Next week Eleonora van der Putten hopes to reach the semi-finals of the world climbing championships. Thanks to her graduation project, she won’t be suffering foot pain, unlike many of her competitors.
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Industrial designer Eleonora van der Putten sees crooked toes every day. But it’s climbing shoes, not high-heeled pumps, that are the culprits. To get sufficient grip, many climbers wear shoes that are too small, thus constricting and damaging their toes.
Van der Putten: ”Foot abnormalities and pain among top climbers are practically routine. But I couldn’t stand the pain and thought, ‘change must be possible’.” After attending a lecture by biomechanics professor, Chris Snijders, she decided to use her graduation project to make that change. This month, the design of her ‘painless’ climbing shoe will published in Applied Ergonomics, an industry journal.
Van der Putten knows that the ideal climbing shoe is no shoe, as one gets the best feel and grip with bare feet. But try climbing a rock or climbing wall without hurting your bare feet. The best alternative is a kind of second skin, or narrow-fitting shoe, because every extra millimetre of space between foot and shoe increases the risk of slipping. Van der Putten delved deeply into biomechanics to come up with a prototype. Although satisfied, she’s not yet using her shoes herself, as they are still one of a kind. In the meantime, two manufacturers have put a passable ‘imitation’ on the market.
Banana
Remarkable is the shoe’s banana shape. Van der Putten: ”The foot bed is exactly shaped like wet footprints. The toes are bent downwards, not outstretched. Thus you can stand on your big toe best, optimally using this biggest force in your foot.” Another improvement is the imitation leather elastic wrap fastener that runs underneath the sole. The fastener firmly enfolds the shoe around mid-foot, without cutting off circulation. This means that people with small feet no longer need to buy their shoes a size too small.
The thinner sole beneath the toes is another slight but vital design adjustment. The designer: ”When you’re hanging underneath a roof (an overhanging rock), you seek support by bending your toes around an edge. The thinner sole enables you to stretch your toes, together with the sole, in order to bend them.”
Making her prototype at Italian shoe manufacturer La Sportiva, the grinding of the thin sole was said to be too labour-intensive and the wrap fastener too expensive to produce the shoe commercially. But, three years after her first prototype,
La Sportiva’s main competitor, Spain’s Boreal, where Van der Putten is a consultant, is willing to try again: ”They want to mould my thin sole, that way avoiding expensive grinding.” According to Professor Snijders, Van der Putten being a top climber has certainly helped with making industry contacts.
Van der Putten aims to become Dutch climbing champion. Currently, she%s ranked third nationally. She%s also ambitious concerning her shoe. She wants her improvements to be made in every shoe, not just in the highest quality shoes. ”Sport shop salesman usually advise people to start with straight, stiff shoes. But this means you won%t exercise the right muscles and you risk getting foot problems. To me, using good shoes from the start seems far more sensible.”
Next week Eleonora van der Putten hopes to reach the semi-finals of the world climbing championships. Thanks to her graduation project, she won’t be suffering foot pain, unlike many of her competitors.
Industrial designer Eleonora van der Putten sees crooked toes every day. But it’s climbing shoes, not high-heeled pumps, that are the culprits. To get sufficient grip, many climbers wear shoes that are too small, thus constricting and damaging their toes.
Van der Putten: ”Foot abnormalities and pain among top climbers are practically routine. But I couldn’t stand the pain and thought, ‘change must be possible’.” After attending a lecture by biomechanics professor, Chris Snijders, she decided to use her graduation project to make that change. This month, the design of her ‘painless’ climbing shoe will published in Applied Ergonomics, an industry journal.
Van der Putten knows that the ideal climbing shoe is no shoe, as one gets the best feel and grip with bare feet. But try climbing a rock or climbing wall without hurting your bare feet. The best alternative is a kind of second skin, or narrow-fitting shoe, because every extra millimetre of space between foot and shoe increases the risk of slipping. Van der Putten delved deeply into biomechanics to come up with a prototype. Although satisfied, she’s not yet using her shoes herself, as they are still one of a kind. In the meantime, two manufacturers have put a passable ‘imitation’ on the market.
Banana
Remarkable is the shoe’s banana shape. Van der Putten: ”The foot bed is exactly shaped like wet footprints. The toes are bent downwards, not outstretched. Thus you can stand on your big toe best, optimally using this biggest force in your foot.” Another improvement is the imitation leather elastic wrap fastener that runs underneath the sole. The fastener firmly enfolds the shoe around mid-foot, without cutting off circulation. This means that people with small feet no longer need to buy their shoes a size too small.
The thinner sole beneath the toes is another slight but vital design adjustment. The designer: ”When you’re hanging underneath a roof (an overhanging rock), you seek support by bending your toes around an edge. The thinner sole enables you to stretch your toes, together with the sole, in order to bend them.”
Making her prototype at Italian shoe manufacturer La Sportiva, the grinding of the thin sole was said to be too labour-intensive and the wrap fastener too expensive to produce the shoe commercially. But, three years after her first prototype,
La Sportiva’s main competitor, Spain’s Boreal, where Van der Putten is a consultant, is willing to try again: ”They want to mould my thin sole, that way avoiding expensive grinding.” According to Professor Snijders, Van der Putten being a top climber has certainly helped with making industry contacts.
Van der Putten aims to become Dutch climbing champion. Currently, she%s ranked third nationally. She%s also ambitious concerning her shoe. She wants her improvements to be made in every shoe, not just in the highest quality shoes. ”Sport shop salesman usually advise people to start with straight, stiff shoes. But this means you won%t exercise the right muscles and you risk getting foot problems. To me, using good shoes from the start seems far more sensible.”
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