Having your own climbing shoes helps

It's really true. It helps a lot to have shoes that fit your feet rather than the rental ones at the climbing gym. That said, if you're only going to go a few times, $6 a pop is maybe a better investment than the $100 + whatever you spend on your own.


Me being me, however, I figured the best way to force myself to commit to a sport is to spend some money on it. That way I feel a financial obligation to climb, even if I don't want to. As it stands just now, though, I do still want to climb so that's cool.

So yes, my new equipment. I went on a sort of climber's hajj to the Mountain Equipment Co-Op in Toronto.



I climbed this mother of a wall while trying out my new shoes on Saturday.

So I know you're all dying to know what I bought. Well I'm dying to talk about it at least so that's always something.


First up, I got a harness. I got a Black Diamond Focus Harness which is pretty comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can expect with all these straps around various parts of your anatomy.



Once I got the harness sorted, I spent forever and a day trying on different shoes and consequently abusing my feet quite a bit. I ended up getting the La Sportiva Cliff Rockshoes. They were the best fit for the shape of my toes. Funny how something as hitherto trivial now has pretty serious influence. I was just thinking as well that since I climb AND play guitar, I have to keep my fingernails AND toenails nice and short. Ah, what a blessing for my future spouse. Anyway, I digress...



I got a nice wee chalkbag all of my own as well. To be more precise, it was a Sickle Retro Sport Chalk Bag. Not that exciting really other than the fact that it's mine and I won't need to keep borrowing one when I go to Rockhead's.

I also got a re-fillable chalk ball, a chalk bag strap and a water bottle but I'm starting to bore even myself at this point and I'm almost 1/2 hour late for lunch so this is a good time to run along.