Climb Challenge This video cannot be played. The only exception is an elder statesman in the community (quite the legend), who's struck a deal with the manager that he can climb barefoot on the conditions that the feet are clean and he rocks a shirt with "The feet are clean" typed on the back. But usually flat and stiff shoes are only good on vertical and slabby terrain where you stand on small footholds or if you need the support for long climbing. I wish it was viable to combine the two, but in my experience it becomes very painful trying to solve the walls without the shoes. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. I'll just leave you with that image. I'm barefoot almost all the time and outside a ton. I have a lot of thoughts on this. You won’t become very advanced as a climber unless you use the gear to facilitate it, because your feet didn’t evolve to hook into small holds climbing walls. It doesn’t seem like a rational response to the actual issue of hygiene. Unless he truly is just head and shoulders the best boulderer in the world and no one knows it because he won't wear shoes. You'd be better just trying whatever shoes you have and comparing them to your climbing shoes to see if you're willing to sacrifice the grip and precision of climbing shoes. I’ve been wearing barefoot or minimalist shoes for a few months and recently have started rock climbing. Hi, I would like to get bf shoes for wall climbing, but I have no idea what manufacturers/models are good option for this. However, I'm struck by how easy it is to build upper body strength and there's no way I'm going to put my feet in standard shoes. Barefoot Climbing. After years of suffering stinky barefoot running and climbing shoes, I think I've finally found the best solution (not directly in FAQ): I’m going to be doing an incline next month with over 2000 stairs up and then 5k down on a trail around Christmas. I try not to stay in the fallzone barefoot, but I'll walk around barefoot no problem. Have you tried asking around at your local place? I would recommend talking to people that are already doing it. The climbing shoes really make it much easier most of the time. I like climbing barefoot, but I think you are kidding yourself if you think you will actually climb better. If you use barefoot shoes, odds are that your technique is going to suck. If you like climbing trees, see if there's a rock climbing gym in your area. When you walk on the mats, look mostly up and if there's someone on the wall, make sure you hold enough distance, so they can't fall on you (remember: people don't just fall strict down in bouldering. ( I also saw a barefoot dude in the stall today, which was bogus). Wearing barefoot shoes helps with balance and strengthening foot muscles which I can then take through into my climbing. Later I came across a fairly rocky section, that was too challenging for me, so I had to wear shoes. I searched up a list and the last Reddit post about this is 9 years… Because it is such a hindrance. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Saltic’s newest innovation—the Eliot, their first barefoot climbing shoes. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. The home of Climbing on reddit. Took my shoes off in an area where there were few stones on the ground, and enjoyed it a lot. So there are many benefits to going barefoot, it should just be done in more appropriate environments than indoor climbing gyms. Reply blunderduffin • Don't get discouraged by all the mean comments, barefoot climbing is just another way to play on rock. If it concerns you, bring some flip flops or slides at the gym. Not quite aggressive enough for competitive climbing. Read on to find out why you should always wear climbing shoes. It also challenges your movement and body positioning because you can’t just put all your weight on your toes all the time. I don't like climbing shoes and I was thinking of trying with bare feet, or grippy yoga socks. It's fine if you're bouldering indoor v0-v4, but I doubt you'd be doing anything beyond that unless you're an absolute freak. Today, I did a short, partly barefoot hike in the Italian Alps. azjqub wvbr wnzg glfkef hguxjq qki gnpl khd umxtk urkbk