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Quiz

Which Climbing Shoes
Should I Buy?

When it comes to climbing shoes, you really want to try them on before you commit, but this quiz will help point you in the right direction!

Trying shoes on?
210+ climbing shoes
6+ brands
Suitable for all levels

The best climbing shoes for your level

Whether you're buying your first pair of climbing shoes or upgrading to something more aggressive, this free tool cuts through the noise. We cover 100+ shoes — from beginner-friendly flat shoes like the La Sportiva Tarantula and Scarpa Origin, to expert-level performers like the Evolv Zenist Pro and La Sportiva Solution Comp. Brands include La Sportiva, Scarpa, Evolv, Five Ten, and more.

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🎨 Don't like the colour?
👟 Worn through the rubber? Most climbing shoes can be resoled

Rand and sole rubber wears down with use, but the leather/synthetic upper usually outlasts it by a long way — that's why resoling instead of rebuying is normal in climbing. Most shoes can take 2–3 resoles before the upper gives out, though stiffer, board-lasted shoes resole more easily than very soft, slipper-like ones. A local resoler can usually tell you whether a specific pair is worth it. Where we know a shoe's resoleability, you'll see it listed under its attributes above.

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Sizing Guide

Climbing shoe sizing varies a lot by brand, shoe material, your foot shape and what you are hoping to get out of the shoe. Use this as a starting point and try the shoe on if you can.

Fit for your level

New to climbing? Go snug, not painful — like a firm street shoe. What will improve your climbing most at this stage is motivation and climbing regularly. Painful shoes don't help that.

Climbing regularly? Performance and downturned shoes are usually sized tighter, with little to no dead space and toes gently curled — tight enough to edge precisely, not so tight you can't climb a full session. That said, if your friends are competing over who downsizes the most from their street size and you want to play that game… knock your socks off.

General brand fit tendencies

Commonly reported by climbers — varies by specific model, so treat this as a rough steer rather than a guarantee.

BrandGeneral tendency
La SportivaNarrower, lower-volume than average
ScarpaSlightly roomier toe box than average
Five TenWider, roomier fit than average
EvolvNarrower, lower-volume than average
TenayaAbout average volume
Black DiamondSlightly wider than average

EU / UK / US size reference

EUUKUS (M)
363.54.5
3745
3856
3967
406.57.5
417.58.5
4289
43910
449.510.5
4510.511.5
461112

Standard unisex shoe-size conversion — not specific to any one climbing shoe brand or last.

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About Rocksy

My name isn't actually Rocksy. I just think it's cute.... also if you think my site is sh*t I would rather you didn't know who I was to interrupt my session and tell me in person. Please feel free to tell me you think it is sh*t (and why) in the feedback form so I can read it when I am in the mood and make the site better!

About the creator

I've been climbing since I was 9 years old and have gone through at least 20 pairs of climbing shoes. This site exists because I got fed up answering the same question on Reddit and in person and thought there had to be a better way.

Are you making money from me?

I don't make any money from this right now. No ads, no affiliate deals, nothing. One day, I'd love to earn a commission on online shoe purchases made through this site, or to sell analysis to shoe brands on where I think their products fall short. I'd retire somewhere in Greece with good access to rocks and a beach.

Integrity promises

If I ever do earn commission, I promise that commission rates will never affect which shoes come up first. The results are sorted purely by how well a shoe matches your answers. The price people pay will be the same, the shoe retailers would give me a little as a thanks for sending them customers.

I'll always encourage you to go to a physical shop and try shoes on first — even though I can't earn commission that way. It's just the right advice.

I'm not requesting any personal data, so you can be sure I'm not selling it. You can't even email yourself your own results. It would be easy to implement, but honestly, I don't want the GDPR headache. Take a screenshot.

Did AI make this?

I personally reviewed a shedload of shoes and websites and made a mega dataset. I came up with the questions and how the answers to each impact the score of that shoe. I chose the style and I am writing this right now..... but yes, AI wrote the code to make the pretty website for you to access. I started writing it myself years ago, but my coding skills are limited and I had kind of given up because the quiz wasn't working the way I wanted. Emergence of AI tools (honestly the free tier on any mojor model can do this) unblocked me.