How much climbers downsize, by shoe model

Q: My model is not in the table.

Two bars are offered. The default shows models with at least ten owner reports; switching to five roughly doubles the number of models, each resting on less evidence. Once your model reaches five fit reports it appears in the 5+ view.

Every foot scan asks which climbing shoes you own and how you size them compared to your street shoe size. This is the data this article provides as insight. The table shows models with at least ten owner reports; switch it to five to see roughly twice as many models, with obviously a bit less evidence behind each. It is live either way, recomputing from the scan database on every page load, so a model's number moves as reports come in. Run a quick scan to help us grow the database.

2,527 sizing reports from 1,875 foot scans, across 284 models. Auto updated with every new scan.

How much should you size down climbing shoes?

69% of users size down, 19% take their street size and 11% size up.
The median across every model is -1 EU from street size, but the model you pick moves that by 2.5 EU sizes, from the La Sportiva Skwama at -2 to the Five Ten Hiangle at +0.5.

Brand patterns

Pooled over every model with 5 or more reports. Brands with only one such model are left out, since there a brand's median is just that shoe's.

La Sportiva: -1.5 EU (875 reports across 34 models)
Tenaya: -1.5 EU (143 reports across 9 models)
Scarpa: -1 EU (672 reports across 30 models)
Mad Rock: -0.5 EU (147 reports across 9 models)
Unparallel: -0.5 EU (64 reports across 7 models)
Five Ten: 0 EU (46 reports across 5 models)
Butora: 0 EU (21 reports across 3 models)
Simond: 0 EU (56 reports across 5 models)
Evolv: 0 EU (104 reports across 10 models)
Ocun: 0 EU (38 reports across 4 models)
Red Chili: 0 EU (14 reports across 2 models)

Climbing shoes with sufficient fit feedback

Negative means size down. Medians land on whole or half sizes, because those are the sizes shoes are sold in. Offset from street size in EU sizes.

Shoe	Level	Stiffness	Median	Mean	Reports
La Sportiva Skwama	aggressive	0.34	-2	-1.8	103
Tenaya Indalo	aggressive	0.40	-2	-1.8	45
La Sportiva Ondra Comp	aggressive	0.34	-2	-1.9	29
La Sportiva Mandala	aggressive	0.48	-2	-1.9	29
La Sportiva Theory	aggressive	0.24	-2	-1.8	25
Tenaya Mastia	aggressive	0.40	-2	-1.8	22
La Sportiva Skwama Women's	aggressive	0.34	-2	-1.8	20
La Sportiva Solution Comp Woman	aggressive	0.34	-2	-1.8	16
La Sportiva Miura	moderate	0.56	-2	-1.9	16
La Sportiva Solution Women's	aggressive	0.34	-2	-1.8	14
La Sportiva Genius	aggressive	0.59	-2	-2.0	10
La Sportiva Solution	aggressive	0.43	-1.5	-1.3	64
La Sportiva Katana Lace	moderate	0.68	-1.5	-1.6	51
La Sportiva Solution Comp	aggressive	0.34	-1.5	-1.6	37
La Sportiva Kubo	slight	0.60	-1.5	-1.1	36
La Sportiva Tarantula Boulder	flat	0.59	-1.5	-1.6	36
La Sportiva Skwama Vegan	aggressive	0.34	-1.5	-1.5	27
La Sportiva Miura VS	moderate	0.56	-1.5	-1.6	19
Tenaya Oasi	moderate	0.34	-1.5	-1.5	16
La Sportiva Mythos	flat	0.60	-1.5	-1.0	15
La Sportiva Mantra	aggressive	0.17	-1.5	-1.5	14
Scarpa Instinct	moderate	0.45	-1.5	-1.6	12
La Sportiva Kubo Woman	slight	0.57	-1.5	-1.2	11
Scarpa Instinct VSR	moderate	0.38	-1	-1.0	92
La Sportiva Tarantula	flat	0.59	-1	-0.9	73
Scarpa Instinct VSR LV	moderate	0.38	-1	-1.1	71
Scarpa Drago LV	aggressive	0.28	-1	-0.9	66
Scarpa Instinct VS	moderate	0.41	-1	-0.9	58
Scarpa Drago	aggressive	0.28	-1	-1.0	57
Scarpa Veloce	slight	0.31	-1	-0.8	43
La Sportiva Finale	slight	0.66	-1	-1.0	40
Scarpa Drago XT	aggressive	0.28	-1	-1.1	31
La Sportiva Skwama Lite	slight	0.64	-1	-1.2	28
La Sportiva Otaki	moderate	0.68	-1	-1.3	25
Scarpa Instinct VS Women's	moderate	0.38	-1	-0.9	22
La Sportiva TC Pro	flat	0.60	-1	-1.1	20
La Sportiva Katana	moderate	0.68	-1	-1.0	18
Scarpa Arpia V	slight	0.44	-1	-0.6	16
Tenaya Iati	aggressive	0.48	-1	-1.0	12
Scarpa Mago	aggressive	0.38	-1	-1.0	10
Scarpa Furia Air	aggressive	0.26	-1	-0.8	10
Scarpa Vapor V	slight	0.55	-0.5	-0.5	44
Mad Rock D2.ONE HV	aggressive	0.60	-0.5	-0.5	39
La Sportiva Tarantulace	flat	0.59	-0.5	-0.6	29
Mad Rock Remora Pro HV	aggressive	0.37	-0.5	-0.5	20
Black Diamond Momentum	flat	0.46	-0.5	-0.3	15
Scarpa Vapor	slight	0.65	-0.5	-0.5	14
Evolv Kronos	flat	0.60	-0.5	-0.5	13
Tenaya Tanta	slight	0.36	-0.5	-0.8	13
La Sportiva Python	moderate	0.30	-0.5	-1.0	13
Unparallel Flagship	aggressive	0.45	-0.5	-0.6	13
Unparallel TN Pro	aggressive	0.69	-0.5	-0.2	12
Scarpa Helix	flat	0.45	-0.5	-0.3	11
Tenaya Mundaka	moderate	0.34	-0.5	-0.8	11
Mad Rock Rover	slight	0.60	-0.5	-0.1	10
Evolv Shaman	aggressive	0.51	0	+0.2	28
Mad Rock Drone 2 HV	aggressive	0.84	0	-0.4	26
Simond Klimb	flat	0.35	0	+0.1	22
Mad Rock Drone CS HV	aggressive	0.58	0	-0.1	21
Simond Vertika	moderate	0.51	0	-0.2	15
Scarpa Origin	flat	0.47	0	0.0	13
Ocun Ozone	slight	0.42	0	+0.3	13
La Sportiva Finale Women's	flat	0.66	0	-0.6	12
Scarpa Origin VS	flat	0.52	0	+0.1	11
Ocun Bullit	slight	0.33	0	+0.2	11
Scarpa Vapor V Women's	slight	0.55	0	+0.1	10
Five Ten Hiangle	aggressive	0.54	+0.5	-0.1	21
Evolv Defy	flat	0.31	+0.5	+0.6	16

Method

Each report is one owner naming a shoe he currently climbs, the EU size they take in it and the EU street size they wear. The number plotted is worn size minus street size. 2,527 reports across 284 models survive filtering; at the ten-report bar, 68 models qualify and carry 1835 of those reports. The size-down / same / size-up split above is per CLIMBER across all 1875 scans, not per report: a climber who names three shoes counts once, on the median of their own reports. Reports more than 4 EU sizes from street size are dropped as street and climbing sizes entered the wrong way round. Repeat scans are merged: retakes and both-feet sessions count as 1 feedback. Shop links may earn us a commission at identical prices to you.

Questions

How much should you size down climbing shoes?

Most climbers size down, but there is no single number, because the model moves the answer further than any rule of thumb does. The table gives a median for each model and the histogram beside it shows how wide the range is within that model, which is the row to use rather than an average across all shoes.

Why does my shop recommend a different size?

Shops quote the manufacturer's guidance, which is one number for the model. This table reports what owners did, which spreads across a range because a comfort fit and a performance fit are different targets in the same shoe. The histogram beside each median shows that range.

Does a more downturned shoe need more downsizing?

Directionally, and less than the label suggests. Pooling the reports in the table by the shoe's downturn, only the aggressive group separates; flat, slight and moderate land on the same median. Which brand made the shoe moves the number further than how downturned it is.

My model is not in the table.

Two bars are offered. At 10 or more reports, the default, fewer models qualify but each row is worth comparing against the others; at 5 or more, roughly twice as many appear, each resting on less. Once your model reaches five fit reports it appears in the 5+ view.

Scan your feet for free. You get your foot measurements and tailored shoe recommendations based on your foot form and use case. As a bonus, you help us provide better fit and sizing advice. Scan your feet. More on fit from the same scan database: the best climbing shoes for narrow heels, narrow heels versus shallow heels and, for the individual reports behind every median here keyed to your own foot shape, which climbing shoes fit your foot shape.

All insights