Customisable Climbing Shoes

[micdesign]

Hi,
I'm a sport design student + amateur climber thinking about doing my project next year on climbing shoes. If I could have your thoughts on this question I be really grateful.

If you could customise a climbing shoe what would you want control over?

Cheers
Mic

[hevyduty]

I would love a pair of shoes where both shoes fit good !

[scrubber]

How about being able to crank down the amount of toe-hook from flat to super hooked for really steep routes. Some sort of a tensionable band within the sole to give it springy flex and adjustable camber.

K

[staven]

I have trouble finding shoes that fit my heels. There always seems to be too much room and an air pocket at the bottom, and pulling too tightly forward at the top.

Plus the rubber wears out too quickly and is not sticky enough. It should be like suction cups and last at least 10 years between re-soles. And why doesn't anyone make an all gold climbing shoe yet? So hot right now.

[dakine]

Actually I would just like to have the option to have the shoes custom made, so a mold of my feet taken and the shoes built off that. No dead space no buying 1-2 sizes too small only to have one shoe tighter than the other...

[monkeygrp]

Here's an idea for something that doesn't currently exist in rock shoes. Perhaps the reader has experienced the same (cheap-minded) frustration.

You go shopping for a new pair, and you know exactly what you liked and didn't like about the last pair. Therefore, you spend lots of time getting the bomber new pair. They are killer and you are suddenly at least a letter grade better.

Fast forward to your first or second resole, and they're just not so aggressive any more. Despite the new rubber, you've sweated in that leather too many times for them to hug the toes the way they used to, and that gnarly camber is gone. Basically, they're starting to look like a pair of old Five-Ten Spires.

So how about creating a substitute for leather that could be somehow refreshed? After all, we have ski liners that can be thrown in the oven and molded to your feet. What if I could throw my rock shoes in the microwave and get new-feeling shoes out?

Shape-memory materials are in use in lots of other products, too. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape-memory_polymer for an intro.

Lemme know when you need a tester.