Hi folks,

I am looking for a pair of rock shoes (for a beginner), having taken a lesson. Unfortunately due to my size (UK 14 for street shoes) I can't walk into a shop and try them on.

I take UK 15 for walking boots. My current understanding is that rock shoes are worn slightly smaller than normal, is this correct.

Thus far the only shoe I have seen available in my size is the red chili sausalito. Are there any others out there?

My local shop can not do "sale or return" on this shoe so I need to get the size correct first time around.

Best Regards
Roddy McLean

"My current understanding is that rock shoes are worn slightly smaller than normal, is this correct"

Not necessarily. That used to be the case but they tend to be sized more realistically these days. My rock shoes are the ame size as my boots and they feel small and tight on me. You must try them on and in a shop that has a mini-climbing wall so you know how they feel in use.

Maybe one of our big-footed members can point you to a suitable place with a large size range.

If youre anywhere near the White Peak area then Hitch n Hike at Bamford/Hathersage will go up to about a size 15 in rockboot.

Sadly they dont do the same in approach shoes.

My rockboots came from my local climbing centre and are made by Triop if thats any help.

I recommend you find a shop local to you who stock Scarpa. They do sale/return.

Roddy, rock shoes will teach you the true meaning of pain if you take advice from people who tell you to sqeeze into small sizes. They shoud not be able to move around on your feet but they are not medieval torture devices.

I bought my first pair a few months ago and I was persuades by the guy in the Needle sports to buy half a size to small and I cant straighten my big toe and boy do they hurt.

Thanks folks,

I'm going to make do with red-chili sausalito, the local store is trying to get sale or return in these. Unfortunately, it would seem that the vast majority of brands don't do a size 14.

Thanks for the info.

Best Regards
Roddy

I wear Red Chilli Phantoms, sized 9.5 (same as my walking boots). After 6 months of wear, I can just about straighten my big toes. Remember the Japanese game show "Endurance"? It's a bit like competing in that... It appears that Red Chilli make their boots a tad on the small size. I'd suggest that you try on a pair a couple of sizes large and work down to get a fit, rather than starting with your shoe size and working up.