Many curlers prefer footwear with a firm rubber bottom. These are the kinds of shoes that will keep your feet from sliding on the ice as you walk.

The question has no clear-cut solution. Some curlers advocate for low-cut shoes, while others insist that curlers need shoes with extra support and grip. The curler should wear whatever footwear makes them feel most secure and confident on their feet.

Throughout the years, I've been asked this by numerous individuals. Since curlers frequently ask this, I'll do my best to answer it. You should not place too much emphasis on curlers' footwear. The only thing that matters is that you get the right shoe for your curling style. Many variations on footwear can be found. The soles of the shoes the curlers wear can be flat or they can be made of leather.

What Do Curling Shoes Have On Their Soles?

The components of a curling shoe can be broken down into a few basic parts. Curling shoes have two types of soles: a gripper and a slider. Like a car's winter tire, the gripper is made of soft rubber that provides traction on ice.

A slider can be made from many materials, but Teflon (also known as PTFE) is by far the most common. Polytetrafluoroethylene, more commonly known as Teflon, is the generic name. Stainless steel is another material you might come across frequently. In other words, we use these materials because they slide very easily due to their low coefficient of friction.

Can You Recommend A Good Slider For Me?

When looking for a new pair of curling shoes, this is probably the most crucial question to ask. As a general rule, a faster slider is preferable for gameplay. If your slider is too slow, you may try to compensate in ways that actually reduce your precision. Whether it's by dropping your shoulder to give the rock an extra push or by shoving yourself out of the hack as hard as you can, there are many ways to accomplish this. However you try to counteract a gradual slide, you'll only make accuracy more of a challenge for yourself.

And just what is it that makes a slider so swift?

In order to curl a rock, curling ice must be pebbled with tiny droplets of water. However, since PTFE is so pliable, a thin PTFE slider will bounce up and down on the pebbles, increasing the amount of friction and, in turn, slowing down the sliding process. Our thicker sliders have always been the solution to this problem. You can expect a greater sliding speed from a thicker PTFE slider.

On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the fastest, we would rate the PTFE thickness as:

• 3/32″ = speed 5
• 5/32″ = speed 7
• 1/4″ = speed 10

We have adopted this numbered scale because Goldline Curling has introduced alternative ways to make sliders faster. The PTFE used in the speed 10 discs for Quantum shoes, for instance, is significantly thinner than 1/4 inch, but the discs themselves are designed in such a way that they still slide quickly. Using a numerical rating for sliding speed facilitates direct comparison of sliders of varying compositions.

Stainless steel is the other typical instance. To date, the quickest slider on the market has been made of stainless steel and has been rated a 12.

Curling Shoes Or Custom Shoes?

In recent years, we've seen a rise in the number of people getting their own curling shoes made to order rather than purchasing a prefabricated pair. We at Goldline understand the allure, and we even have a workshop in our main office that is solely devoted to the creation of one-of-a-kind curling footwear.

There are some benefits and drawbacks to consider before sending in your favorite runners for conversion.

Insulation

Do you know that all Goldline curling shoes include insulation? Curling takes place on ice, and since most people dislike having their feet constantly numb from the cold, this is a problem. In order to combat this, we have decided to insulate all of our footwear. The bright lights and enthusiastic crowd at televised curling events likely make this less of a concern for the elite players. However, the average curling club can get quite chilly, so if your feet get cold easily, you may want to stick with curling shoes rather than getting something custom made.

Toe box

Curlers' unanimous denial of rock-kicking is one of the sport's more surprising aspects. But if you go out to a club, you'll notice that practically everyone there is engaging in this behavior. It's a normal part of the sport of curling, so there's no reason to pretend it doesn't happen or feel ashamed. Toes are tough, but a 19-kilogram curling rock is tougher. All Goldline curling shoes feature a protective hard toe box to keep your toes safe while kicking rocks. Take care when it comes time to gather rocks at the end if you opted for a custom shoe.

Lateral stability

We've established that standing still improves your shot's accuracy. If you're stumbling out of the hack, you won't be able to throw a rock with any kind of precision. You don't want your curling shoe to twist in the middle, but it should be flexible enough to let you walk easily and perform the Manitoba Tuck. This is referred to as lateral stability.

This is crucial for both shot accuracy and security reasons. You could hurt yourself delivering if your shoe lacks sufficient lateral stability.

Because of this, modifying pairs of weightlifting shoes like the Nike Metcon has become increasingly fashionable.

 FAQs

Where Can I Find the Finest Curling Shoes?

There is no single correct response to this inquiry. The type of curl you are performing will determine the answer. The footwear you choose to wear should be one that you can walk in with ease. If your foot is particularly flat, you should look for footwear with a flat sole. A shoe with a higher profile will serve you better if you have a high arch.

Which Curling Shoes Should I Buy?

Choosing the right shoe is essential. It is not a good idea to put your feet in overly pliable footwear. Pick shoes that will keep your feet secure and offer superior grip.

I was wondering if curlers wore a second pair of shoes?

It's not the norm for curlers to wear a second pair of shoes. Curlers typically don specialized footwear, like rubber boots or skates, designed for the sport.