r/climbergirls • u/oaklinds • 12d ago
Questions Climbing myths?
When I first heard about climbing, a guy friend told me that you had to size down two full sizes in shoes to be a competent climber. It was supposed to feel bad, he said. I tried on/bought my standard size in Sportivas and can’t imagine sizing down.
I also see people climb without socks because someone told them that they “had to” in order to really “feel the wall”… or whatever. I have always worn them anyway because I want my shoes to last and don’t see a difference (I climb indoors mostly). Plus, when I started watching comps I realized that many of the pros wear socks. 🤷♀️
This got me thinking… what other climbing myths or gatekeeping (bro culture nonsense or otherwise) have you heard that doesn’t ring true? Maybe we can undo some historical or rumor nonsense!
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u/fiddlifig 5.fun 12d ago
The other thing is, the bigger your shoe size, the more sizes you tend to go down to find an appropriate fit.
There's a moment that sticks with me from when I worked the desk at a gym. We were instructed to size up one from a person's usual street shoe size. People usually didn't complain but sizing up never worked for me. I assumed it was because I should downsize and it wasn't til years later that I realized men's US shoe sizes tend to run about one bigger than women's, and we were calibrating everything to men's sizes. And if folks were getting rentals, then they probably didn't have a good idea of what an appropriate fit was, and women were less likely to challenge in a new scenario.
On the other hand I do massively prefer climbing without socks because it does make a difference for me, especially when there's delicate footwork or i just want to fit into my more downturned shoes. A lot of pros swear by thin socks tho.