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Buying Guide To Shoes
Shoes are essential in climbing. Therefore time invested in finding the right type and size of your rock climbing shoes is very important.
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Advise:
Beginners should watch out not to buy shoes that are too tight. If they are, you might concentrate on your pain than climbing and you'll so much less fun either. When these shoes stretch you can always compensate by adding socks. This will greatly improve the learning curve. Off course, there will come a time that you will start needing more foot control and you will want shoes that are designed for that control.
Fit
Rock climbing shoes should generally fit tight around your feet. How tight is determined by what you are doing and how much pain you can stand. Your toes should curl up a bit in the front of the shoe and should not wiggle. This makes your foot that much more powerful for edging and smearing. However, it makes rock shoes a bit uncomfortable.
When you buy shoes, ignore the size on the box since every shoe company uses different lasts (hand-carved feet that the shoe is built around) that have little or no correlation to each other. Some companies figure you'll wear a climbing shoe that is one size less than your street shoe size, but others make the adjustment in the factory, so climbing shoe and street shoe sizes are the same. Since they are designed differently always try on several brands.
Be aware that unlined leather climbing shoes stretch about 1/2 inch in size with wear, so buy them snug. Lined leather shoes don't stretch, since they will conform to your foot after several outings. Synthetic shoes won't stretch at all; the fit you have in the store is the one you'll have to live with.
Type of shoes
There are many types of shoes on the market today and there are some very specific types that will give the climber the control that they need in many different situations. See the outline here below.
That means that...yes...you may need more then one pair. And you may need to adjust the fit.
- Edging rock climbing shoes
Edging shoes often have supportive 'board lasting' inside the shoe to take the 'edge' out of standing on one.  In general these are recommended for the beginning climber as they have a lining that protects the feet and is easier on the leg muscles, especially the calves.
- Smearer rock climbing shoes
Smearer shoes are more flexible and have more rounded edges in general.
- Slippers
These slippers cling to all sorts of overhanging stuff, nippy little holds, and will do well if your feet are strong and in addition climbing in these flimsy shoes will harden them up.
 This does mean that these slippers are not ideal for the beginning climber as they in general have weaker feet and need sturdier shoes to support their ankles. This type of climbing shoes is generally a true slipper, or can have zipper or an elastic closure. They are fast to get into, but will wear your feet out edging and standing around if you are not used to them. They also have thinner soles, generally, and will need resoling sooner.
The smearing/edging shoes are not as sensitive as the slipper type shoes. Long routes often want a stiffer shoe. Boulderers often opt for the slipper type of climbing shoes.
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