The 10 Best Climbing Shoes Of 2024 

Published May 16, 2024

Finger cracks, offwidths, steep jug hauls, technical faces, rock, plastic, pebbles, walls—whatever your appetite, there’s a rock climbing shoe designed to help you best satiate your hunger. Our Gearheads jammed, edged, and mantled to put 2024's new climbing shoes to the test. Below are our top picks within the three main categories of rock climbing shoes. And don’t forget to check out our Climbing Checklist to always show up send-ready. 

Best Neutral Climbing Shoes 

Whether you’re just starting out, twisting into jams, or going on a big wall adventure, you’ll appreciate the comfort and support of a neutral climbing shoe. These shoes don’t contort your feet into a croissant and help take stress off your big toe, allowing for longer wear.   

La Sportiva TC Pro 

The TC Pro was designed with input from climbing legends and shows its expertise with your first jam. The flat profile, low asymmetry, and to-the-toe lacing let your toes lay flatter inside, making jams more palatable. An unlined leather upper stretches and molds to your foot over time and manages moisture and odors for even greater comfort. And a stiff midsole paired with firm Vibram XS Edge rubber delivers unstoppable edging power and lasting support pitch after pitch.

Key Specs 

• Last: PD 55 
• Profile: flat 
• Asymmetry: low 
• Upper: unlined Eco leather 
• Closure: lace 
• Midsole: stiff 
• Rubber: 4mm Vibram XS Edge

Scarpa Force V 

The Force is all about comfort on long days. Whether you’re building endurance on plastic or rock, this climbing shoe is designed to eliminate hot spots with its padded tongue and heel cup relieving pressure points and its V-tension rand taking stress off the big toe. The Vibram XS Edge rubber increases durability, and the stiff midsole boosts support, so the toe doesn’t blow and your feet don’t cramp before you’re through with your final lap. Plus, the women’s version is built with a narrower heel and lower volume instep, giving slender foot shapes a dead-space-free fit.  

Key Specs 

• Last: FFXW
• Profile: flat
• Asymmetry: low
• Upper: unlined Eco leather 
• Closure: hook-and-loop 
• Midsole: stiff 
• Rubber: Vibram XS Edge

Black Diamond Aspect Pro  

When dancing up a techy face only to fight for your life in an offwidth, you’ll be glad to have the Aspect Pro laced on your feet. The slight downturn and asymmetry offer a little more precision on the face compared to true-flat profiles, and the Black Label Fuse rubber increases your stability on edges. Once you’re slotted and wedged in the crack, the stiff midsole, 3D heel cup, extra rubber over the toes, and padded, mid-height design give your feet support and your ankles protection.  

Key Specs 

• Last: not provided by brand
• Profile: slight downturn
• Asymmetry: low 
• Upper: Ecco DriTan leather
• Closure: lace 
• Midsole: stiff 
• Rubber: Black Label Fuse

Best Moderate Climbing Shoes

When you’re venturing onto steeper terrain and more technical faces, pulling on a climbing shoe with some curvature will help channel your tension where you want it—the big toe. Moderate climbing shoes are all about versatility and live in the gray area between their laid-back and all-business cousins to give you a balance of performance and comfort.   

La Sportiva Mistral 

The Mistral helps you improve your performance in the steep with the moderate downturn arching your feet into a power position, and the slight asymmetry increasing your precision on smaller face holds while remaining comfortable enough for long endurance sessions. Wrapped with recycled rubber scraps from other La Sportiva climbing products, this shoe lowers its environmental impact yet still provides hardwearing friction for lasting performance.  

Key Specs 

• Last: PN 45 
• Profile: moderate downturn
• Asymmetry: low 
• Upper: synthetic
• Closure: hook-and-loop 
• Midsole: stiff 
• Rubber: 4mm FriXion Eco 

Evolv V6 LV 

The V6 LV helps dial in your footwork to break your plateau. The moderate downturn and curvature lean more toward the aggressive side for a moderate climbing shoe for a jump in performance on steep problems with small holds. With a medium-stiff midsole, this shoe can confidently hook and smear while still offering support on long routes and sessions. Shaped with Evolv’s Love Bump, this shoe is concaved underneath the toes to eliminate dead space and increase comfort as your toes curl into a more performance fit, thanks to the tensioned heel rand.  

Key Specs 

• Last: low volume
• Profile: moderate downturn
• Asymmetry: moderate
• Upper: synthetic 
• Closure: hook-and-loop 
• Midsole: medium stiffness 
• Rubber: 4.2mm Trax SAS

So iLL Roam 

The softest of our three moderate climbing shoe picks, the Roam excels on overhung boulders and sport routes. The high sensitivity this shoe offers allows you to micro-adjust on tiny feet, bite into pockets, and hook and grab in the steep, while the moderate downturn and curvature increase the power driving through your big toe. And the Vibram XS Grip rubber provides all-around performance for edging, smearing, and lasting.   

Key Specs 

• Last: SFN2
• Profile: moderate downturn
• Asymmetry: moderate
• Upper: synthetic 
• Closure: slipper 
• Midsole: soft
• Rubber: 3.5mm Vibram XS Grip

Best Aggressive Climbing Shoes

Aggressive climbing shoes help harness the power of strong feet and advanced technique with their sharp downturn and high asymmetry shaping your foot into its highest performing position, affording you directed power and laser-focused precision on technical faces and steep problems.  

La Sportiva Solution Comp 

The Solution Comp is shaped with an aggressive downturn and high asymmetry for optimal power transfer and micro-foot-finding precision, while its softer midsole allows the flexibility for molding to volumes and for intense hooks and cams when pulling roofs, holding tension, or gaining reach. Sticky Vibram XS Grip2 rubber bites into rock and plastic with equal aplomb. And the women’s version features a last with a narrower heel cup to better fit slimmer feet. 

Key Specs 

• Last: WPD 75 
• Profile: aggressive downturn
• Asymmetry: high
• Upper: partially lined leather 
• Closure: hook-and-loop 
• Midsole: soft
• Rubber: 3.5mm Vibram XS Grip2

Ocun Sigma 

The Sigma pairs an aggressive profile with a stiffer split-sole design for a high-performance fit that doesn’t throw away support. When standing on micro feet and credit-card edges, the two-part, medium-stiff midsole supports your feet for increased confidence yet remains sensitive enough for balance-y sequences and soft enough for reliable smears. The Competition last provides a narrower fit for average to slender feet.  

Key Specs 

• Last: Competition
• Profile: downturn
• Asymmetry: aggressive
• Upper: synthetic 
• Closure: lace 
• Midsole: medium stiffness 
• Rubber: Vibram XS Grip

Mad Rock Drone Comp Series

Soft, aggressive, and rocking a heel-hook-boosting finned heel, the Drone Comp Series is built to tame steep, explosive, and cryptic problems indoors and out. The patented concave sole provides some structure to the soft midsole to enhance grabbing performance, while Mad Rock’s newest and stickiest rubber compound, Xtreme Friction, molds to texture for a stronger bite on volumes and smears. The low-volume version has a narrower toe box, smaller heel cup, and lower instep volume to give slender feet a snug fit. This shoe also comes built on a high-volume last.

Key Specs 

• Last: low volume
• Profile: aggressive downturn
• Asymmetry: aggressive
• Upper: synthetic 
• Closure: hook-and-loop 
• Midsole: soft
• Rubber: Xtreme Friction

La Sportiva Mandala 

Interested in No-Edge™ technology? The Mandala brings a rounded toe to the scene for the highest level of sensitivity, letting you flow up rock and gym faces seamlessly. The ultra-sticky Vibram XS Grip2 rubber and minimalist construction let the shoe conform to various footholds for serious bite.  

Key Specs 

• Last: PD 85 
• Profile: downturn
• Asymmetry: aggressive
• Upper: synthetic 
• Closure: hook-and-loop 
• Midsole: medium-stiff 
• Rubber: 3mm Vibram XS Grip2

Climbing Shoe Tech Terms To Know 

Comparing climbing shoe specs can help narrow down your choices. Below is some of that terminology explained, so you understand exactly what you’re comparing and looking for: 

• Last: The foot-shaped model a shoe is built on
• Profile: The shape of the shoe when looking at it from the side. 
• Asymmetry: The curvature of the shoe when looking at it from the bottom. 
• Upper: The material that holds the shoe together and sits against the skin.  
• Rand: The rubber pieces along the outside of the shoe that can enhance durability and grip.  
• Slingshot Rand: The strip of rubber that wraps around the back of your heel to push your toes to the front of the shoe.  
• Midsole: The insert (or lack of) between the footbed and outsole that determines the stiffness of the shoe.  
• Rubber: The type of material that makes up the outsole of the shoe.  
• LV (low volume) / Women’s: The narrower fitting versions of shoes that are made to better fit slender foot shapes. 

Synthetic Vs. Leather Uppers 

Synthetic uppers are constructed with materials made to look and feel similar to leather.  

Pros

• Reduce stretch 
• Vegan-friendly options 

Leather uppers come unlined or lined. Unlined options can stretch up to a full size, while lined options reduce the stretch.  

Pros

• Higher breathability and durability 
• Naturally manage moisture and odors 
• Mold to your foot over time 

Climbing Types 

There are three main ways to send it on rock:   

Trad(itional) climbing involves featured rock that has cracks, constrictions, pin scars, and other irregularities in which to place your own gear—cams, nuts, tube chocks, hexes, tricams—for protection as you go.     

Sport climbing routes feature prefixed bolts in the wall that you clip quickdraws to for use as protection as you go.   

Bouldering is climbing problems on... well, boulders, without any protection other than crash pads to soften your landing zone. 

FAQ 

Q: Do climbing shoes really make a difference?

A: Yes. Climbing shoes are designed to get your feet closer to the rock and offer increased support, precision, and control, letting you stand more comfortably and confidently on footholds.

Q: How tight should climbing shoes be?

A: Tight. Your toes should always hit the front of the shoe. For a comfort fit, your toes will be only slightly curled. For a performance fit, your toes will be highly curled. Although the fit should be tight, once broken in, the shoe’s fit should not be excruciating.

Q: Do you wear socks with climbing shoes?

A: No. But also, yes. Climbing shoes are designed to be worn without socks for optimal sensitivity. If there’s a hot spot in your shoe, a pair of thin socks can help. If you’re climbing in cold temps, socks can help keep your toes from going numb. And if you prefer to wear socks, then wear socks.