so... shoes

[truelove]

Actually, more, lack thereof?

How actually batshit would it be, to climb barefoot at an indoor gym? I basically prefer to do everything barefoot whenever possible -- especially anything that requires precision balance. (Legacy of my primary athletic background being gymnastics, followed up by a smattering of martial arts as an adult. I've always *been* barefoot when doing athletics.)

I mean, I'm not particularly worried about hygiene, considering my bare hands are going on those same holds and frankly my own feet are probably cleaner than most people's shoe soles, just... wondering if there are compelling reasons why it's a terrible idea?

Comments

[cofax7]

My gym expressly forbids barefoot climbing. Probably for the possibility that a barefoot climber might have athlete's foot or some other type of problem that could be conveyed to other climbers who are using their hands.

And, frankly, the bare foot unsupported by a climbing shoe has a much more difficult time with the little holds one finds on a gym wall.

[astridv]

Yeah, my gym doesn't allow it either for hygiene reasons. I've tried it a few times at outdoor climbing spots and found it much too hard anyway. I'm a barefoot freak myself, but when you're climbing the bare foot just can't get the kind of stability (and pointy tip) you need for small footholds. Plus, it rather hurt.

[emperor]

My climbing wall forbids barefoot climbing.

[rydra_wong]

Well, you're generally going to climb a lot worse barefoot than you will in trainers, even.

You need the relative stiffness of a climbing shoe to let you transfer your body weight through the very tip or edge of your foot -- basically, it's much the same reason why it's not very feasible to dance ballet en pointe barefoot.

And "sticky" rubber helps enormously with grip.

I've seen people trying to climb indoors in Vibram Fivefingers, and having a rather difficult time. There might be a few routes (maybe all-smearing slabs? and I've heard that outdoors it can work on very pocket-y limestone) where it'd work. And if your gym permits, barefoot climbing could be interesting to try a few times as an experiment.

But generally, it's not going to be optimal for climbing.

I feel your pain because I greatly prefer being barefoot, too; if I'm not indoors and actually barefoot, I wear "barefoot" minimalist shoes, and they've done wonders for my comfort levels (and helped ward off some nasty knee problems).

But for climbing, climbing shoes.