How to Choose Rock Climbing Shoes

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Engineered for the send, Black Diamond Zone climbing shoes combine the breathability and comfort of engineered knit uppers with a semi-aggressive downturned shape that's ready for the steep climbs.
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View all Black Diamond Men's Climbing ShoesBest Use | Rock Climbing |
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Climbing Shoe Type | Aggressive |
Last | Slip-lasted |
Upper | Microfiber |
Outsole | Rubber |
Footwear Closure | Strap |
Gender | Unisex |
Weight (Pair) | 15.6 ounces |
Climbing Shoe Volume | High |
4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 13.5 | 14 | |
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U.S. Men's | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 13.5 | 14 |
U.S. Women's | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | |||||||
UK | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 |
EU | 35.5 | 36 | 37 | 37.5 | 38 | 39 | 39.5 | 40 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 46 | 46.5 | 47 | 48 | 48.5 |
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I bought a pair a month ago, and already there are holes forming. Specially on my toe hook. Heel also coming off. Really feels like they are using stick glue. I use black diamond products for many climbing gear, but never again with shoes. Quality is really disappointing.
I've been climbing on tension/moon/kilter in these for about 2 months now and love these. I was looking for a new gym shoe that wasn't too pricey but good for overhanging boulder routes and these seem perfect for me. The outer fabric keeps the shoe very clean and almost airy while providing a unique mold after a few sessions. I read all the reviews before and went to size up/down but found they fit my shoe size pretty spot on. I will admit at first I wasn't sure about the product because of loose spots but after a few hard sessions they really fit perfect! Like a nice suction cup to my feet. They are worth the wait while breaking in!
If you mow through shoes and aren't blessed with a $200k sprinter van and a disposable income, pick these up. Can't beat the price for durability, and the performance is totally adequate. Unless you're sending 45 degree overhangs or splitter hand cracks, these will work phenomenally. Stellar workhorse shoe. They aren't Solutions, but let's be real...you don't climb like Megos or Ondra. Buy these. Note - I'd actually recommend going half a size up from street shoe.
I used these on several occasions for sport climbing and some bouldering. Here are my thoughts on the Zones: Pros- The toe box feels great. It is one of the best designed toe boxes I have found. Rubber feels good and I liked the heel. Heel hooks, edging, and small hold were no problem. Cons- Sizing is off. I usually wear a 42 in my climbing shoes, I hard to go up to a 43 because even the 42.5s were way to tight. 43s felt good. Here is the biggest issue with the shoe and why I gave them a "Fair" rating, I could not get the shoe tight enough on my feet. When I cranked down on the shoe, the upper part of the shoe folded over and bunched up (see pictures). Even with them being as tight as I could get them, my foot moved around in the shoe. I do have a narrow foot so maybe they would work for you, but they don't really work for me. If the upper was redesigned I would definitely consider them again. If you have a larger foot then you should go try them on, maybe they will work for you and you'll have some killer shoes.
The Unisex sizing is very confusing. Read the sizing information carefully. After said and done I ordered a total of 5 pairs of these trying to find the right size. Two of which never arrived. Im a woman and this is my experience. Not sure if this would apply for a man. I wear a 6.5 or 7. My advice start with the larger size you normally wear and go up a half. (Or the smaller and go up a whole. You do you)I was thinking at first order I needed to size down as you would for a man’s shoe. Wrong. All that being said I love the shoe. Gets the job done and looks rad. I was over my lace ups and love the ease of the Velcro.
I love this shoe for boulder and lead climbing. It has a medium aggressive arch which is perfect for the intermediate climber looking to take things to the next level. I personally prefer the stiffer sole that this show provides as well. The one negative of this shoe is the sizing. If ordering online be prepared to try a couple sizes because they run very small for the size rating. I generally wear a US men's 9.5 and needed to get a US men's 11 in this shoe which still was very small and took a long time to break in. Although once the shoe was broken in, I felt incredible precision in my rock climbing.
This shoe runs small and doesn't fit right. For reference, this is my first aggressive style climbing shoe and my street shoe size is 9.5. I initially tried a 10 after I was informed that the shoe was running small. The 10 was excruciatingly too small for my feet so I sized up again to 10.5. At 10.5 the shoe length is perfect and I have the appropriate curling of my toes. However, there's too much dead space above my toes. Perhaps the LV version would fit better. In terms of performance, the shoe feels well constructed and I felt comfortable on both vertical and overhang routes. The shoe was firm where it needed to be and felt supportive of my toes. I suggest trying on different sizes and the LV version to find the proper fit.
These are men's climbing shoes that also happen to be listed under the women's climbing shoes category. You have to read the sizing chart and know to size down. For example, if you wear an 8.5 in street size as a woman, you must get these in 9.5. I blame myself for not seeing that in the sizing chart the first time. However, men's climbing shoes are designed to be wider and tighter on the toes regardless. In my opinion, REI should just sell these as men's climbing shoes.
I only had one session with them so this is more of a question. When you step with your foot the mid sole has to stretch right? this is natural. I find Zone's mid sole quite difficult to stretch, this forces pressure on the heel and the heel naturally forces the foot forward. This forces the fingers to squeeze inside the shoe which is uncomfortable (but not painful at all) and forces big toe and index to apply pressure against the toe box which can be quite painful. So my question is this. Is this normal due to me not being used to them and shoes not yet broken in or is there an actual issue? (I want to note that this is my very first pair of downturn shoes)
Went in to the store to try them on and was advised the sizing was a little different for this particular style. I normally would wear a 9 (and taking into consideration you would want to go down just a bit to for a more form fit, I asked for an 8.5) The REI team member had recommended going with a 9.5 and they fit great. Slightly uncomfortable at first as I was not used to wearing such tight-fitting shoes, but after a few sessions they have broken in nicely. No complaints and still holding up well so far after several days of climbing!