Resoling your shoes

Many climbers spend lots of money on high performance rock climbing shoes. A really good pair of shoes can run you about $170. One question I get asked a lot on the team is "should I resole my shoes now?". That's a bit of a matter of perspective. But let me make a few points

1) At best new/resoled shoes will last about 3-4 months when climbing 3 times a week before needing a resole and losing performance.
2) If you don't want to spend another $170 then get them resoled before they are beyond repair
3) A resole is usually around $40. That's a savings of $140. Do that twice and you've just saved enough to buy at least another pair of shoes.
4) Resoled shoes don't need to be broken in again.

Here are some pictures of shoes in various states of newness vs total destruction.

NEW = Shoes with a brand new sole on them. See how there is a lot of rubber underneath the arrow? That is the sole and is the part of the shoe that slowly wears away as you climb.

OLD = These shoes are in dire need of a resole. Notice how the clear line of the sole is no longer there? The rubber is slowly wearing away. Any longer without a resole and these shoes are going to need a "toe-cap" which costs extra and often the shoes don't perform quite as well.

DESTROYED = Completely blown out shoes. The rubber on the toe has been worn away. Think about what climbing in shoes like these does to your technique. Guess where you will stand on these shoes. You will start standing on either side of the split which makes a big difference in your ability to climb well.

Now let's talk about performance of new shoes vs old shoes. As shoes wear out the rubber gets rubbed off the toe. Think about what this does while you are standing on a hold. These shots are taken from the side of the shoe. Imagine the lower red line is the where the shoes still have rubber. At first the angle you get is

brand new

1 month old

3 months old

over 4 months and wearing into the toe cap

What this means is that over time shoes can't edge as well. They may actually increase performance in smearing because of the new angle the toe forms, but most of us don't want great smearing shoes. We need shoes that edge and can "toe in" with.

So where can you get your shoes resoled? There are plenty of places in the US that resole shoes. If you google "rock climbing shoe resole" you should find a couple of places that you can send the shoes off to. Usually the postage and resole costs are about 40-50.