Gear

Twin 9mm ropes, 50m long, are mostly used to prevent rope drag and for extra safety. A single rope would be fine on the straight routes. There are only a few routes that require 60m ropes and these are obvious in the guide.

A big rack is required. The following gear is more than enough for those that follow the maxim;"If in doubt, stick a bit of gear in." It can be pared down depending on the route. For example, leave the hexes behind for Hell's Kitchen, just bring nuts and friends.

One full set of cams, down to the small sizes. Friends sizes 5 or 6 friend (or equivalent camalot) are useful for certain routes. Where this is the case it'll be in the Route News.
Two sets of nuts up to size 9, say one size 10.
12 quick draws.
No 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 Rockcentrics.
One 60cm and one 120cm sling.
A few screw gates.
Prusik loop for abseiling / self-rescues.
For routes that look "a bit thin," bring a set of Micro Nuts or Peanuts and RP's or Swedges.

As for shoes, the key thing is to make sure they are comfy, like a well worn pair of bedroom slippers. If they're not and you're jamming them into cracks, the pain becomes unbearable. Consider going a size up and forget the velcros unless you're on the hard stuff.