Key Features to Look for in Women’s Climbing Shoes

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Climbing is not a sport for the weak of heart. There are thrilling highs and scary, heart-stopping lows. However, having the right equipment, including proper climbing shoes, is essential to successful and enjoyable climbing experiences. There are many choices available on the market for both men and women, each with their own merit. This article focuses on the key features you should look for when purchasing some of the best female climbing shoes to ensure you are getting the most value for your dollar.

  • Easy Lacing

The technology available in lacing systems for climbing shoes is amazing. There are speed lace-up designs, which allow climbers to lace up in a hurry and not waste one minute of their day with the mundane task of ensure a proper, snug fit. Look for velcro type closures or self-sealing buckles. These save time and stay much tighter than regular laces, which could be a safety concern as well. Rubber bands and linings also mean less stretch out of your climbing shoe over time.

  • Rubber Soles

Not only should the soles be constructed of high quality rubber but that rubber should be sticky. The stickiness allows you better control on sharp edges and tight ridges, where grip and steadiness is critical. Synthetic material won’t give the same sticky grip as a true, quality rubber sole. These soles also keep their shape better and over longer periods of time, meaning you will get more use for your money.

  • Choose an All-Round Rock Climbing Shoe

If you are new to rock climbing, it is a great idea to start with an all-purpose climbing shoe which can function for most uses. From there, you can decide which style of climbing most appeals to your interests and choose specified shoes for that type of climbing later. But since no rock climb will feature only one style of terrain, an all-round shoe covers you for anything you may encounter.

  • Narrow Fit

Since most female feet tend to be more narrow than their male counterpart, choose a climbing shoe that has a narrow style to fit snugly around your foot, but without too much pressure on the foot. This narrow design will help ensure your climbing shoes stay firmly on your feet as you navigate the ridges, ledges and plateaus of rock surfaces. You don’t want the shoe to be too narrow though, that it might impede the arches of your natural foot shape so be aware of this when trying on shoes.

  • Good Ventilation and Air Flow

Nobody likes foul smelling shoes and when you are involved in a thrilling sport like rock climbing which involves using muscular strength and physical agility, you are bound to sweat. You don’t want that sweat to ruin your climbing shoes so it is important to choose a pair which offer good ventilation such as mesh, or materials to wick away the sweat quickly and keeping your feet dry in the process.