Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of different climbing shoes (climbing shoes versus mountaineering boots) on heart rate as measure of physical performance. Five female recreational climbers (36.1 ± 14.1 years/180.9 ± 6.2 cm/72.6 ± 8.5 kg) and five male recreational climbers (34.4 ± 4.9 years/179 ± 3.2 cm/78.8 ± 10.8 kg) with regular climbing activity absolved twice a route 5b+ with climbing shoes respectively mountaineering boots. A significant increase of average heart rate from 94.3 ± 16.7 to 136.1 ± 38.3 beats per minute was detected when using climbing shoes (p<0.01). With mountaineering boots a significant increase of heart rate from 101.8 ± 11.4 to 148.3 ± 39.5 beats per minute was detected (p<0.01). End values of heart rates per minute were significatly higher when climbing with mountaineering boots versus with climbing shoes. (p=0.02) interestingly, the Additional exertion was taxed with 1.75 ± 0.5 grades on French scale implying a serious additional challenge when climbing with mountaineering boots versus climbing shoes. In consequence, relevance of manner of shoes is pinpointed and especially when climbing several pitches in the nature for reasons of security a margin of around two levels French Scale is recommended.
Highlights
Sport climbing has gained increased attraction and developed from a niche sports-specially to the often found climbing halls to a recreational sport for everybody [1]
Relevance of kind of shoe type underlying it is generally accepted that shoes are often worn too tight by climbers while increasing performance but increasing injury risks [19,20,21]. This yields to the aim of the study which can be formulated in the following way: how are effects of different shoe type to tax for the cardiovascular system due to wearing mountaineering boots instead of climbing shoes? What kind of recommendation can be made especially when climbing in the free nature and in combined terrain? What recommendations can be made concerning security? As hypothesis with potential falsification it shall be postulated that no effect from manner of shoe type climbing shoes versus mountaineering boots can be detected [22]
Between the start values no significant difference between climbing shoes versus mountaineering boots can be detected (p=0.167), when comparing the average heart rate per minute in the end of climbing the routes with climbing shoes respectively mountaineering boots a significant difference can be detected. (p=0.02) BORG-values in the end of climbing a route with mountaineering boots are significantly higher with values of 12.9 ± 4.2 versus with climbing shoes with 10.2 ± 2.1 (p=0.017)
Summary
Sport climbing has gained increased attraction and developed from a niche sports-specially to the often found climbing halls to a recreational sport for everybody [1]. Deadly accidents are relatively seldom compared to hiking, mountaineering or backcountry skiing [2] This is a result of the fact that nowadays especially in climbing gardens routes are very well secured making sport climbing a safe way of exercising. Relevance of kind of shoe type underlying it is generally accepted that shoes are often worn too tight by climbers while increasing performance but increasing injury risks [19,20,21] This yields to the aim of the study which can be formulated in the following way: how are effects of different shoe type to tax for the cardiovascular system due to wearing mountaineering boots instead of climbing shoes? This yields to the aim of the study which can be formulated in the following way: how are effects of different shoe type to tax for the cardiovascular system due to wearing mountaineering boots instead of climbing shoes? What kind of recommendation can be made especially when climbing in the free nature and in combined terrain? What recommendations can be made concerning security? As hypothesis with potential falsification it shall be postulated that no effect from manner of shoe type climbing shoes versus mountaineering boots can be detected [22]
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