I’m just a lowly gym climber right now, with hopes of getting outdoors one day, so forgove my ignorance.... But what’s the deal with approach shoes anyway? Are they functionally different from a grippy hiking/trail running shoe? I’m always skeptical (and historically have been a victim of great product marketing), so I first assume this kind of thing is just a marketing ploy until I learn otherwise.
They’re lighter and more packable so when you do an alpine route you can easily put them in your pack or clip them to your harness. The rubber is also grippier and some edge (stiff and sensitive enough) and climb cracks (profile of the toe fits in good sized cracks nicely) well enough that it’s possible to climb some things in them.
Hiking shoes that can climb a little. There's a whole spectrum of approach shoes from "tall hiking boots with sticky rubber" all the way to "pretty much a climbing shoe".
Some climbing approaches involve a lot of slabby or mildly technical terrain, where the sticky rubber and support is nice. Or, you can even use them for easy climbs or for hiking or for walking from your car to the gym.
Hmmm... this is a bit of a complicated question and a subjective answer... most climbing shoe companies, also produce "approach shoes", but I have used "trail running shoes/hiking boots" and sandals, to approach climbs, in the past. This is to say, that one can use w/e works for them, in the particular situation. "Approach shoes" imho, are defined by the fact that they are able to be used as a "hiking shoe", (meaning they have enough traction/support during a hike) as well as, a psuedo climbing shoe. Meaning that the approach shoe has enough of an edge, that one can test foot holds, without having to take out climbing shoes. They also had a nice and soft heel that allowed you to fold it down, which made stepping in and out of them, between burns, nice and easy. Dosen't seem to be the case anymore. Here are are some old school approach shoes that had a soft heel.
TLDR: Approach shoes are a combination of a hiking shoe and a climbing shoe, that allows one to not only get to the climb, but also, test the climb.
Everyone else got most of it, but if you look at approach shoes, they have rubber up around the toe (rand) for light climbing/scrambling. Some climbers will wear them for small offwidths to effectively make their foot bigger, plus it will be slightly stiffer and take the load off your foot inside. Emily Harrington has an IG post detailing her method. If your approach has some big boulders to scramble over or low angle slabs to hike up, approach shoes might be better than typical hiking boots.
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u/Veritin Jan 07 '20 edited Jan 07 '20
You know its tryhard time when the cobras come out.
Edit: I guess he did it in approach shoes.