Approach shoes that earn their place

There is a particular kind of climber who arrives at the crag in a sleek pair of approach shoes, sticky rubber and all, having driven there and walked forty flat metres from the car park. There is another kind who scrambles up a greasy, exposed path to a mountain crag in their everyday trainers, slipping the whole way and wondering why their heart rate is so high. Both have got it slightly wrong. The approach shoe is one of the most useful and most over-bought items in climbing.

An approach shoe is, roughly, a cross between a trainer and a climbing shoe. It has sticky climbing rubber on the sole, often with a flat smearing zone at the toe, but it fits and walks more like a normal shoe. The idea is a single shoe that gets you up a rough, rocky, sometimes scrambly walk-in, and can handle the odd bit of easy climbing without you changing footwear.

What an approach shoe actually buys you

The headline feature is the rubber. A proper approach shoe uses the same kind of sticky compound you find on climbing shoes, not the harder, more durable rubber on a running shoe. On wet rock, polished limestone, or a steep grassy ramp with stone steps, that grip is genuinely reassuring. It is the difference between trusting your feet on a sketchy traverse path and edging across it gripped.

The second feature is the toe. Most approach shoes have a flat, smooth rubber patch at the front, designed for smearing onto small footholds and edging onto little steps. This is what lets you scramble up easy rock, the kind of grade you would happily solo, without bothering to put your rock shoes on.

Beyond that, you are looking at a stiffer sole than a trainer for support on rough ground, a snug-ish fit so your foot does not slide around on steep terrain, and usually some protection around the toe and heel for kicking into rock and scree.

When they genuinely earn their place

The honest answer is that approach shoes are brilliant in some situations and pointless in others. Here is where they pull their weight.

• Long or rough walk-ins, especially mountain crags, scree slopes and steep paths.
• Approaches that involve scrambling, where you want sticky rubber on the actual rock.
• Multi-pitch and alpine days, where you want to climb easy ground in your approach shoes and save your rock shoes for the hard pitches.
• Slippery, polished or wet rock around the base of a crag where a normal trainer skates.

In those settings, a good approach shoe is a joy and a safety feature. The grip lets you move quickly and confidently over terrain that would otherwise be slow and nervy.

The test is simple: if the walk-in is the crux of your day, an approach shoe earns its place. If the walk-in is a stroll from the car, your trainers are fine.

When your trainers will do

This is the part the gear shops would rather you skipped. For a great many UK climbing days, particularly roadside crags and indoor-adjacent bouldering, you do not need approach shoes at all. A flat walk across a field does not demand sticky rubber. Your normal trainers, or even an old pair of shoes you do not mind getting muddy, are completely fine.

Buying approach shoes for short, flat approaches is the footwear equivalent of buying a full rack for a sport crag. It is not wrong exactly, it is just spending money on a problem you do not have. If you are still building out your kit and watching your budget, spend it where it counts first. Our guide to building a starter rack without overspending takes the same honest line about what you actually need early on.

What to look for if you do buy a pair

Say you have decided you genuinely want a pair, because you are heading into the mountains or onto multi-pitch. Here is how the main features trade off.

The big tension is between climbing performance and walking comfort. A burly, precise approach shoe that scrambles beautifully can be hard work over a ten-mile day, while a soft, comfy one walks all day but skates on technical rock. Think honestly about what your days actually involve before chasing the most technical option.

Fit matters more than brand. Approach shoes should be snug enough that your foot does not slide forward on steep descents, mashing your toes, but not so tight they are miserable to walk in. As with any shoe, your foot shape decides more than the marketing does, the same lesson that applies to rock shoes in how to choose your first pair of shoes.

Looking after the rubber

Approach shoe rubber is soft, which is why it grips, and soft rubber wears quickly. If you scramble in them constantly on abrasive rock like grit, expect the toe to round off over a season or two. You can resole many approach shoes, much like rock shoes, which is worth knowing before you bin a pair with good uppers and worn rubber.

Keep them out of the mud where you can, brush the soles before you climb on anything technical, and they will grip better and last longer. Caked-on dried mud turns sticky rubber into a slick disc.

So before you buy, picture your typical climbing day and ask what the walk in is really like. If it is rough, steep, scrambly or wet, treat yourself to a good pair and enjoy the confidence they bring. If it is a wander across a field, save the money, wear your trainers, and put the cash towards something you will actually use.