There are an incredible amount of climbing shoes out there, each designed to fit a different foot shape. Finding the right climbing shoes can be overwhelming even for experienced climbers, let alone beginners. In this article, we will explore what are the best climbing shoes for beginners with wide feet.
As a general rule, the best beginner climbing shoes for wide feet have a neutral downturn, stiff sole, leather upper, and large toe box. On average, the Butora Endeavor (wide edition) are the best beginner climbing shoes for wide feet.
It is important to understand the different features of climbing shoes when getting a beginner pair. Some climbing shoes will have raving reviews online but will be better suited for experienced climbers with narrow feet. This article explains what features to look for and why the shoes listed above are the best for beginners with wide feet. Find out what the current price is of the Butora Endeavors on Amazon here.
What Makes A Good Beginner Climbing Shoe For Wide Feet
Each climbing shoe has different features and will fit everyone’s feet differently. Even the shoes I recommend here may not be a perfect match for your feet. That said, they will likely be much better for your wide feet than other shoes out there.
When looking for beginner shoes, you will want to make sure they fit snug but are not too tight. If you do not know why it is important to have snug shoes for climbing, I recommend reading my article here.
Getting an ideal fit is especially difficult for climbers with wide feet. Wide feet make it more likely that most climbing shoes will end up being too tight on the sides of the foot.
To see what risks climbers run from wearing excessively tight shoes, check out my article here. You should educate yourself on the subject so you can take the necessary precautions to help prevent any injuries from developing.
With that out of the way, let’s get into what features to look for when getting beginner climbing shoes for wide feet.
Best Shoe Stiffness for Beginners
On average, beginners will be better off with stiff climbing shoes. Stiff shoes are much more comfortable to wear than softer shoes but do sacrifice some sensitivity.
Typically beginners will not need a tremendous amount of sensitivity in their feet. The routes they will be climbing will generally not be difficult enough to warrant very soft shoes. It will be more important for beginners to have stiff shoes that are more comfortable and allow them to climb as much as possible.
Opting for softer shoes will be more beneficial after climbers have gained enough climbing experience and have better footwork.
Optimal Shoe Downturn For Beginners
Beginners will benefit from having a neutral downturn shoe at first. As they get more advanced they can transfer to a more moderate or aggressive downturned shoe. More aggressive shoes will allow climbers to climb very highly technical routes but will sacrifice a lot of comfort.
Beginners will not be climbing these highly technical routes and should not subject their feet to downturned shoes just yet. They will not be beneficial at all and will put their feet in dangerous positions for no good reason.
Best Climbing Shoe Upper Material For Wide Feet
Basically, there are two types of materials for shoe uppers: leather and synthetic. Leather shoes will stretch out more over time than synthetic shoes. On average, leather climbing shoes will stretch out approximately 1/2 of a shoe size.
Synthetic shoes on the other hand will not stretch out. This is great if they fit your feet perfectly from the get go but presents issues if they are too narrow.
When looking for shoes to fit wide feet, you will want the leather’s stretching capability. No wide feet are the same and the leather material will stretch out the perfect amount for them.
Best Climbing Shoe Shape For Wide Feet
Shoes with a large toe box will be the best for wide feet. A large toe box will provide the space necessary for your feet and help them from being too scrunched. This combined with the leather upper should accommodate most foot shapes.
Different Climbing Shoe Brands for Wide Feet
Certain climbing shoe brands are known for fitting wide feet better than others. For example, La Sportiva shoes are known for fitting narrow feet very well but not so much wide feet. Popular climbing shoe brands known for accommodating wide feet are Butora, Scarpa, and Evolv.
That said, just because a shoe is a certain brand does not mean it will fit wide feet better or worse. Each brand has shoe models that are tailored towards wide feet. The factors mentioned above are much more important to consider when getting a beginner shoe for wide feet.
The Best Beginner Climbing Shoes For Wide Feet
As mentioned above, the perfect pair of climbing shoes will not be the same for everyone. The shoes I recommend below are likely to fit a vast majority of people reading this extremely well but will not fit everyone perfectly.
In any case, I think the shoes below have the best chance of fitting your feet while providing you with the best beginner shoe features. They are a perfect place to start.
Butora Endeavor (Wide Edition)
Before getting too deep into this, you should know that I do not personally wear these shoes because I am not a beginner with wide feet. That said, I have a few climbing buddies who have bought the Butora Endeavors and absolutely love them. Their raving reviews are consistent with hundreds of other climber’s reviews of them online.
In fact, Butora even makes a special wide edition of them for climbers with wide feet. The Butora Endeavors (wide edition) pretty much check off every single box you could want them to.
They have a neutral downturn, stiff sole, leather upper, and large toe box. They are designed for all-around climbing use (bouldering, top rope, etc.) and can be used in both climbing gyms and outdoors.
The Butora Endeavors come in a women’s edition as well. To know the difference between men’s and women’s climbing shoes, I suggest reading my article linked here. Women’s climbing shoes are NOT just for women.
These shoes have even been noted to have odor-resistant properties. I cannot speak to the validity of this but hey, if it’s true then that’s pretty cool. My climbing shoes get real stinky real quick.
It should come as no surprise that these shoes have been heralded as some of the best climbing shoes for beginners.