Kids Climbing Shoes
By John Walter

Kids are amazing. They seem to possess the innate ability to pick up anything new without the least degree of difficulty. And the sooner that they get started in an activity, the better they become.

Nowhere is this more true than in the burgeoning sport of rock climbing. Children are naturals at it. Think back to when you were a kid. Everything that was taller than you was a challenge: rocks, trees, furniture, cabinets, buildings, anything. There was an overwhelming feeling of triumph while sitting in the top branches of a tree, swaying in the breeze. I literally climbed anything and everything and eventually had my mother climbing the walls.

Well, if children are naturals at climbing, why do they need expensive climbing shoes? If you have ever rock climbed in anything but climbing shoes then you know their value. Without climbing shoes your feet won't stay on as well, forcing you to use other muscles and actions just to keep yourself on the rock, not to say anything of actually ascending it. This, in turn, develops bad climbing habits like over-gripping, not using your feet properly, and climbing mainly using your arms, all which will pump you out in no time. And no one wants their children to develop bad habits.

So, then how do you size climbing shoes for your kids, especially since all children climbing shoes use European sizing? Well, climbing shoes should never be painful, especially for children. You want them to enjoy what they are doing and if their shoes are painful, then you'll never get your kids to wear them a second time, and chances are, you won't get them out on the rock very often. So look for a shoe that fits your child's foot with a little room to grow (because we all know that kids grow out of shoes before they wear them out). Size the shoes so that when wearing socks, the shoes are just slightly too big. We're not looking for feet flopping around inside of the shoes here, just slightly bigger than a snug fit. As the child's feet grow, they will eventually be able to wear the shoes without socks and hopefully get more than a season's worth of climbing out of them.

What to do when your child doesn't fit into their shoes anymore? At virtually every climbing shop there is a consignment table. And gear swaps are a great place to unload unneeded gear. One of the best ideas that I've heard is to form a co-op with other families. Donating your child's outgrown gear allows you to choose from the selection in the pool.

Boreal Baby Ninja

The Baby Ninja from Boreal is fashioned after their once popular Ninja climbing shoes for adults. The Baby Ninja is a slipper in every sense of the word. Constructed using an unlined leather upper and being slip lasted, this shoe will stretch out a great deal as the child's feet grow. I've known people who have sized their Ninjas 4 sizes smaller than their street shoes and raved about the climbing once the shoes have stretched out, so the shoes will stretch a great deal, especially in the width (helping to ensure that they'll be used for more than a season).

Performance wise, the Baby Ninja has everything the Adult version has. It sports a very pointy toe profile and a generous rand. The sole is the standard Boreal Fusion S-2 rubber in a 4.2 mm thickness. The shoe is a little difficult to get on your child's foot, especially if you are the one cramming their foot into the shoe. Elastic around the mouth of the shoe help to keep the upper snug around their foot. Lynn Hill used to climb in some of the larger sizes of Baby Ninjas, so your child's climbing abilities won't be hampered in these shoes. And the nice, bright, fire-engine red color will entice any kid.

The Baby Ninja retails for $70.00 and are distributed by Boreal USA. They can be contacted at 949-498-1011 or on the Internet at www.borealusa.com .

EB Monkey

A lace up option is the Monkey from EB. The benefits of a lace up are a more customized fit-being able to loosen or tighten the laces where needed. They are also easier for you child to get their foot in and out of the shoe. Laces will also compensate for socks better, as well. One of the drawbacks of laces is that they tend to bunch up a bit over the toes.

The Monkey is also an unlined leather upper constructed on a slip last. The suede leather used on the Monkey isn't quite as smooth as the Baby Ninja and is a little thinner, but I never heard any complaints from my children. The Monkey has a more rounded toe, and a roomy toebox, but a tendency to curl up. The sole is a 3.5 mm thickness. The rand on the Monkey is also cut generously, but the seam is on the instep of the foot. This looks like it would be uncomfortable, but again, I never heard any complaints.

A good all around introduction for you child, the Monkey sells for $69 and is distributed by Advanced Basecamp. They can be contacted at 801-954-0741.

Walt is the climbing editor of GearReview.com and spends most of his time recovering from tendon injuries in his fingers.