I'm kinda new to the buildering scene (i've been bouldering and climbing indoors for the past 6 years) and until recently, i have decided to take my climbing to the streets of KCMO.  but i'm tearin up my zealots.  any suggestions on footwear ??? i'd really appreciate it.  i've also seen the new north face buildering shoe…are they even worth it??

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17 Responses

  1. ardarvin Reply

    Unfortunately you should probably have a different shoe for Buildering than for PK. A good PK shoe as hella shock absorption. Those Adidas shoes with the little rubber shocks on em look pretty dope, although I'd be a little afraid of rolling my ankle on em, since your feet are kinda high off the ground. In fact Cody rolled his ankle something fierce on them today, but that's probably just cause he was being a spazz, and it's not the shoes fault.  At the very least, get yourself a good thick insole, and put em in some skate shoes (some real skate shoes, not the crap you buy in the mall).

    For buildering, it's all about edging power. Kenny Frazz rocks the North Face shoes, and that dude is a madman. I think he could solo the Wall Center building in those things. Allen Roberts (the thinking man's Alain) rocks shell toe Adidas, and swears by them. I've seen him climb some gnarly shiznit with em on, so yeah, I think I believe him.  Plus mad old school hip hop flava rockin them.  I've been trying out those low profile Adidas shoes that were kinda trendy a year ago. They look like climbing shoes, but really they don't perform all that well.

    Actually, I plan on doing a full-scale shoe review in the future, but for now, just use what you feel comfortable with.

  3. Heretik Reply

    AND THE BEST BUILDERING SHOES EVER ARE THE…

    … … … !!! Fiveten GUIDE !!! … … …

    They've just came FIRST from the 2005 version of the crank-ultimate-multi-universe standard edging test!

    The test is pretty simple and consist of edging from a 2 dimentional femto-hold at the surface of a neutron star for as long as possible.

    Not having any handy neutron stars to test them myself, I did a few classic UBC buildering problems. They edge, they smear, they hook, they're great! I also found that they improve your walking speed by 2.7% due to extreme stickiness.

    Only drawback, I won't be able to blame my lack of ability on hard problems on my shoes… But then I can always blame Ardarvin for leaving hand grease on the holds!!!

  4. ardarvin Reply

    Actually, I screwed up that last post. In fact the North Face shoes that I said Kenny Frazz rocks, are in fact the Five Ten Guides that Heretik is raving about. My mistake. I have no idea what the North Face buildering shoe is.

  5. The Akron Sound Reply

    You should wear whatever these guys (The Film Vault)wear.  Seriously.
    The cap-toed shoes are Converse high-top Chucks, sized tight.  Really bad for running and drops, but they smear and crack climb like a dream.

  6. F_French_M Reply

    I d just buy a pair of buildering from North Face.
    The shoes are both awesome and the hugest piece of crap I d never bougth…
    There are super good for climbing, stiff, the lacing is awesome and the rubber sticks. That s good.
    On the other hand, after 3 pitch I started to destroy the sole.
    (Bah, I was doing big wall climbing which is kindda hard on shoes…) but still this pair of shoes haven t resist. After a single wall (27 pitch on El Cap) I was watching my big toe trough an hole…
    So the shoe is really nice but really fragile.
    On the other hand, I have send the shoe back to north face and they d give me a new pair for free.
    But I will try not to climb too much with them 😉

  7. Alec Reply

    Anyone know how PF Flyers Center Hi fair in terms of grip? I was interested in them because they’re apparently a lot more durable than Chuck Taylors (which is what I normally wear).

  8. Xhaustin Reply

    It really depends on what your doing…For parkour I prefer some skate shoes with extra insoles. They get plenty of grip IMO and have a good surface area that is flat for good and dependable “precisions.” Though when it comes to climbing it really depends on your “type” of climbing… When I am climbing an average building at decent grades I would prefer something comfortable and that has alot of grip, like the la sportiva Nago or Arco. If I am climbing something outside, such as brick or deteriorating cement, or something overhanging I prefer the Miura’s…If you want something more like a regular shoe go with the Boulder X…Of course all shoes will fall apart eventually, I have had zero regrets going with la sportiva product.

  9. Undeclared Winner Reply

    I would also like a guide/review for different types of shoes. I am avoiding going to climbing specialty stores (ex. Mountain co-op), and buying over priced Nike’s or other similar shoes.
    Personally I:
    Use CSA electrically certified Steel Toed shoes for skateboarding (transportation) and work.
    Use Urban XT running shoes for running, climbing, Martial Arts, and etc.
    Have knock off Chuck Taylor’s which I never wear anymore.
    Am trying to order Steel Toed jika-tabi from a website.

  10. Xhaustin Reply

    dont have to buy over priced shoes…join theclymb.com and you can find some sick deals on there every so often…or search around online for some good deals

  11. ardarvin Reply

    Lost my left buildering shoe on a rock climb couple weeks ago. Gutted. Went and bought another pair of Five Ten Guides — it doesn’t get much better for buildering. They changed the color on them a bit though. Kinda gross green. Oh well.

  12. cviramon127 Reply

    Hey everyone, I am currently in the process of designing some Urban Climbing shoes, I wanted to get some input. I my self have been bouldering and rock climbing for a number of years and have gone buildering a few time.

    I would just like to know what you guys think an ideal Buildering/Urban Climbing shoe would be like?
    What features it would have, etc?

    Also would like know what problems has anyone encountered with a shoe that you think can be fixed?

  13. ardarvin Reply

    Well, I’d take the 5.10 guide and try and improve on it. My biggest beef with this shoe (and any shoe for that matter), is that they quickly get shredded on the inward side of the shoe upper — a result of toe hooking on square (sharp) edges. It’s a move that comes up a lot in buildering. Some sort of reinforcment here would be swell. Anyone else have this problem?

    Beyond that, gray or black, with no f*cking reflective thingies.

  14. cviramon127 Reply

    Thanks for the input, do people prefer actually using climbing shoes or something else like an approach shoe?

    When i myself try using an approach shoe, i feel like there is a distant from my foot and the wall/rock/concrete. But there is a benefit with using one that you can be more agile as far walking or running around.

    What are peoples thoughts?

  15. ardarvin Reply

    Approach. Something you don’t need to change into. That’s requirement #1. You need to be able to walk around, drop off things, etc. Nothing beats a climbing show for *climbing*, so don’t even try going that route. If people really want/need that extra bit of help, they’ll wear climbing shoes. But for buildering, 95% of the time approach shoes are good enough.

  17. Kiell Reply

    Nope, but they look good. A quick image search on google suggests to me that there are two breeds: one with a foam sole (avoid) and one with a rubber sole with looks kinda awesome. My next buildering shoe will be something like this so let me know how you get on. Ideally I’m after something with a relatively thin, rubber sole and laces that run quite far towards the toes so that the shoe can be stitched quite tight when needed.

    Bobby climbs in something similar to this(he didn’t spend that much money, don’t worry) and he does much better than me on tenuous foot placements as I’m usually in a pair of Puma running shoes.

    Be sure to let us know how you get on if you get a pair.

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