What Are the Key Features of a Good Climbing Shoe?

If you take a look at an online shop or the shelves in any store, you’ll soon see just how many different climbing shoes are out there. But how do they differ? What do the details and specifications provided by the manufacturers mean? And which shoes should you choose?

This page aims to provide you with an overview of the most important properties and explain what they mean. After all, a feature can be perfect for a particular climbing requirement, but not help your performance in relation to another problem or on another route at all. Development and design teams face the challenging task of using different materials and technologies to combine individual specifications in such a way that the end product achieves the best balance for the respective use.

On each of Red Chili’s product pages, you’ll find a diagram that informs you about the following shoe properties:

Precision

This is about the ability to place your shoe on small footholds as precisely as possible. Very pointed, asymmetrical shoes with a somewhat harder rubber blend and defined edges make this easiest. A stable midsole or good tension created by the appropriate structure combined with an adjustable fastening system that enables a close fit also help enable high precision.

Example: Red Chili MYSTIX

 

Rigidity 

“I think my shoes have had it!”. We’re sure you’ll have heard this statement in gyms or at crags. It often means that the rubber is coming away or a hole has appeared in the toe area. The higher the rigidity value, the more robust the shoe as a whole, i.e. including the upper, and the longer it can be used for climbing. There are naturally different requirements here depending on the area of use. For example, if you regularly climb sandstone cracks or do long training sessions several times a week, your shoes need to be really durable. Models designed for durability tend to have a slightly harder, abrasion-resistant rubber compound, a robust upper, a durable fastening system, and sometimes even a double layer of rubber in particularly exposed areas. 

Example: Red Chili CHARGER or SESSION (rental shoe)

  

Sensitivity  

This property describes how well you can feel small structures, hollows, or ridges with your feet through the shoe. This is because the smaller the structures, the better you need to be able to rely on your sense of feel. Having less material between your feet and the wall increases sensitivity. This is achieved through a combination of thin, soft rubber, a thin, soft footbed, a fine upper, an asymmetrical shape, areas of clamping rubber, and a suitably soft, sensitive midsole or no midsole at all.

Examples: Red Chili PUZZLE, SENSOR

Supportiveness  

When climbing and bouldering, your entire body weight is often supported by just a couple of millimeters of rock. If your toes aren’t yet used to the extreme strain or you want to prevent your foot muscles from becoming fatigued on longer tours, you should opt for a supportive shoe. This relieves strain and helps transfer more power to your toes. Key technologies that increase supportiveness include a continuous, stable midsole, rubber that isn’t overly soft, an asymmetrical shape, a downturn, and good tension properties as a result of areas of clamping rubber and a fastening system that helps keep the shoe taut.

Prolonged Use 

This is a quality that is found throughout the Red Chili collection and indicates how comfortable the individual models are when worn for a long time compared to the other climbing shoes in our collection. Neutral shoes without a downturn or strong pre-tensioning tend to be more comfortable than aggressive, asymmetrical models with a downturn and aggressive pre-tensioning. The upper, lining, and footbed also affect the comfort. A supportive midsole and harder rubber are also often perceived as more comfortable.

Examples: CHARGER, SPIRIT, and VENTIC AIR