Stretching climbing shoes

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Mei

Trad climber

mxi2000.net

Sep 28, 2018 - 07:40pm PT

I don’t understand. Why would you buy shoes that don’t fit?

Sheepishly... because I'm cheap?

I have a lot of reward "cash" on a certain outdoor gear site. For a long time, I haven't needed anything, but the reward has an expiration date. Recently, I saw that a pair of climbing shoes that I always wanted to try out was on sale because not all sizes were available. The closest size they had for me was 2 euro sizes smaller than my street shoe size. I bought them anyway remembering that Alex Honnold and Adam Ondra wear their climbing shoes 5 euro sizes smaller.

Well, let me tell you, I could NOT wrestle the shoes on at all no matter how much I tortured myself. Thanks to Moose (I didn't know about the stretcher before), now I can put the shoes on after 24 hours of stretching. I might even be able to climb in them by tomorrow after one more night of stretching.

Good tool!

zBrown

Ice climber

Sep 28, 2018 - 08:16pm PT

Send them to Locker along with this photo. He'll fix you right up.

BTW Jim, in scanning for this photo it struck me just what an impressive fellow you are.

I'm in awe.

ECF

Big Wall climber

Ridgway CO

Sep 29, 2018 - 02:35am PT

Not every shoe is for every climber...

So you can’t send your foot in there, eh?
Stretch it, cut it, glue it...

Sounds like you want to alter the shoe to fit your foot. Climbing is about adaptation to the situation as it exists.

So when you stretch it open a bit, will Jay come by and fill it with epoxy?

Get the Dremel back out, you ain’t done...

justthemaid

climber

Jim Henson's Basement

Sep 29, 2018 - 06:50am PT

If they are totally wrapped in rubber ... the water and shoe tree methods don't work. I went through this with a pair of discontinued JB hightops I was trying to salvage that were 1/2 size too small . They just kept rebounding back in spite of multiple draconian measures.

What Cintune said... sharp x-acto and carefully make some cuts in the rubber so there is an expansion joint at the pressure points. Coat it with goo if you are worried about wearing out the material underneath .

Hocking:

Stop "comfortizing" climbing shoes and harden the fuk up.
Somebody had to say it. ;)

donini

I still bivy in porcupine skin sleeping bags...quill side in.

You guys are crackin me up ^^^

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 29, 2018 - 08:41am PT

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. The shoes are a new model given to me by a manufacturer. I really like them...they are the right size, the left one fits perfectly. I just need to alleviate the pinching on the top of my toes in the right one.

My Indian Creek seasonal camp has been established...come visit!