Rock Shoes

[Mtnbiker]

Hey guys, my wife and I went climbing outdoors for the first time over the 4th and had an absolute blast. We'd climbed indoors several times but our first outdoor experience was awesome.

We climbed at Ruth Lake on the Mirror Lake Highway in the Uintas. I only took a couple real sucky pictures but it was beautiful up there.

anyway to make a long story short.. I am on a tight budget saving money for our house this fall, but we want some basic shoes to experiment more with outdoor top-roping.

Is there a good place locally to buy used gear, or are there climbing gear swaps? I've been to the store next to REI in SLC (IME?) but I need to go again to check out what they have.

any other ideas? I'm a shoe size 9.5 and my wife is a womens 7.5-8 if you have an old pair you'd part with for $20.

thanks ! Ian

[PunchKing]

I would recommend avoiding used gear, new stuff isn't that much more. As for shoes definitely buy new foot disease is not cool. Here is a link to some really inexpensive shoes the are not the best but will get you up many a routes.
http://www.madrockclimbing.com/cart....ategory_id=260

If you want to support local business Recreation Outlet in Salt Lake has all the gear you would want for top roping and really good prices. If you don't care about supporting business just go there to try on the mad rocks, as they carry the full line, then you can order them for the discounted price.

Good Luck and be safe, climbing is dangerous even if you are "Just Top Roping"

[jumar]

new stuff isn't that much more

not much more than $20?

There's always eBay or bullitin boards at local climbing shops. The REI garage sale is a good place for deals if you don't mind fighting mad crowds.

[marc olivares]

hey Ian, the thing w/ any shoe, is you get what you pay for more often than not. AND you want to get a pair of shoes that fit you correctly.

i have short wide feet, and most climbing shoes KILL me, so i went thrugh a few before i found a pair of 5.10's that fit me. (and then i bought 3 pair..LOL)

mail order is good, find a shoe that fits locally and buy it on line.
MGEAR.com and Sierra trading CO. are a few i frequent for climbing gear.

2 sets of shoes, and (1) 60m rope (i assume you have 2 harnesses, and 2 helmets from canyoneering) can be purchased new for under $200 easily.

or just get some shoes and you guys can come w/ me.
i climb about 3-4 time a week, usually up BCC.

[Iceaxe]

I would never buy rock shoes without being able to try them on. The sizes vary too much and you need a good fit. Recreation Outlet on State Street in SLC usually has a descent selection of rock shoes for those on a budget.

SWEET!!!

[Mtnbiker]

Hey thanks for the replies, and also thanks for the offer Marc. We may have to take you up on it. We have a few good climber friends but we just need to get our butts in gear and get the harnesses on.

I guess it's the typical "new sport conundrum"... that you want to be frugal with new gear to try out whatever the new sport of the week is to make sure you like it, but then again if you scrimp and buy junk to start with, it could give you bad experiences and turn you off to any further attempts!

Not like I'm particularly fond of getting personal with another person's foot stank, but I wore very thin socks when I borrowed our friend's at Ruth Lake and they fit perfectly. That's why I was thinking MAYBE used.... but new and affordable is better.

I've been to the Rec outlet before but not for climbing shoes. I'll go check it out.
thanks, Ian

I do have a few more cool pics of Lisa climbing, the one in the black top. She and the other guy we were with are good climbers.

[jumar]

Yeah, I remember the crappy gear I used when I tried ice climbing. Rusty hinged, strap on crampons, alpine axes etc. Ug.
Still loved it enough to start getting some decent gear.

[price1869]

If you end up in Zion in the next little while, the zion outfitters (not sure of the name, but the place where everyone buys their canyoneers right by the Spotted Dog) has some really nice shoes for really cheap. I bought a pair of $130 5.10 Anazasis for $50 last time I was down there.

Anyway, spend a little money on your shoes and you'll be happier. My favorite shoes are my La Sportiva Katanas. They are awesome. and they only cost me $120. They're worth every penny.

Good luck, and welcome to climbing climbing and more climbing.

Price