Do rock climbing shoes need to be uncomfortable? We’re not going to lie, in the world of rock climbing there can be a bit of a balance between performance and comfort. A certain level of discomfort can be expected at times. How much really depends on the choices you make as a climber. But, we’d argue that climbing shoes don’t necessarily need to be uncomfortable.
Admittedly, it’s rare you hear climbing shoes described as comfortable. If they are, its often with the word relatively before it. Relatively can cover all manner of sins. There are reasons that mountain professionals wear approach shoes when guiding clients on “easier” rock climbs. Firstly, the climbs will be well within their comfort zone (they probably wouldn’t guide on them otherwise), they don’t have to faff with changing footwear at the bottom of the crag and, basically, approach shoes are a hell of a lot more comfortable than climbing shoes.
