10 best women's climbing shoes

Whether you’re top-roping or bouldering inside, here’s our pick of the shoes that work for performance as well as comfort

If you’ve been using rental shoes, you’ll most likely see an improvement in your climbing after investing in a pair fitted for you (iStock)

The big climbing brands are responding to an increase in women taking up the activity – and they’re not just offering a smaller size range. “Women’s shoes are lower volume [which refers to the depth of the foot] with slimmer heel cups,” says Charlotte Womersley, shop manager at The Castle Climbing Centre in Hackney. “Men with narrow feet often find that a women’s shoe works well for them; equally, men’s-specific shoes suit some women.”

We tested the shoes indoors, focusing on pairs that will serve you well for top-roping or bouldering inside. The majority of routes indoors are either slabby, vertical or slightly overhanging, so we’ve omitted shoes with an aggressively downturned sole and very asymmetric curve towards the big toe that are best suited to steeply overhanging or competition problems.

All can be used for climbing outdoors as well, and many climbers will have a pair from the more comfortable end of the spectrum for long days outdoors or multi-pitching.

As a general rule, entry-level shoes will have thicker, more durable rubber so that they don’t wear out as quickly and, as you move up to intermediate and advanced shoes, the rubber is often a bit less durable but higher friction for sticking to tinier holds or bracing against the rock/climbing wall. Have a look at the manufacturers’ websites for detailed characteristics of the different types.

“If you’ve been wearing rental shoes, your climbing will transform once you’re in a pair of well-fitting shoes,” says Charlotte.

“They should be snug in the heel and you want your toes to be pushing right into the ends and filling the toe box completely – if there’s space, your foot is more likely to move around and slip off the wall. For a more performance fit, your toes can be crimped up, but it shouldn’t be agonising. Most shoes will mould to your foot and some stretch up to a size bigger. Try your street size first or half a size smaller.”

If in doubt about how a climbing shoe should feel, visit a specialist climbing shop for a fitting.

Boreal Joker Lace Women’s: £80, Cotswold Outdoor

Boreal places this shoe in its comfort range and it’s not wrong. It’s super-comfy with a flat sole, made from durable, sticky enough rubber, with a slight asymmetric curve thrown in to up its performance – wear it on the tighter side if you want it to feel more dynamic. It has a nice snug heel with very low tension (more aggressive shoes will have higher tension through the heel to push the foot forward into a powerful position), and there’s hidden cushioning underneath it for even more – we’ll say it again – comfort. The midsole is flexible enough for beginners to learn how to smear (placing your foot on the wall using friction, rather than a hold) but stiff enough to build some confidence on smaller holds.

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Scarpa Helix WMN: £81, Go Outdoors

A flat, durable, entry-level shoe, the Helix will allow you to progress through the grades because its comfort will keep you climbing for hours, while the stiff Vibram XS Edge rubber on the sole allows you to be confident enough to balance on smaller footholds while being sensitive enough in the toes to feel them. Good for wider feet and the laces allow you to adjust along the length of the shoe and pull them tight into your feet if you have high arches. We found that they do stretch after several sessions, so don’t be afraid of buying a tight fit.

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Black Diamond Women’s Momentum: £80, Black Diamond

Black Diamond is renowned for climbing gear, but newer to shoes. With this beginner’s shoe, the brand has produced a combination of comfort, good-quality rubber and a breathable and forgiving knitted upper that limits sweating. The flexible midsole will help you learn to smear and a hint of asymmetry in the shape means that you’ll get a feel for perching in increasingly smaller holds. Good for women with slender feet.

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Evolv Elektra, £72; Go Outdoors

This is the brand’s bestselling shoe – and we can see why. It’s an entry-level shoe that performs nicely and it’s extremely comfortable. The TRAX-SAS rubber sole creates high friction and the midsole is flexible, which gave us quite a sensitive feel on footholds. It’s at the cheaper end of the scale, but Evolv has put thought into making the shoe last by placing extra rubber in the high-wear areas around the toe and less where pressure spots on the feet can occur. If you’ve tried Elektras before and found that they start to smell, the new anti-microbial lining should put paid to that.

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Red Chili Spirit Lady Velcro IZ: £100; Cotswold Outdoor

Relatively deep for a women’s shoe, this one is more suited to those with a slightly higher volume foot, but the three Velcro straps make them easily adjustable for width. It’s flat, neutral-shaped and comfortable with little heel tension, making it a great choice for people that struggle with Achilles pressure. It has a cushioned impact zone in the heel, designed to absorb force when coming off a bouldering problem or walking off the crag. The fairly stiff midsole and beautifully sticky rubber makes for a reassuring experience on smaller edges.

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La Sportiva Katana Woman: £125, La Sportiva

A popular all-rounder that will suit both newer climbers who want a step-up from a basic shoe and intermediates who want comfort and performance features. It has a subtle downturn and moderate asymmetry, but the toe has a more defined point than other moderately asymmetric shoes, giving it an extremely precise feel when combined with its superior Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber. The tensioned heel dug in a little but that eased after a few wears. We liked the Velcro straps closing in opposing directions for a snug fit and the breathable tongue helped to reduce sweating.

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Tenaya Masai: £85, Banana Fingers

A unisex shoe that’s the Spanish brand’s bestseller. It’s billed as an all-rounder, balancing comfort with performance and suitable for all types of climbing, and we agree. Its claim to be precise on small edges was spot on – its slightly asymmetric shape and sticky Vibram XS Grip rubber soles combined to feel stable and exact even on the most minute of footholds and smeared like a dream. The lace closure means that what is known for being quite a narrow, low-volume shoe can be adjusted for a slightly wider foot (but not very wide) and the snug-fitting heel made for great heel hooking.

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EB Split: £44.50 per shoe, Banana Fingers

Many of us have one foot slightly bigger than the other, but when this disparity is significant, it can cause serious discomfort in climbing shoes. Enter the Split: each shoe can be bought in a different size. It’s a unisex shoe with a slight downturn and asymmetry, but it’s very comfortable as soon as you put it on, so would be good for someone looking to move up from an entry-level shoe. The heel is not as rigid as some performance shoes, but that makes it more comfortable and the Daytona rubber is super sticky, helping you to feel secure on the wall. A single Velcro strap that criss-crosses the foot makes for a close fit and easy removal. We found that it’s best to choose a shoe that is half a size bigger than street size.

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Five Ten Women’s Anasazi VCS Pro: £124.99, Ellis Brigham

A version of the ever-popular Anasazi all-rounder, but this is more of a performance shoe. It has increased heel tension but we liked the way it didn’t press hard into the Achilles. The (religiously loved by climbers) Stealth C4 rubber gave us Spider-Man-like traction and the toe patch covering the forefoot performed brilliantly for the toe-hooking it was designed for, although you may not like it if you’re not doing much toe-hooking. The sole has no downturn – unusual for a shoe of this level, but it adds to the comfort – and its stiff midsole was sublime when standing on teeny-tiny edges, pushing out when legs were spanned and poking the toe into pockets. Smearing was harder than with a flexible shoe, but just takes getting used to.

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Scarpa Arpia Wmn: £120, Scarpa

If you want to venture a little further into downturned sole territory, the Arpia is a great choice. It fits beautifully into high arches, it’s Z-shaped strap closure over a padded tongue means it fits like a second skin and we found that the moderate downturn and asymmetry offers performance for higher grade footwork while remaining comfortable enough to keep on for several hours. The midsole is quite flexible for effective smearing, while the toe area is stiff but sensitive for smaller holds, and the Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber means you’re going nowhere when you’re balancing on a tiny hold or bracing on the side of a volume. Particularly low-profile beneath the ankle bone – a bonus if you have bony ankles.

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Verdict: Women’s climbing shoes

Climbing shoes are very individual to a user’s foot shape, comfort preferences and what they’re climbing. However, we feel that the entry-level Boreal Joker Lace Women’s most effectively combines good performance with being very comfortable and, while a lace closure isn’t as convenient to take on and off, it makes for a superior fit.

For the intermediate all-rounders, the La Sportiva Katana and Tenaya Masai were superb and, for a slightly more downturned shoe, the Scarpa Arpia ticked all of our boxes.