As a female climber is it hard to find information on the best Women's climbing shoes. Most articles online are either gender neutral or highly biased toward males.
Women's feet often have a different shape than men's. This means that getting the right shoe can be crucial to your climbing career.
The main features you need to look at when picking out the best climbing shoes are as follows:
- Performace
- Comfort
- Price
A proper balance of these characteristics will give you the absolute best climbing experience.
Women's Climbing Shoes - Comfort
If your shoes hurt after 5 minutes of wearing them then you will probably end up finding a more comfortable pair and those will go in the closet. To avoid that, you need to spend a lot of time making sure that the shoe properly fits. IMO, proper fit is the most underrated aspect of your purchase when picking out a pair of rock climbing shoes.
Comfort can also be a factor of design and closure system. For example, if you have a pair of aggressive lace-up shoes it will be harder to keep putting them on and taking them off in between burns, whereas if you have velcro or a slipper you can easily put them on/take them off.
Getting the proper balance of comfort to performance can be difficult and largely depends on the type of climbing you do and the difficulty of the problems/routes you are climbing. As a good rule of thumb you will want to size your shoes down at least 1 size from your street shoes. This will ensure your foot fits snug while you are climbing.
Women's Climbing Shoes - Performance
It is often thought that the best Women's climbing shoes are the ones that perform the best. This is not entirely true.
Although have a pair of climbing shoes that perform well is an obvious bonus, it more so depends on what type of climber you are and what kind of climbing you will be doing. Obviously, if you intend on bouldering V10+ then you need an extremely tight fitting, aggressive bouldering shoe, alternatively, if you just want to climb your first 5.9 in the gym you need something that is comfortable and durable.
Most climbers will actually have more than one pair of shoes on hand at all times. This allows them to pick the best shoe for each specific climb. Having multiple climbing shoes it a bit of an advanced technique, but it can really help you climb at a much more consistent level. For example, a shoe with a good hard edge is best a climbing on small incut jibs, whereas a softer shoe is better at smearing.
Women's Climbing Shoes - Price
Price is a major consideration when it comes to picking out the best Women's climbing and bouldering shoes. The most expensive Women's climbing shoes on the market can cost 2-3 times as much as most of the shoes on the list below.
That being said, getting an extremely cheap pair of shoes will most likely be uncomfortable and wear out fast. Make sure when shopping around you stick with major companies like Five Ten, La Sportiva, Evolv, Scarpa, Butora, Mad Rock, and Tenaya.
Going with a budget or low-quality shoes can negatively affect your climbing. Be sure to pick a shoe from the list below or one from the same manufacturer.
Top 10 Climbing Shoes for Women
#10 Evolv Elektra Climbing Shoe (2014) - Women's
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
If you are looking to getting serious about climbing tired of wearing rentals then these are the shoes for you!
They offer superior comfort and excellent price to quality ratio. These Evolv Elektra's are the perfect shoe for a beginner that won't break the bank.
If you are looking for other shoes make sure to check out our Beginner Climb Shoe Review.
#9 SCARPA Women's Origin Climbing Shoes
Comfort: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Scarpa Origins are a good entry level Women's climbing shoes. Much like the Evolv Elektra's, the Origins have superior comfort and above average performance.
The Scarpa's are slightly more expensive than the Evolv's making them less appealing.
#8 Mad Rock Lyra Climbing Shoes - Women's
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Although the Mad Rock Lyra Women's Climbing shoes are definitely a wild card in the list, they offer very good performance and technology for the price.
They are reminiscent of some of the higher end Italian shoes at about half the price.
If you are looking for top-level performance on a budget then try these Mad Rock Lyra's.
#7 La Sportiva Katana Climbing Shoe - Women's
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The La Sportiva Katana's are a great intermediate shoe at an excellent price. You get all the quality of a higher end shoe for a deep discount.
The Katana's have Vibram rubber so you can forget about slipping of anything.
If you are looking for an upgrade from a beginner shoe then look no further!
#6 Five Ten Women's Blackwing Climbing Shoe
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Women's Five Then Blackwing's are great for any intermediate climber. If you want a good shoe with the stickiest rubber on the planet the Blackwing's are for you.
Stealth rubber by 5.10 is hard to beat and you can typically get these for under $100, which is a steal.
Make sure to pick up a pair today!
#5 Scarpa Women's Vapor V Climbing Shoe
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The Vapor's have just the right amount of performance for the average climber while not sacrificing any comfort. Scarpa is known for its high-quality manufacturing and technology.
These shoes will last an entire season and be ready for any type of climb you can think of. You can't go wrong with a pair of Scarpa Vapor V's.
#4 La Sportiva Solution Athletic Sneaker Climbing Shoe - Women's
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥
Solution's are often considered the greatest bouldering shoe of all time. They offer some of the best, time testing technology that makes footwork feel like a breeze!
To pick up a pair of these Sportiva's you will have to spend a pretty penny. If you mostly boulder in the V5+ range then you really can't go wrong with these.
#3 Butora Acro Climbing Shoe - Tight Fit
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Although the Acro's are not specifically Women's climbing shoes they are one of the hottest shoes on the market. It is suggested that the Tight Fitting (blue) shoes are worn by Women to get a more consistent fit.
The Acro's have a toe like no other shoe and rubber that will stick to everything.
If you want an all-around performance beast than grab a pair of Butora Acro's now!
#2 La Sportiva Miura VS Climbing Shoe - Women's
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
For all-around performance and functionality, nothing can beat the La Sportiva Miuras. La Sportiva has made the Miuras for over 20 years and has no plans of stopping.
These shoes can be used for anything and are a favorite among some of the greatest climbers in the world.
If you want the best shoe overall shoe don't wait. Get a pair of Miuras today!
#1 Five Ten Anasazi Moccasym Climbing Shoe
Performance: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Price: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Surprised? We're not! The Five Ten Mocs are the potentially the best climbing shoe ever created.
If you don't believe it, try a pair on. The Moccasym's are the most comfortable climbing shoe around. They also have stealth C4 rubber and a long-lasting slipper construction.
You can get a pair for relatively cheap and be comfortable for an entire season.
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