I am an intermediate climber, and these are my first pair of shoes! I normally wear a women's size 9 or 9.5 (European 40), but I ordered a 40.5. These run a bit small, and I know that a lot of climbers size down...so be careful with what size you order. I am intermediate, so I wanted a pair of relatively comfortable climbing shoes that I would not have to take off between climbs. Tthe 40.5 that I ordered is really a size 8 2/3 (which is what the box also says). This style of shoe is definitely going to stretch some, as it is all suede, so keep that in mine when you order. The grips on these Scarpa climbing shoes are awesome!

I would highly recommend these shoes :)