The Finest Ladies’s Climbing Footwear of 2024

Why You Should Trust Us

Miya Tsudome is a former rock climbing guide for the Yosemite Mountaineering School, and has been climbing outdoors for the past 8 years. She is a fan of climbing sport, trad, and alpine routes across the country as well as trying hard on boulders.

She has climbed all over the granite cliffs of Yosemite and the east side of the Sierra Nevada, has spent months shoving her hands and feet into the sandstone cracks in southeastern Utah, and has traveled to Spain and Mexico to sample international limestone.

Years of climbing on different terrain and in different disciplines have guided her to know what she is looking for in her climbing shoes, and she hopes to bring an objective view to the strengths and weaknesses of popular shoes for women today.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose Women’s Climbing Shoes

Identify Your Climbing Style

“To choose a rock climbing shoe, analyze the terrain where you’ll take the shoes and determine where you’ll be doing 70-80% of your climbing. Then dial in the right fit,” said Stefanie Kamm, athlete manager and digital marketing coordinator for SCARPA North America.

Kamm started climbing in 2012 and climbs weekly in Boulder Canyon, Colo. So, she knows a thing or two.

One of our testers, Miya Tsudome, a former rock climbing guide in Yosemite National Park who has been climbing for 8 years, also has some advice to give:

“It’s nice to have a shoe that can do it all, but more often than not us rock climbers will have many different types in our quiver. If you like to boulder and climb overhanging sport routes sometimes, it will benefit you greatly to have a more aggressive shoe.

“If at other times you like to do long multipitches or go crack climbing, you’ll want a more comfortable pair. If you’re serious about climbing, don’t be afraid to buy a few to round out your arsenal.”

Shoe Shape & Fit

The shape, or last, of a climbing shoe greatly determines its purpose. In general, bouldering, overhanging, or vertical single-pitch routes need shoes with a tight, performance-type fit, also known as aggressive, down-cambered, downturned, or slightly downturned. The La Sportiva Skwama, La Sportiva Solution, and SCARPA Instinct VS are good examples of aggressive shoes.

A flatter last, like in the La Sportiva TC Pro, SCARPA Force V, or La Sportiva Finale, might be more comfortable for multipitch and low-angle, sub-vertical climbs. Commonly, rock climbing guides and new climbers choose a flatter shoe for all-day comfort. As you progress or are drawn to harder styles of climbing, you may look to upgrade to a more aggressive model.

Shoe softness refers to the pliability of the rubber in the outsole, which increases sensitivity, or a climber’s ability to feel the rock features. The slipper-like La Sportiva Skwama is a good example of a sensitive shoe.

Comparatively, harder rubber provides more foot support and can be better when you need to stand on very small footholds on vertical terrain. The stiff La Sportiva Miura VS shoes are the wizards of this style of climbing.

A good fit is greatly determined by foot compatibility with that last shape and the shoe size. This is also a subjective measure, as everyone has a different foot shape. Make sure there are no air pockets around the foot or heel. Toes will curl under in a downturned shoe compared to a flat shoe.

Most people also size down from their street shoe size. If you haven’t done so before, try sizing down in half-size increments and see how that feels.

Your toes should always curl slightly, and your shoes should always feel tight for the best performance. If you prioritize all-day comfort, find a flat shoe where your toes barely curl.

Whether you choose a Velcro or lace closure system will alter the feel and fit, so try out both. Lace closure systems are typically more adjustable, while Velcro systems make it easier to take your shoes on and off. Also, a shoe’s materials affect the fit over time, as shoes with a leather upper will stretch while synthetic uppers will not.

Leather vs. Synthetic

Leather uppers are generally more durable than synthetic uppers. If you’re mostly trad climbing or spend a lot of time with your toes jammed in cracks, leather is the way to go. However, sizing can be tricky, as leather uppers stretch over time. Synthetic uppers stretch much less, and the fit you get out of the box is pretty much the fit you can expect for the life of the shoe.

Vegan footwear addresses leather uppers and footbeds. Some brands, like Evolv, are known for their vegan products.

When trying on shoes with leather uppers, be aware that they can stretch over time, sometimes up to a half-size larger. This is important when considering what size to buy, and sometimes it will benefit you to buy a size that feels a bit too tight knowing they will stretch in the future.

Women’s-Specific Shoes

Overall, women’s-specific models have a lower-volume heel, narrower last, and softer or thinner rubber for easier flex and more sensitivity. We encourage you to try on a ton of shoes to find the foot mold that fits your foot the best.

Be open to wearing any shoe regardless of gender. Men with a lower-volume heel often prefer the women’s version. Women’s shoes also tend to have thinner or different types of rubber so that they are more sensitive for lighter climbers.

The women’s SCARPA Instinct VS, for example, uses XS Grip 2 rubber, which is softer and stickier. The men’s version uses XS Edge rubber to accommodate the typically higher weight of the male climber with a little extra stiffness.

Velcro vs. Lace-Ups

Climbing shoes with Velcro straps are easy to take on and off, making them a good choice for bouldering, gym climbing, and single-pitch climbing. Some models, like the La Sportiva Solution, have one integrated Velcro strap that zig-zags over the tongue of the shoe and can be easily pulled tight and attached via its Velcro tab. This ensures a nice, snug fit.

Other models, like the SCARPA Force V, have two Velcro straps across the top so you can dial in the fit over two parts of your foot.

Shoes with laces, on the other hand, can be cinched tight, and those who are very concerned with having their shoes fit as perfectly as possible for high performance will opt for models with laces such as our top pick, the La Sportiva Katana.

While either type can be and is used in all different styles of climbing, each will still have certain limitations. Velcro straps can work fine for many types of cracks, but may make it harder to fit into hand cracks and larger. Modern shoes with Velcro straps allow room for rubber on top of the toebox, which will greatly aid in toe hook maneuvers.

Lace-ups will have a slimmer profile overall and may be more appropriate for crack climbing. While lace-ups ensure that you’re able to fine-tune your fit, they may not be the best for steep bouldering where the laces can get in the way of toe-hooking.

Soft vs. Stiff

Soft versus stiff shoes come into play when you’re getting serious about finding a shoe to match the terrain you’ll be climbing on — and pushing yourself to try harder grades, making this more applicable to intermediate climbers.

Our best recommendation for beginners is the SCARPA Force V for its comfortable, flat profile and softer feel. Having a softer shoe is good if you’re just starting out because it’ll allow you to feel footholds more and learn better technique.

If you’re graduating from your beginner shoes, you’ll wonder what direction you need to go in for your next pair. The SCARPA Vapor V strikes a great balance between stiffness and sensitivity, with a moderate downturn that makes it a good all-around, nonspecialized shoe. The La Sportiva Katana could be the next upgrade after this, for its high-performance rating across a variety of terrain and stiffer construction, which allows you to learn to stand on small edges.

Soft shoes like the La Sportiva Skwama are great for steep or off-vertical terrain because paired with their aggressive downturn, they allow you to pull in on small footholds and smear on bad feet and small cracks.

Stiff shoes, like the La Sportiva Miura VS or the La Sportiva TC Pro, are made more so for edging and climbing on small pockets. With so much stiffness throughout the shoe, you are able to more easily stand on dime-size edges than with a flexible shoe like the Skwama. This is because your whole foot is supported.

In summary, if you find yourself climbing on steeper routes or, conversely, slabby routes and cracks, a softer shoe like the Skwama would be a good match. If you’re more into vertical routes with pockets or tiny edges, a stiffer model like the Miura VS would be the shoe for you.

FAQ