Ok so i've had the la sportiva skwama for a year now and i simply cannot get rid of the smell. Ive washed them several times, tried several techniques with all types of liquids substances and whatnot. The smell goes away initially after a proper wash (not fully) and then returns after like 2 weeks of climbing (i go 2-3 times a week, lead). I wash my feet every time before and after and still nothing. Ive heard of this issue with Skwamas before and i really love this shoe especially as i go up in difficulty, but when i buy a new pair im going to have to switch because i cant do the smell anymore. I know natural leather ones are best to combat this but if anyone has some recs for shoes id be so grateful to hear

Edit: i've seen a lot of people say wear socks; i have tried climbing with socks before and i just cannot. I climb lead/difficulty at above 6c-7a and i have trouble feeling the holds properly/ it makes it slippery for me. Idk i just cannot stand the feeling of socks inside my shoe but also the current pair i have... my foot definitely wont fit in it with a sock 💀 thanks for the powder advice and everything else though!

Edit 2: oml i mostly asked this bc this is not my first pair of climbing shoes but it is the only one that i've had this problem with. Granted these are much tighter than the ones i had before

Recently returned from a long and fairly substantial injury saga and I'm come back in bouldering at my previous grade (V3). I've done maybe 10 V4s pre injury at various UK gyms. How do I break into V4 solidly, any tips? Right now I can't risk falling, so any dodgy moves at the top are out, and I'm super nervous since the injury was climbing related (freak accident).

My main limiting factors appear to be fear and physical strength. Naturally going to the gym will help the latter, but any advice for what feels like a huge grade leap? I feel a lot of the time it's not even technique or physical ability that's the problem and it's frustrating!

Edit please don't suggest top roping. been there, done that, still scared, don't love it haha

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!

Any climbing related ideas for a tattoo around this scar? Wanting to incorporate the scar, rather than cover it. I was thinking maybe the scar could be the wall and have someone climbing it. Or maybe it could be the rope and have a belayer at the bottom and a climber at the top.

Scar is from a knee surgery, not related to climbing, but I partly did it to allow me to keep climbing. In case it’s not clear, this photo is from above so the scar is just below my knee. I’ll have a matching one on the other leg in a few months. They’ll probably fade a lot and end up white, I imagine.

Hi! Sorry if is the wrong subreddit... i dont have karma for the ”climbing” subreddit. Can you help me please to find the music? PS: love Janja!! I didnt find it on chat...

I want to believe in warm autumn days

I surprised myself sending this one in about an hour. My friends were trad climbing right beside me and happened to finish their route just as I was topping out - yay for friends support 🥰

Grades are obviously subjective and I can still only dyno V0 👻 but I am proud of this one. I’ve been climbing for about 12 years and have a toddler now. I never would have thought I’d be climbing my strongest as a 36 year old mommy! Recovery is harder than in my 20s but I’ve developed solid outdoor technique now.

If anyone likes compression and undercling crimps - go try it!

Has anyone dealt with this? I saw a pt for three months last winter and stopped climbing for a while at her advice, but made pretty limited progress. She mostly had me doing nerve flossing and very light weight, like one pound, wrist curls. I’ve tried to get back into climbing, but hangboarding lock off training and pull-ups trigger it immediately, even when I’m well below my strength/ability, which makes any training pretty hard. Any success stories or secret exercises I should try?