Unfortunately, many of us are still in the Senderella phase. I'm hoping this will help narrow things down for you. But do know, shoes and feet come and tons of different shapes and sizes. Don't give up! For every shoe that doesn't work, at least you can cross that off your list of hopefuls. You can try things on in your gym, from REI (great return policy so you can try on a bunch), or shoe demos. Be patient. And last but certainly not least, COMFORT IS KING. Your shoes SHOULD NOT be painful!! Uncomfortable at first? perhaps. But not pain. You are, in fact, trying to get some climbing mileage and I don't think Janja is staring at this list so, be comfy plz. Last fun fact: Try gear trade sites or REI reuse website for shoe deals and resoling more expensive shoes is always a nice option, as well! Feel free to comment/message me if you want more info.

Interested in what different climbing moves are called and want to level up? This isn't an exhaustive list but these are a lot of the popular ones that you need to hone in on to excel on your journey. Hope you find this helpful and please feel free to leave a comment if you want more insight.

I spend a ton of time hiking the 4000 footers of New England! Every day in the woods is a great day, but these are the highlights of my travels. I have done all of these hikes at some point and many of them multiple times! I've finished my 48 so I am currently working on my winter list and my NE67 and NE115 lists!

For those who want some inspo on what you should carry to the gym or crag, here you go! Though I sometimes add a few items for strength training a few times a week, this is what never leaves. If you don't have extra compartments, I really like using a small cute pencil bag to house all the smaller items. And remember, pack out what you pack in. Cheers!