If you are climbing regularly there is a good chance your are wearing down two or more pairs of shoes every year. Brand new climbing shoes retail from just under $100 (i.e. Five Ten Wall Master, La Sportiva Tarantulace) to well above $200 (i.e. La Sportiva Solution). Resoling costs $40-$80 depending on the shop and the extent of the repair needed.
If you want to save a bit of cash, getting shoes resoled is something worth considering. A resole keeps your shoes out of the landfill and high quality work will restore your shoes to near new condition without the break-in period.
To give you an idea of what is involved in a resole, have a look at this video: The Art of a Climbing Shoe Resole
Keep in mind that resoling is not an exact science and the perception of what makes a good resole job will differ from one climber to another. We've seen dozens of resoles, with the best ones bringing the shoes back to brand new or arguably better than original condition. We’ve also seen consistently poor resoles done by shops we would never send shoes to again.
There is a chance that the repair job will come back below your expectations. The best advice we can offer is to see as many examples of a shop’s work as possible. Ask or look around your local gyms and crags to see if there is anyone climbing on resoled shoes. Find out where the work was done and base your expectations of what you've seen. If not, you’ll have to rely on reviews you can find online, and base your decision on that.
The quality of resoles depends on a number of things. Here are a couple of factors to consider:
1) The physical state of your shoes when you send them in. Less damaged means less work involved and the higher likelihood of your shoes being restored to near new condition.
2) The skill of the cobbler and the equipment available to them. Shoe manufacturers will send their lasts (basically the solid form that a shoe is built on) to authorized cobblers or some shops will make their own. The right last will help preserve the original shape of your shoe during the resole process. However, some resolers will opt to not use a last in order to maintain the “broken in” shape of the shoe they are working with.
To get the best results possible, stop climbing on your worn down shoes sooner rather than later. Damaged rands (the thin rubber that wraps around the shoe) results in a more extensive and expensive repair. More importantly, rand repair can alter the shape/profile of the shoe depending on the cobbler’s skill.
Don't be afraid to ask the shop if there are options on what rubber to resole with (i.e. 5mm rubber, Vibram XS Grip, etc.) and find out if the shop has the appropriate form for your shoes. If your shoes have broken straps or pull tabs, ask if the shop can fix it for you. Many of the shops are able to do this type of repair for a small charge.
Canadian resolers
**If you can confirm other resolers in Canada, please let me know and I will add to the list**
West Coast Resoles (Duncan, BC)
Marcello Shoe & Repair (Squamish, BC)
Marco's Shoe Repair (Squamish, BC)
Goldstar Shoe Rebuilders (Vancouver, BC)
Quick Cobbler (Vancouver, BC)
Kumpfy Shoes (Canmore, AB)
Andes Resoling (Toronto, ON)
Ontario Resoles (Brampton, ON)
Cordonnerie Chez Gerry (Gatineau, QC)
Marc Dostie (514) 257-7628 (Montreal, QC)
Carinthia Shoe Repair (Montreal, QC)
M.Varappe (Montreal, QC)
Ressemelage de chaussons d'escalade LP (Quebec, QC)
Cruel Shoes (Saint John, NB)
No edge shoes resoling. I am not aware of any Canadian resolers than can restore La Sportiva no edge shoes back to factory conditions. There are several shops in the United States that have the equipment to do the job. If you have Andrea Boldrini no edge shoes, you may have to send those to a resoler in the EU.
Update: Ontario Resoles now resoles no edge shoes and recently became a La Sportiva authorized resoler!
International resolers
There is no shortage of shops with excellent reputations in the United States and in Europe. However, the additional cost of shipping and optional insurance can make this an expensive option unless you can send several pairs. You could always pool shoes together with friends and split the cost of shipping to make it more affordable. To give you a reference point, the last time we sent 10 pairs of shoes to the US, the total shipping and return cost (with insurance) came out to around $120 CND.
An up-to-date list of American resolers can be found here:
UPDATE:
We sent seven pairs for resoling to a highly reputed shop in the US. To save on shipping costs we shipped and received from US towns near the border. Resoles were anywhere from $34-$52 USD per pair depending on the extent of the repair. Five of the seven pairs came back restored to brand new condition. Overall we were happy with the results, but shipping to the US for resoles only becomes economical if sending multiple shoes -- the more the better. If you only need a pair or two repaired, then local options offer better value.
