Yes, climbing shoes mold to your feet! There’s no sweeter feeling than finally breaking into that new pair of shoes. Thankfully, the stiffness of a fresh pair of climbing shoes doesn’t have to last, but how do you get climbing shoes to mold to your feet?
It’s simple: by breaking them in! When you first get your new shoes, they might be tough (even those super soft comp shoes). Don’t worry, they won’t be like that forever! Give it a few good climbing sessions, and you’ll have a glove of a shoe in no time.
Breaking in your shoes is the process of letting them mold to your feet and become unique. Nobody has feet that exactly match another person’s; most people’s feet aren’t even symmetrical!
Molding shoes takes commitment and effort, and sometimes, just a bit of discomfort. But the reward of a perfectly fitting pair of climbing shoes, uniquely molded to your feet, is a feeling of accomplishment that is truly worth it.
How to Break in a Pair of Climbing Shoes
You’ve found the perfect pair of climbing shoes and are tasked with breaking them in. The process may seem daunting; you’ve probably heard others complain about breaking in their shoes and seen how their faces scrunch up when talking about it.
It’s better than climbers make it out to believe. You’ll be fine if you grab the correct size for your foot and understand that they will slightly stretch. With the right knowledge and a bit of patience, you can confidently break in your climbing shoes.
Some break-in methods seem obvious, while others are far outside the box. Choose whichever method appeals to you, or try as many as you want; they’re your shoes! Check out these tips below to help you break into your climbing shoes:
● Gradual Wear: The gradual wear method requires you to wear the shoes for short durations during climbing sessions or even while doing everyday activities at home. This gradual exposure helps the shoe mold to the unique contours of your feet without causing excessive discomfort. Short durations mean removing them after each climb or lap around your home.
The keywords here are short-duration. Don’t hang out in your shoes during your whole gym session, and make yourself suffer. Let your feet breathe and relax before stuffing your little piggies into their new home.
● Manually Manipulate: To expedite the break-in process, use your hands to flex and manipulate the shoes’, especially around the toe box and heel cup. Squeezing and contorting these areas can help soften the stiffness and accelerate the shoe’s adaptation to your foot shape.
Do this before you put them on to climb. It will loosen up the shoe and help your feet slide in more easily!
● Use Climbing Techniques: Use various climbing techniques, such as smearing, edging, toe hooking, etc., to encourage the shoes to conform to your feet as you perform different moves. This method will not only help you break in your shoes, but it’s also great for keeping your technique sharp.
● Plastic Wrap: It sounds weird, but it works. Wrap your foot in plastic wrap or use a plastic grocery bag when wearing your shoes as you break them in. The plastic will create a barrier between your feet and the shoes, minimizing the rubbing caused by breaking them in!
Plus, you may find it easier to slide your foot into new shoes with the slippery plastic barrier between your skin and the rubber/leather.
● Freezer Method: Yes, the freezer. Consider the freezer method if you plan to wait to climb in your new shoes. Fill two Ziploc bags with water similar to your foot size and stick them in your climbing shoe. Adjust the laces or straps to where your foot would be in them, and put the shoes in the freezer overnight.
Since water expands when it freezes, it will help stretch your shoes!
Breaking In Synthetic vs Natural Leather Climbing Shoes
Your shoes will break in differently depending on the material they’re made from. If you need help determining what your climbing shoes are made from, you can ask a staff member from where you bought them or check the spec sheet on that brand’s website.
Climbing shoes are typically made from either synthetic or natural leather. Natural leather will stretch more than synthetic and require a longer break-in period, but the customized fit will be like no other shoe you’ve ever worn.
Leather uppers stretch anywhere from half to 1.5 times their original size. (Unlined leather also stretches more than lined leather.) Many climbers downsize leather shoes because of this. Some even claim the best fit for a leather shoe comes after they’ve had it resoled a few times!
Since Synthetic uppers stretch very little, you’ll want to avoid downsizing (no more than a half size) if you go with this option. This material will stretch just a little, so size them to fit your feet right out of the box. The break-in period will also take longer before they’re molded to your feet!