Are you a climber looking for the most expeditious way to break in your new climbing shoes?
Getting a new pair of climbing shoes can be an exciting and daunting experience. In order to enjoy the best possible performance and maximize the lifespan of your climbing shoes, it is vitally important that you break them in properly beforehand.
That’s why we put together this blog post about how to break in climbing shoes, complete with information on how to expedite this process by breaking down the leather gradually with natural oils from your skin.
What Does Breaking In Climbing Shoes Entail?
Breaking in climbing shoes is the process of gradually wearing down the leather and rubber from your toe knuckles, heels and other high friction spots. Over time, this will make your shoes fit perfectly to the contours of your feet, enabling you to climb harder and longer.
Breaking in climbing shoes also minimizes the amount of heel-hooking and toe-hooking you’ll do inside them during the first few months until they are fully broken in.
How To Break In Climbing Shoes:
Here are the few way you can use to expedite the process of breaking down your new climbing shoe.
Option 1: Wear Climbing Shoes With Plastic Wrap Or Bag
What you’ll need:
– Some sort of plastic bag to wrap your shoes in ( tennis balls can work, but they need to be the correct size).
– A pair of flat climbing shoes (shoes without a rand are recommended. Inflatable climbing shoes are ideal)
How to do it:
1.Wrap your new shoe with a plastic wrap or bag, starting at the top of the heal and working your way down.
2.Use your finger to feel the heel of the shoe and roll that down as well.
3.Continue until you have worked your way down to the toe of the shoe.
Option 2: Hit Your Shoes With A Hair Dryer
What you’ll need:
– A hair dryer
– A pair of flat climbing shoes in good condition
How to do it:
1. Turn the hair dryer on and aim it at the side of your climbing shoe.
2.Ensure that you heat up a small section at a time and that your hair dryer is set to medium or low. You do not want to quickly melt off good rubber!
3.After about 30 seconds of heating, take the shoe off and rub it with your hand. Feel for softness, then repeat if necessary until the rubber is sufficiently pliable and soft.
4.Rub your new climbing shoe on a soft surface such as a T-shirt or pillow case.
5.Once again, allow to cool slightly and repeat until the shoe is sufficiently broken in and ready to climb.
Option 3: Hot Shower Method
What you’ll need:
– A pair of flat climbing shoes in good condition
– A shower
– Paper or fabric for stuffing
How to do it:
1. Put your paper/fabric in your shoes. (To minimize dye bleeding, make sure that your paper does not make direct contact with the leather. It will also keep your shoes from getting soaked if you’re not able to get them into the shower.)
2. Get into the shower and soak your climbing shoes in hot water for a few minutes. The leather will soften and become more pliable.
3. Stuff your shoes with paper/fabric and continue to add paper as you work.
4. Continue adding paper and working the shoe until it is soft and pliable enough — but not waterlogged or dripping wet.
5. Let shoes dry overnight before climbing in them.
6. Repeat if necessary, until shoe feels broken in.
Option 4: The Freezer Method
What you’ll need:
– A pair of flat climbing shoes in good condition
– A freezer bag (large freezer bags are ideal)
– Water
How to do it:
1. Put your freezer bag in the climbing and then into the freezer.
2. Leave them in the freezer until they are frozen solid (about two hours).
3. Remove your freezer bag from the shoe and then take them out of the freezer.
4. If your shoes are not ready, re-freeze them for another hour or so, then check again when they are done.
To Sum Up
It is important to remember that breaking in climbing shoes is a gradual process. You can do this by wearing your shoes in your house or at the gym and walking around in them. The more you break them down, the easier they’re going to be to climb in.
Once your climbing shoes have been broken in, they will feel like an extension of your feet and allow you to do more and harder moves. However, they will still be new shoes, so don’t do anything too crazy with them.
Everyone’s feet are different, so it is important to try on a few pairs and choose the ones that are most comfortable for you. Also, make sure to warm up before climbing, as it will make you climb with more confidence and efficiency.
Question & Answer: Break in Climbing Shoes
Q- Do climbing shoes stretch?
A – Yes, climbing shoes stretch a lot. In fact, most climbing shoes are only comfortable right after you buy them. They will quickly become stiff and uncomfortable the more you wear them.
Q- How do I know if my climbing shoes are broken in?
A – When your climbing shoes are broken in, they will be supple and mold to the shape of your feet like a glove. They will have dulled laces, which means you won’t get any climb related foot scrapes on your top part of your feet.
Q- Do climbing shoes stretch in length?
A- Climbing shoes will become longer as you climb in them. The more you stretch them, the longer they will get. Climbing shoes are not designed to be stretched. They are designed to be used by your feet and then stretched over time as you climb in them more often.
Q- Do synthetic climbing shoes stretch?
A – Synthetic climbing shoes are not designed to stretch, so you can use them without any worries.
Q- How to stretch out rock climbing shoes?
A- The best strategy for stretching out rock climbing shoes is to wear them and climb in them on a regular basis. The more you do this, the more they will loosen up and become comfortable.