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kids climbing shoes wanted

f_abe

5-Nov-2014
3:14:11 PM

Before I splurge on a new pair of small shoes that will in all likelihood only be worn a few times before being grown out of I thought I'd see if anyone has any kids climbing shoes they no longer need and would sell me, suitable for a 5 year old, kids size 10, but I'll consider bigger sizes too.
Cheers - Alex

rodw

5-Nov-2014
3:23:13 PM

Ive still got my daughters first size shoes size 13 hanging on my office wall..very cute...but you can't have them. we got about a year out of them, bought them 2 sizes bigger than needed.

But at that age really climbing shoes don't do much, just get reef shoes from coles or wollies until a bit older and actually using there feet...up until then they will be happy with reef shoes that look kinda like climbing shoes.

f_abe

5-Nov-2014
3:35:56 PM

Good idea, and I know she doesn't actually need them, but as she's a she, any excuse for another pair of shoes...

rodw

5-Nov-2014
4:01:45 PM

She is now wearing one of my old pairs Boreal lasers from the late 1990's I think?...which is fine as they have pink trimmings.

Wendy

5-Nov-2014
4:20:25 PM

I still have a gazzillion pairs of unwanted size 34-5 climbing shoes. I'd say they might be too big for a 5 year old, but then they keep getting handed back to me by 8 year olds saying they are too small, so maybe not.

pedro.c

5-Nov-2014
4:51:22 PM

We've a couple of pairs here. Mad Rock UK size 2 and Mad Rock UK size 1.5. The 1.5s fit my little girl when she was 5 or 6.

The toes are a little worn cause they refuse to take them off around the crag.

If you post me a big enough prepaid post bag you can have them.

Deal?

f_abe

5-Nov-2014
7:44:50 PM

Sounds a sweet deal to me - PM sent.
And Wendy - I might hit you up when her feet grow (assuming she still finds it cool to spend her days walking up a big hill, hanging out with dad and his juvenile mates, then walk down a big hill to hang out with dad and juvenile mates around a fire)

IdratherbeclimbingM9

5-Nov-2014
7:53:27 PM

On 5/11/2014 f_abe wrote:
>And Wendy - I might hit you up when her feet grow (assuming she still
>finds it cool to spend her days walking up a big hill, hanging out with
>dad and his juvenile mates, then walk down a big hill to hang out with
>dad and juvenile mates around a fire)

Which raises the thought of; ... what did Wendy do at that age, that may have eventually led to a climbing future?
☺

Karl Bromelow

5-Nov-2014
10:27:19 PM

On 5/11/2014 rodw wrote:

>
>But at that age really climbing shoes don't do much, just get reef shoes
>from coles or wollies until a bit older and actually using there feet...up
>until then they will be happy with reef shoes that look kinda like climbing
>shoes.

I don't agree. My son would have struggled to do many of the climbs he got on at 5 years old if he'd been wearing reef shoes. He was certainly making good use of his little La Sportivas with good footwork on El Cap 2 years ago, at that age:

shortman

5-Nov-2014
10:53:09 PM

Cool Karl.

Wendy

6-Nov-2014
6:38:39 AM

On 5/11/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:

>
>Which raises the thought of; ... what did Wendy do at that age, that may
>have eventually led to a climbing future?
>☺

No climbing sadly ... i was very keen on playgrounds (which were a bit less safety concious in those days) and I still have a bump on my forehead from fall of one about that age. Then we lived in rural france for a few years where I was very keen on tree climbing. But had no idea rockclimbing even existed until 14. What I wonder about is what on earth I would have done with my life if I hadn't discovered climbing?

Karl Bromelow

6-Nov-2014
7:42:58 AM

On 5/11/2014 shortman wrote:
>Cool Karl.

Thanks, Shortman. It's true. Maybe dependent on the kid in question but Kai would certainly have known the difference between the shoes we adults were all wearing and a pair of reef shoes at 5 years old. I've said it before on here but I don't see why he shouldn't have kit as good as our own and so that is where our meagre earnings go, as our adventures are possibly the most important side of our life, contributing enormously to our physical and mental wellbeing. We want him to feel wholly part of it until he, maybe, choses another way for himself. We've always climbed as a family. Here's another from closer to home when he was 6:

Kai on the 3rd of 6 pitches of Siren at Arapiles.

rodw

6-Nov-2014
8:15:41 AM

Comes down to how involved your kids is in the sport I think and whether you want to justify the climbing shoe expense or not. As a youngster my daughter never really got into climbing, even now its only indoors and prefers bouldering..with no interest to climb outside....so for her if I was to be honest...climbing shoes was a waste of money when she was younger as evidenced by the the fact her first shoes look practically new.

Karl Bromelow

6-Nov-2014
8:36:05 AM

On 6/11/2014 rodw wrote:
>Comes down to how involved your kids is in the sport I think and whether
>you want to justify the climbing shoe expense or not.

I'm lucky. Kai loves it and has taken to the vertical environment outdoors very naturally. But I would still have "wasted" that amount of money (you could spend way more on one night out) to make sure he had the best gear for the job even before I'd figured he loved it. My rationale being he would be more likely to get stuck in if he felt equally involved. That turned out to be true for him.

rodw

6-Nov-2014
9:43:45 AM

Agreed karl, my daughter has always had climbing shoes too....I was just playing devils advocate on the whole buy vs not buy kids climbing shoes:)

Karl Bromelow

6-Nov-2014
9:45:40 AM

http://www.climbinganchors.com.au/madrock-mad-monkey/

What's that? Half a tank of fuel? A meter of mulch? A slab of beer? The beginnings of a lifetime of joy and adventure?

shortman

6-Nov-2014
9:48:44 AM

On 6/11/2014 Karl Bromelow wrote:
>http://www.climbinganchors.com.au/madrock-mad-monkey/
>
>What's that? Half a tank of fuel? A meter of mulch? A slab of beer? The
>beginnings of a lifetime of joy and adventure?

Um...a pair of shoes maybe? :)
>

Karl Bromelow

6-Nov-2014
9:49:16 AM

On 6/11/2014 rodw wrote:
>Agreed karl, my daughter has always had climbing shoes too....I was just
>playing devils advocate on the whole buy vs not buy kids climbing shoes:)

I know and you have a point. I was giving my perspective as an obsessed rock climber and doting father. I would only advise buying climbing shoes for your kids if you plan to take them climbing regularly. If you aren't going regularly yourself you probably would get more from 24 bottles of Matilda Bay. : )

f_abe

6-Nov-2014
1:37:15 PM

On 6/11/2014 Karl Bromelow wrote:
>http://www.climbinganchors.com.au/madrock-mad-monkey/
>
>What's that? Half a tank of fuel? A meter of mulch? A slab of beer? The
>beginnings of a lifetime of joy and adventure?
>
That is true, but alas, whilst I have moved on from my bumming days it appears that while you can take the climber out of his dirtbag you can never quite take the dirtbag out of the climber...

There are 19 messages in this topic.