The present invention relates to a climbing shoe.

More specifically, the invention concerns a shoe for climbing activities, in particular for “tree climbing’’.

The tree climbing technique allows, by means of ropes and a special harness, to have access to the crown of a tree.

In particular, the tree climbing technique is practiced and/or used both in arboriculture, to carry out operations of pruning, consolidation and anchoring of tall and medium sized trees, and as a sporting activity, allowing to reach every point of the tree, wherever it is.

Normally, the technical equipment that is used in this discipline must ensure a high degree of safety, meeting very strict requirements consistent with current regulations. First of all, to practice this type of activity, a harness is required, the ropes and the carabiner, i.e. the element that connects the harness and the rope, are equally essential, whose shape is chosen in relation to the type of climbing and/or route that will be carried out.

Additionally, mechanical ascenders and descenders are used, respectively for the rope ascent and descent, as well as ring slings to avoid to damage the tree bark, specific and technical clothing and the helmet, the latter must be rigorously homologated. Finally, shoes are of fundamental importance, they must be designed to meet specific needs such as, by way of example only, the capability to prevent unwanted movements of the foot, an optimization of the distribution of loads thereon and also the ankle protection.

Normally, tree climbing shoes have metal hooks, for example, for holding shoelaces and, in addition, secondary foot ascenders that could cause any entanglements with the additional equipment used.

In particular, foot ascenders are accessories that are attached to the shoe by means of straps, for example, to facilitate the ascent of the rope during the various tree climbing phases, even with the aid of other mechanical ascenders. Such foot ascenders are of universal type and therefore are not made ad hoc for the shoe on which they will be arranged; furthermore, being accessories, they do not always guarantee a comfort and performance level, the level of safety necessary for this type of activity.

On the basis of the above, nowadays, there isn’t a tree climbing shoe, designed in such a way as to meet all the requirements listed above at the same time.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks and, in particular, to make a climbing shoe which is extremely effective and reliable.

Another aim of the present invention is to make a climbing shoe adapted to ensure, at the same time, the locking and protection of the foot during the different phases of the tree climbing.

Last but not least aim of the present invention is to make a climbing shoe which allows a high user-friendliness in relation to the technical advantages achieved.

These and other aims are achieved by making a climbing shoe, according to the attached claim 1 ; other detailed technical characteristics of the shoe, according to the present invention, are mentioned in the dependent claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the climbing shoe, which is the object of the present invention, will become more evident from the following description, relating to an exemplary and preferred, but not limiting, embodiment of the shoe in question and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1A shows a side view of the climbing shoe, object of the present invention;

- Figure 1 B shows an enlarged detail view of the shoe shown in Figure 1A, according to the present invention;

- Figure 2A shows a further side view of the climbing shoe of Figure 1 A without the outer sole;

- Figure 2B shows a perspective and bottom view of the shoe shown in Figure 2A, according to the present invention; - Figures 2C and 2D show, respectively, a side view and a front view of the shoe of Figure 2A;

- Figures 3A and 3B show two side views of the climbing shoe, according to the present invention, respectively with the sole and without the sole.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, by 10 it is generically indicated a shoe, in particular a boot adapted for tree climbing.

Only by way of example, as shown in figure 2D, the aforementioned shoe 10 comprises an upper 101 having two front flaps 16 and 161 which are joined by means of a per se known lacing device which uses a shoelace 17 passing through.

In the embodiment in question, the shoelace 17 passes inside the shaped guiding elements 18, in particular the eyelets, fixed to the sides of the flaps 16 of the upper 101 to be joined.

In particular, according to preferred embodiments, the shoelace 17 passes inside the guiding elements 18 placed alternatively on the first flap 16 and on the second flap 161 of the upper 101 and, therefore, is crossed centrally with respect to the two flaps 16 and 161 of the upper 101 to be joined. Furthermore, advantageously, the shoelace 17 and the shaped guiding elements 18 are made of low friction materials, so that the smoothness of the entire system is favoured and any entanglements with the additional equipment used are avoided.

Advantageously, in further embodiments, the shoe 10 can be wearable without the aid of shoelaces such as, for example, in the case of slip-on shoes or, it can in any case have a structure that is adaptable to the user’s needs.

Furthermore, the shoe 10, object of the present invention, comprises a hooking band 12 developing in cross section to the longitudinal axis of the shoe 10 itself, which is substantially placed in correspondence with the upper 101 , preferably in correspondence with the neck of the shoe 10, so as to follow its shape.

Advantageously, the aforementioned band 12 is adapted to act as a locking element for hooking the shoe 10 during climbing; furthermore, the aforementioned band 12 can be used for hooking a carabiner and/or other necessary equipment.

Advantageously, in the embodiment under consideration, the band

12 is designed specifically for the shoe 10 in question, in order to be made and arranged thereon, increasing the safety level of the shoe and its hooking during climbing.

In particular, as previously described in the known art, in the tree climbing field it is necessary that the shoes used include locking elements: accessories that serve to facilitate and speed up, in particular, the rope ascent phase by the user.

As can be seen in particular in Figures 2B and 2C, the band 12 has a substantially polygonal shape and comprises two lateral ends opposite to each other.

In detail, in correspondence with each of the aforesaid two lateral ends there is, respectively, in a contiguous position, a flared hooking portion 121.

Advantageously, each first hooking portion ends with a tongue 122, contiguous to the hooking portion 121 and, in preferred embodiments, having a substantially quadrangular shape, adapted to be inserted between a midsole 13, i.e. the part of the shoe 10 which is fixed to the upper 101 , and an outer sole 131 , parallel to and underneath said midsole, such as to come into contact with the ground.

Advantageously, each tongue 122 is irremovably fixed at the midsole

13 of the shoe 10 and before the outer sole 131 is mounted, so that the midsole 13 and the sole 131 are included. Advantageously, this kind of configuration allows to have a shoe 10 which is more stable and safe, comprising locking systems, in particular the band 12, made specifically for the shoe in question and irremovably fixed thereto.

The band 12 in question, in preferred embodiments, is made of static materials with a high tensile strength.

Furthermore, as can be seen in Figures 1A, 1 B and 3A, to increase the safety of the shoe 10 object of the present invention, the same comprises a substantially circular and anatomically shaped protective shield 11 , placed to protect the user’s malleolus in such a way to act as a shield thereof when climbing.

Finally, to facilitate the insertion of the shoe 10 and to make it even more solid and ergonomic as well as to prevent foreign bodies from entering, such as for example shavings due to the various cutting phases, advantageously the shoe 10 comprises a sock inside 14.

It has thus been found that the solution object of the present invention allows to achieve the intended purposes and, in particular, allows to obtain greater comfort and safety for the user during tree climbing operations, in particular, during the locking phases required for ascending and descending along the climbing rope.

From the description made, the characteristics of the shoe lacing device, which is the object of the presente invention, are therefore clear as well as the advantages. Finally, it is clear that numerous variations can be made to the lacing device in question, without thereby departing from the novelty principles inherent in the inventive idea which is the object of the attached claims, just as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, the materials, the shapes and the dimensions of the illustrated details may be any according to the requirements and the same may be replaced by other technically equivalent ones.