Finding a climbing shoe that fits properly is an important factor when you decide you want to climb an interesting looking piece of rock. The first pair of rock shoes I ever bought were the Red Chili Spirits and they served me well.
The shoes are a comfortable pair which is ideal if you are climbing for an entire day. They fit well and have a low profile heel and toe for descents and cracks. The rubber used on the sole is incredibly sticky and provides great grip even when smearing on the most unlikely of polished surfaces.
They are a great all-round rock shoe and are perfect for all disciplines; bouldering, sports climbing and traditional climbing. Not many shoes can boast the fact that they are great all-rounders and perform well no matter what your style is.
I think that they are a perfect beginners shoe as unlike other rock shoes they are not designed with a specific style of climbing in mind. Some shoes you can by are curved with extra rubber for toe and heel hooking that would normally be of most use on a bouldering problem. This is the only real disadvantage as I found that as my climbing progressed I needed a shoe capable of doing what I was trying to do with my feet. There is no real edge to the toe so when tottering on tiny flakes of rock by the tips of your toes it was often difficult to get any real purchase. This tended to put a bit more strain on the arms and led to getting pumped quicker.
I try to climb 2-3 days a week if possible and these shoes have held out well. They lasted the best part of a year and weren't in tatters when I replaced them so are still handy if I'm taking someone climbing who maybe doesn't own a pair of their own rock shoes.
The gel heel in the shoe is an interesting feature that helps for the all day wearability. It is particularly noticeable on long multiple pitch ascents as they take some of the strain off your feet. The gel is nice if you have a fall or are clambering down after finishing a route.
One of the decisions climbers have is weather or not to go for lace up shoes or velcro shoes. Velcro is brilliant if you have a pair of shoes that are restricting or uncomfortable so it allows for quick and easy removal in between climbs. However, as I've previously mentioned, these shoes are about as comfy as rock shoes get so the requirement for constant changing of footwear is removed and laces are perfect. Some climbers also argue that laces provide more support than Velcro.
I have reasonably wide feet and the shoes adjusted well. They are designed in such a way that they suit many different foot shapes. The fact that they lace rather than Velcro also helps with this malleability.
If you are new to the sport and are considering buying a pair of rock shoes it is imperative that you go to a shop and try on a pair before you locate that internet bargain. Rock shoes vary vastly in size, often requiring that you purchase a pair of shoes two sizes bigger than normal. Every manufacturer and style seem to fit differently so it's often worth paying the extra few pounds in your local mountaineering shop.
If I were to recommend a pair of shoes to a beginner I'd definitely choose these. They are comfortable, durable and perfectly adaptable to any style of climbing. This allows the climber to get a feel of what he or she enjoys. If I were recommending a pair of shoes to a more advanced climber I'd probably suggest something a little more specialized. I'm currently wearing Red Chili corona VCR's and I think they are absolutely brilliant. Especially good for bouldering and sports routes as they tend to get a little uncomfortable.
Overall a great all round shoe and definately worth the money! A good website for climbing gear is rockrun.com. Hope to see you down the crag sometime...
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£35-£65
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