“Your shoes probably aren’t done yet — they’re just having a bad day at the toe.”
Stood at the bottom of a route, looked down, and noticed your rubber’s worn through to a thin, slick sheen? Every climber knows this moment. And it always comes with the same question: bin them, or get them resoled?
We’re firmly in the resole camp. Here’s why.
The Upper’s Still Got Life In It
The upper of a climbing shoe is the part that’s been quietly moulding itself to your foot, softening at the heel, stretching exactly where it needs to, slowly becoming your shoe. That work usually isn’t finished just because the sole is. Resoling replaces the one part that’s actually died-the rubber. And leaves everything else, including that hard-won fit, exactly as it was.
Basically, a resole gets you back on the wall in a shoe that climbs like new, with none of the awkward re-break-in a fresh pair demands.
Kinder On Your Wallet
A resole is a cheaper option than buying a new pair, and most shoes can go through the process multiple times before they’re truly finished. Climb regularly? Build resoling into your kit maintenance, and it’s simply the smarter economics.
It also keeps a whole quiver in rotation. Steep sport routes, delicate slabs, indoor laps, long trad days-most of us end up owning a pair for each. Resoling keeps your favourites alive for longer, so you can build out that range without constantly buying new. Your gear, and your wallet, go further.
Kinder On The Planet
Every resoled pair prolongs a pair ultimately finding its way to landfill. Climbing shoes are fiddly little objects, rubber, foam, leather or synthetic uppers, rands, all bonded together, which makes them genuinely hard to recycle once they’re binned. Although it's not reducing the sport's footprint, it's one of the simplest, most effective ways to slow that process down, without changing a single thing about how or where you climb.
Meet Our Resoling Partners
We’ve teamed up with Rockworx Resoles, based in the heart of the Lake District, to offer a trusted, high-quality resoling service. Rockworx resole and repair using premium rubbers from top brands such as Scarpa and Evolv, with custom toe patches and midsole work where needed - whatever state your shoes are in, there’s a fix to match. They’ll also customise your shoes within reason, a standout part of their service that’s hard to find elsewhere. So if you’ve got something specific in mind, it’s worth asking. Drop yours off at our showroom (find us here), or read more on the Rockworx website.
Got La Sportivas? Those go to the official La Sportiva UK Repair Centre, who use genuine components to factory spec — keeping your shoes as close to their original performance as possible.
So next time you’re eyeing up a worn-through pair and wondering if it’s time to say goodbye, bring them in first. There’s a good chance they’ve got plenty of climbing left in them.
