Two camps

Through my interviews with climbers for the Sunday Sesh, I’ve found something interesting.  There are mainly two groups of climbers when it comes to climbing shoes.  The climbers in the first group are extremely enthusiastic about their climbing shoes and know what brand and model they are, what type of rubber is used on the sole, what type of fastening system works best for them, what the newest models are that they want to try out, and on and on to the nth degree.  The second group of climbers differs sharply in that they not only don’t know the details of their climbing shoes, but they don’t even know the model that they have on!  They might not even know the brand!!!  All they know is that the climbing shoes that they have on their feet are working for them, and that’s all they need to know as far as they’re concerned.  What a difference!!!  When I interview someone in the second group, they actually pull one of their shoes off and search every nook and cranny of the shoe searching for some indication of what brand or model the shoe is.  Some don’t even know what I’m talking about, and you know what?  I think that’s great!!!  They’ve found a shoe that fits, that’s comfortable, and that works for them!  Who cares what brand or what model they are when you’re on the wall?  They’ve found what works, and in the climbing world, that’s what counts in the end – what works for YOU.  So, I applaud both camps of climbers, both those who know every last spec and those who are lost in the bliss of climbing and could care less about the details of the climbing shoes that have blessed their lives.  I want to thank each and every one of the climbers I’ve interviewed in the past and will interview in the future for their gracious participation in my antics for this blog, and what they’ve taught me about what might be important and what might not be.  I want to make it clear that those who don’t know the brand and/or model of their climbing shoes are not dumb people.  Not at all!!!  They’re quite intelligent, and are often the more experienced climbers of the bunch!  They’ve long since moved past the small stuff and focus on the really important stuff, like safety.  So, to all climbers, find the shoes that work for you and go with them!  If you forget what brand or model they are, just make sure you keep your old climbing shoes when they’re all worn out or have been resoled for that third time and find some that look just like them – that’ll probably be them!  Have a great day, and climb on!!!