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Most gear roundups cover new releases. When a company designs a new suite of shoes, they send pairs to us and our testers, and we climb in them, compare notes, write a review, and then, later, do a roundup of the latest and greatest releases of the year. The problem with this model, however, is that it focuses only on what’s new rather than celebrating the gear that holds up to the test of time. So we thought we’d compile a list of our favorite sport climbing shoes—the shoes that our editors and testers choose to climb in when we’re not testing new shoes.
Building the first version of this list was simple: we simply asked ourselves which shoes we wanted included, then pulled from the reviews we’ve written over the years. Updating it this year was also simple: we just looked at what we’re wearing and what we’d put aside.
Here are our top 10 sport shoes. All of these shoes are excellent, and all of them have slightly different functions, so we’ve opted not to impose any rigid ranking. We’ll be updating this list as we fall in love with more shoes.
—Steven Potter & Anthony Walsh
- Also read: The best new shoes of the year
I. What to look for in sport climbing shoes
“Sport climbing” is a big tent term, one that can describe everything from Flatanger Cave’s gymnastic granite to Céüse’s crimpy vertical limestone—and everything in between. So when asking what shoes are best for “sport climbing,” you’ve really got to ask yourself several questions: (1) What sort of rock am I going to be climbing on? (2) What types of shoes typically feel best for me? (3) What style of shoe will best compliment both my style of climbing and the specific rock I’ll mostly be climbing on?
Those are questions we can’t answer for you: Most climbers go through significant rounds of trial and error before they figure out what shoes work best for them and when. But here are some things we can advise you to consider when buying sport shoes:
Versatility
Because sport climbs tend to be long, they also tend to require multiple techniques per pitch. A vertical, edge-intensive bottom might be followed by a roof full of pockets. A powerful bulge requiring heel-hooks and toe hooks might be followed by technical smear-fest. So when thinking about buying sport shoes, you should keep this versatility requirement in mind—and also consider building a quiver.
Building a quiver
A common tip for new climbing shoe buyers is this: The better a shoe is at one thing, the worse it is at something else. Case and point: one of my favorite shoes of all time is the La Sportiva Testarossa, a hyper-downturned, highly-asymmetrical lace-up, excellent for steep caves and slightly overhanging edge fests. Yet the same qualities I cherish about the shoe also make it the single worst toe hooking shoe I’ve ever used. Period. I’d rather toe hook in a board-lasted trad-dad shoe like the TC Pro (no diss here: TCs are awesome; I wear mine a lot).
This is why most experienced climbers gradually accrue a “quiver” of shoes, accumulating some combination of shoes that, together, can tackle most of the types of climbing that you do. I for instance tend to have a semi-comfortable shoe that I wear on warmups and when doing moderate mileage. I have an edging shoe (previously the Miura; lately the Quantix SF). And I have a softer, more aggressive shoe for steeper and more bouldery routes (previously the Testarossa or Instinct, lately the Mago and Vegan Skwama).
“All-arounders” usually aren’t
It’s important to remember that what the industry calls “all-arounders” are generally either (a) made for beginners, and therefor prioritize comfort over function, or (b) much better at one thing (like, say, vertical edging) than they are at other things (like heel hooking or toeing in on steep walls). For instance I’ve heard both Scarpa’s Quantix SF and La Sportiva’s Vegan Skwama, both of which made our list, referred to all “all-arounders”; but I personally use them in very different circumstances. The stiffer Quantix are brilliant on edgy vertical terrain where I expect to be extending far off of my tiptoes; the softer Vegan Skwama is more amenable to steeper terrain, cave routes, boulder problems, and anything requiring intensive smears or toehooks (a great bane of the Quantix). Between the two shoes, I have a pretty good quiver.
Section dividerII. Ten things you need to know about climbing shoes
1. Comfort is not king
Fitting your climbing shoes for comfort is like buying a car because you like the driver’s seat. I’m not saying that climbing shoes should be uncomfortable, per se, but I do believe that buying for comfort first isn’t wise. A few exceptions exist, however, where comfort should be top priority: for kids, because their feet are still developing and they just need to have fun; or for absolute newbies who don’t need the distraction of less-than-comfortable shoes. If either of these situations sounds familiar, get the comfiest pair of kicks imaginable, let ’er rip, and stop reading. For the rest, keep on.
Having trouble finding a performance shoe that’s even tolerable? Check out “Eight Tips for Fitting Rock Shoes to Your Problematic Feet.”
2. Performance matters
If you’re sport climbing (which, if you’re reading this article, I’ll assume you are) you’ve got to think about what kind of performance you’re looking for. Do you want a rigidly aggressive shoe that’ll do well on the edgy routes in the Flatirons above Boulder while also allowing you to toe in on steeper routes in Clear Creek? Consider the Katana Lace or the Quantix SF. Are you looking for something softer that will perform equally well on Rifle’s blocky smears and steep caves? Maybe go with the Mago or the Instinct VSR.
3. Have two pairs of shoes (at least)
Most of our editors bring three pairs of shoes to the crag, and so does almost everyone who takes climbing seriously. (Two is the bare minimum.) As noted above, there’s no such thing as an all-arounder, really. Certain shoes might be all you need at any certain cliff— but thinking one shoe can do it all on every sort of rock is like trying to shoot your best round of golf with only a five iron. Also, shoes are expensive. You shouldn’t be warming up or doing end-of-day mileage in your sparkling new $200 send shoes.
4. Foot shapes are different
Some climbers say they only fit in La Sportiva shoes. Others only use Scarpa.
When buying a pair of climbing shoes, try out loads of brands—in all different sizes. This probably means supporting your local gear store or gym, which generally have wider ranges of size and selection than their big box rivals. (It’s nearly impossible for me, a men’s size 9, to size down to my preferred Solution size, a Euro 38, in places like REI: they simply don’t stock shoes small enough). Whatever shoe you end up getting, there should be no extra space in the toe box, heel cup, or arch. You should also remember that most climbing shoes are going to stretch out—a lot. Many devoted climbers size their shoes almost intolerably tight at first and then break them in by wearing them around the house (or during Zoom meetings with our bosses), knowing that, with time, the shoes will be perfect.
5. Flat Shoes
The bottom of these shoes look flat and they’re generally sized so that your toes aren’t so severely crumpled as they are in downturned shoes. In general, flat shoes are excellent for slabs and vertical walls. Flat shoes can be soft or stiff. The stiffer they are, the better they’ll be on harder vertical or slab routes, such as when you need to stand on quarter-inch edges. Softer flatter shoes are good for crack climbing, since they torque well into cracks. They’re also popular with beginners who don’t need high performance, and kids, whose bones shouldn’t be crammed into tiny aggressive shoes. Generally speaking, flat shoes are not ideal for anything steep—but they can be the perfect shoes for less steep climbs.
6. Downturned shoes
Downturned shoes are designed for overhanging climbs. A downturned shoe arcs like a bird beak and is often (though not always) quite soft, which gives the climber more sensitivity in the toes. Unless you exclusively climb on slabby or vertical terrain, you want a pair of downturned shoes in your arsenal.
Slightly & moderately downturned: A mildly downturned shoe is the closest thing to an all-arounder that you’ll ever see in the shoe world. A great example is La Sportiva’s classic Miura Velcro, which will get you up techy slabs and performs well on vertical terrain, yet can still toe into pockets and crimps on steeper walls. Similarly, far softer shoes like Tenaya’s Mastia combine softness and sensitivity with a mild downturn to excel on smears and volume climbs while not sacrificing high performance on steeper walls.
Extremely downturned: A rule of thumb: the more downturned a shoe, the more it is meant for overhanging climbing, the reason being it lets you grab and pull in with your toes (for a caveat, see “Asymmetrical shoes”). There’s nothing sadder than seeing someone on a steep route with a flat shoe. For steep bouldering or steep sport routes—anything with an angle over 35 degrees— extremely downturned shoes can be a serious asset.
Fitting for downturned shoes: These range from “Not so bad” to “Uuugh” to “OMG, take it off, take it off!” Again, they’ll stretch a bit, about a half size. And if you’re bouldering, you only need to wear them for one to five minutes at a time. Remember, if you size these shoes too big, it’s like hobbling a horse’s leg before the race. Very snug to painfully tight is the rule. During fitting, your toes should be crunched and angled downward; this allows you to pull on steeper terrain. The asymmetry in these aggressive shoes further allows your big toe to engage.
7. Stiff vs. soft shoes
The term “stiffness” refers not to the shape of the shoe but the feel. Stiff shoes tend to have rigid midsoles: this mid-bed stiffness supports your foot, so you don’t have to have strong feet to get the best performance out of them. Stiffness helps you stand on smaller holds with more efficiency and makes it easier to generate power through your toes. Stiff shoes can be flat or downturned, and there’s a lot of variation. La Sportiva’s über-classic (and über-aggressive) Solution is a relatively stiff shoe, especially when compared to the sock-like shoes often worn by climbers on volume-heavy competition boulders. The downside of stiff shoes? It’s often harder to grab holds with your toes, which makes them less ideal on steeper climbs where you want to maneuver your toes to grab edges and pockets. They also tend to perform less well on smears, since the shoe is too stiff to conform itself around the features of the hold.
As you make your purchasing choices, it’s important to know that your experience of a shoe’s sensitivity is not simply a function of each shoe’s thickness and structural design: it’s also a function of your weight. A shoe that feels quite stiff for someone who weighs 110 lbs might feel quite soft for someone who weighs 210 lbs. That doesn’t mean that heavier climbers can’t and don’t wear the softest shoes—it just means that those shoes will feel really soft to them.
8. Asymmetrical shoes
The term asymmetrical here refers to the shape of the shoe, particularly its toe box. Imagine a twisted banana. The more the tip of the shoe bends away from the center line, the more asymmetrical the shoe. Flat shoes are typically more symmetrical, but never perfectly so. Most highly asymmetrical shoes are also highly downturned. The purpose of the asymmetry is to keep your toes in a crimp position, which helps with digging into holds on steep routes and, with some models, help keep you on small holds on vertical terrain with greater precision, thanks to your big toe doing a lot of the work.
9. Closure Systems
Newer climbers are often surprised to learn that closure systems—generally divided into three categories: laces, Velcro, and slippers—are more than just a preferred way of fastening a climbing shoe to the foot; they actually change the nature of that shoe’s performance.
Lace-up shoes. Lace-ups are less common and popular than they once were, but those of us who love them love them. Here’s why: a lace-up allows the wearer to customize the way the shoe flexes or doesn’t. It basically allows you to alter the fit of the shoe depending on the type of climb—minimizing the need to take multiple shoes to the crag. When tightening the laces down hard, the shoe gets stiffer. By tightening just the top laces, the shoe snugs up in the back, near the heel, but leaves the toes freer to flex in the front of the shoe—a combination especially desirable on steep cave problems where you might be heel hooking but also want to be able to curl your toes over an edge. Conversely, by leaving the whole shoe barely laced at all, you accomplish a slipper-like feeling. In this sense, a lace-up shoe is the most versatile of the three options. But it also has its drawbacks: lace-ups tend to perform far less adeptly on toehooks, since the laces exist in place of the sticky rubber. They also tend to be slightly bulkier than their Velcro and slip-on counterparts, since laces and grommets and tongues take space and weight. And they take a lot longer to put on and take off, which isn’t ideal for bouldering, since if you’re resting enough you’re probably putting your shoes on and taking them off 10 times or more per hour.
Slippers. Pure slippers used to be all the rage. In the 90s and early 2000s, the Five Ten Moccasym and V10 were the aggressive shoes of choice by everyone from Fred Nicole to Chris Sharma to Paul Robinson. But in recent decades slippers have become less popular, with even the softest shoes generally having at least one Velcro closure system. Why? Because the big drawback with pure slippers is the obvious one: heel hook too aggressively and it’s pretty easy to pull your shoe off.
That said, the sensitive, sock-like feel that slippers originally brought to the market has only grown more popular as bouldering and gym climbing increase their market share. Shoes like Scarpa’s Furia S, La Sportiva’s Futura, Butora’s Acro, Ocun’s Nitro, and many others, all traffic in the same highly sensitive, foot-conforming feel. Performing like slippers, these shoes are designed to smear on gym volumes or toe hard into pockets or crimps on steep roofs—but they often do less well on slabbier and vertical terrain, where supported edging is the name of the game.
Velcro. Most of the shoes listed below have some sort of Velcro closure system. But there’s a pretty big difference between a slipper with a single high Velcro strap like the Solution Comp and a shoe like the Quantix SF, which has two straps across the bridge of the foot. The benefit of a robust Velcro system is simple: it’s more supportive and customizable. As with a lace-up, a multiple Velcro system allows the wearer to decide how much and where to crank down the tightness. The drawback? These straps tend to get in the way when you’re toehooking—which is why a more slipper-like shoe is often preferable when intense toehooks are required.
10. Shoes are expensive; treat them like it
Climbing shoes are not cheap, but there are things you can do to minimize the wear and tear and prolong their lives.
Keep them clean. Never walk around at the base of the crag in your shoes. And if they do get muddy or sandy, be sure to clean them off before climbing–something that protects both your shoes and the rock from the sandpapery influence of dirt.
Don’t use your project shoes for your warmups or gym sessions. Most climbers don’t train or warm up in their best shoes. If you go through the time to buy and break in a pair of expensive (and agonizing) shoes, why continue to break them down on climbs far below your limit?
Resole your shoes. Read: “Resole Your Expensive Rock Shoes Before It’s too Late“
Section dividerIII. Our favorite sport climbing shoes
There are a number of great shoes out there. But these ten shoes are—at the moment—our favorite.
A note about the order: This list is arranged roughly according to sensitivity. You’ll find with the soft smearing machines at the top, the stiff edging beast at the bottom, and the “all-arounders” in the middle. This organization structure has its limitations, since shoes with similar stiffness can differ drastically from one another thanks to shape, symmetry, closure systems, and material types. But, still, the structural support offered by the shoe most defines what it’s best at.
Scarpa Veloce L
With its Veloce line (which also includes a z-strap slipper released in 2020), Scarpa has taken the comfortable-yet-performative mantra of earlier shoes like the Furia Air and ramped things up. The result sure is comfortable. The flexible microsuede upper gives the shoe’s interior a velvety feel; the softness allows the shoe to conform to your foot rather than the other way around; and the slight asymmetry gives you the performance benefits of an aggressive shoe without feeling like you’re stressing the natural anatomy of your foot. It’s designed (or so says Scarpa) for beginner and intermediate climbers who spend most or all of their time at the gym. But I loved the Veloce just as much outside as in.
Pros
- Super-sticky S72 Rubber
- Excellent smearing and grabbing capabilities
- Roomy toe box provides comfort for long sessions, increased surface area for standing on edges, and a far more natural foot position for climbers with wide feet
- Offset lace-up closure system keeps the shoe light while increasing its versatility
Cons
- Not exceptional at vertical edging
- Soft rubber seems to wear down quicker outside than other rubbers
- Laces get in the way on some toe hooks
Our thoughts
Apparently Scarpa’s new Veloce L is designed for beginner and intermediate climbers who spend all of their time at the gym—and for more advanced climbers who want something comfortable enough for a four-hour board session…
I didn’t get the memo.
Last year, after just two or three days of indoor bouldering (during which I marveled at the Veloce L’s comfort, sensitivity, and freakishly grippy S72 rubber), I brought them outside. Since then, they’ve been my go-to shoes inside and out. As marketed, they excel on grabby indoor board climbs and smeary modern comp volumes; but they also perform admirably on technical quartzite boulders, and I wore them when I clipped the chains on the two hardest sport routes I’ve sent in the last decade.
The thing I was most impressed by about the Veloce’s shape is what Scarpa calls its Relaxed Performance Fit (RPF): essentially, RPF shoes have a wider-than-typical toe box, which allows more room for the fourth and fifth toes.
The wide toe box has two chief benefits and one location-specific drawback.
- Benefit #1: It drastically enhances the comfort of the shoe, particularly for the wide-footed among us. The Veloce L saw me through numerous marathon gym sessions without pain, despite the fact that I sized way down (more on sizing in my full review). I also wore it for extended hangdog sessions and while cleaning outdoor boulders on toprope.
- Benefit #2: It increases the toe box’s surface area, which makes the Veloce L surprisingly adequate on edges given that it’s also one of the softest shoes I’ve ever worn.
- The drawback? The Veloce L’s wide toe box makes it less than ideal for toeing into narrow pockets. If you’re heading to Margalef or Wild Iris you’ll want a pointier shoe… something like the Vapor S; the next review in this roundup.
Buy on Scarpa for $175 (men’s)
Buy on Scarpa for $175 (women’s)
Scarpa Vapor S
The Scarpa Vapor S is a comfortable, performance-oriented slipper that excels equally well on systems boards, polished limestone, slabby volumes, and edging terrain. The Vapor S is built with microfiber (synthetic) uppers, a full-length 1.0mm Talyn midsole, and 3.5mm of Vibram’s XS Grip 2 rubber. A versatile and removable Velcro strap completes the ensemble.
Pros
- Flat, relaxed last provides all-day comfort
- Quick break-in period
- Edges, hooks, jams, and smears equally well
- Chiseled toe fits into pockets and thin cracks well
- Velcro closure system is easy to use and gives more heel-hooking security than a traditional strapless slipper
Cons
- Does not excel at any one type of terrain
- Shallow heel cup (for one of our testers, who likes to size down)
- Edging performance was somewhat worse for heavier testers
Our thoughts
Don’t let the low-key aesthetic fool you: the Vapor S is a powerful, muscular slipper. The key is a sticky, full-length XS Grip 2 outsole married with a surprisingly flat last and touch of asymmetry that curls your big toes inward like talons. None of these attributes alone scream high performance, but consider them alongside the shoe’s overall flexibility, glove-like fit, gummy M50 rubber over the toe box, semi-stiff heel cup, and a low-profile, rounded toe that deforms preternaturally into tiny pockets, slots, and thin cracks. The collective result is one fierce steep-rock beast. Like a total beast, the kind you can maneuver into subtle heel-toe cams that would feel clunky in any other shoe.
For a slipper, the Vapor S is also surprisingly versatile, as tester Heather Weidner can attest: “I was very impressed with the ability to toe in on small edges on more vertical terrain, as well as smear on slopey, sandy feet, but was also able to pull and grab on steep footholds.”
Read Anthony Walsh’s longform review here.
Buy on Scarpa for $199 (women’s)
Buy on Scarpa for $199 (men’s)
La Sportiva Skwama & Skwama Vegan (we like ’em both)
Pros
- Quick break-in period
- Chiseled toe is precise on small footholds and pockets
- As close to a peformance “all-arounder” as we’ve found
Cons
- Soft construction equals only moderate edging support
Our thoughts
La Sportiva’s Skwama Vegan has all the features of the OG model but with none of the animal-sourced materials: the P3 rand system adds support and longevity to the downturned shape; the split sole construction softens the midsole while channeling weight into the big toe; the patterned swath of toe rubber performs well on toehooks and jams; and the justifiably popular S-Heel is at once sensitive and comfortable when side-heeling on sharp edges. Instead of leather, the Skwama Vegan uses a “SkinLike” insole, which is as comfortable as leather and conforms to the foot like leather but (surprise!) isn’t actually leather.
Though the Skwama is softer than the Solution line (both iterations), and therefore doesn’t edge quite as masterfully, it’s still a highly versatile shoe that performs well on everything from vertical basalt sport climbs to technical limestone cave boulders to marathon gym training sessions. I sized up a half size, which meant they were comfortable on day one. This worried me, since the leather version would have stretched out and been too large once broken in, but after two months of heavy use, my Skwama Vegan’s feel just as high precision as they did out of the box. In sum: A high-performance slipper-velcro hybrid that’s excellent for just about everything—and animal friendly to boot.
Tenaya Mastia
The Mastia, by Spanish shoe company Tenaya, is a performance all-arounder that—surprise, surprise—excels on the combination of smedging, edging, smearing, and grabbing that you’ll often fine on the long, varied limestone routes so common in Spain. It’s not the best at anything, but it’s pretty darned good at most things.
Pros
- Excellent at smearing and toe-hooking thanks to friendly flex
- Light, breathable summer shoe that was precise on overhanging limestone, with reliable edging power for lighter climbers that focused more on the second toe—an interesting fit
- Sensitive heel
- Large Velcro closure patch let testers tweak fit back and forth to be either toe-or heel-focused
Cons
- Softer midsole/split-sole design had shoe deforming slightly and made standing on edges strenuous for our larger tester.
Our thoughts
In autumn 2023 I brought four pairs of shoes on a too-brief trip to Siurana, Spain, thinking I’d test a different pair on each of our four climbing days. But I did my warm-up—and then every climb thereafter—wearing the Mastia, wooed by its combination of comfort and performance. The shoe was perfect for Siurana’s highly technical limestone face climbing: supportive enough for the tip-toe smedging but soft enough for toeing into pockets or smearing on ramps. It shouldn’t be surprising, I suppose, that Tenaya—which is headquartered in Spain and is quite popular in Europe—knows how to make a versatile limestone sport shoe. But thanks to that week in Siurana, I’m convinced that we’ll see Tenaya blow up in the U.S. market in coming years—after all, Tenaya now sponsors a number of top-shelf American athletes, including Drew Rauna and Jimmy Webb.
The Mastia is higher-volume (i.e. wider) than Tenaya’s other top-shelf offerings (like the Indalo), with a rounded—almost blunted—toe that’s been sculpted for edging. While supportive enough to smedge well, it’s also a relatively soft shoe, which means that its supportiveness depends a bit on your weight. In our original 2019 review of the shoe, one of our smaller, female testers noted that the Mastia was excellent on the smooth and slightly overhanging dolomite of Wild Iris, where the shoe was fluent on micro-spikes and easily flossed into pockets. On the other hand, one of Climbing’s heavier testers said that he felt like he was rolling off edges. I weighed about 160 lbs during that Spain trip and I didn’t have any problems with the limestone edging; but I’d opt for a stiffer shoe for Squamish or Yosemite, where the dime-edges are too sheer to smedge your way around.
The Mastia also scores high marks for its sensitive heel and big toe-scumming patch, as well as for smearing—the same flex that can make edging a bit strenuous for larger climbers also means sticky, glommy smear-work. As a performance all-arounder, the Mastia strikes a solid balance between comfort and power, making it a great choice for difficult multi-pitch, bouldering, and long days of sport climbing.
La Sportiva’s Solution Comp
Pros
- A decent “do-it-all” shoe—from edging to smearing, heeling and toe-hooking, toeing in on steeps and balancing up granite faces
- Thin toe profile for maximum purchase in cracks and pockets
- Excellent toe hooking performance
Cons
- Narrow heel cup will be uncomfortable for some
- Only passable performance or sharp, edge-intensive routes
Our thoughts
The winner of our 2020 Editor’s Choice award, the Solution Comp is, as the name suggests, a retooling of the über-classic Solution. The “comp” part of the name, however, is a bit misleading, because while it does excel indoors compared to the far-stiffer Solution, the Solution Comp remains, by modern standards, a relatively supportive shoe, a bit stiffer than Skwama, far stiffer than the Futura, and almost a different species from the sock-like indoor shoes Scarpa keeps pumping out. (If you’re looking for a true indoor gem from La Sportiva: check out the newly released Ondra Comp.)
Softer and more sensitive than its relatively stiff predecessor (Beth Rodden, remember, wore Solutions when she sent Meltdown, an ultra-technical 5.14c edge-fest in Yosemite), the Solution Comp marries the toe sensitivity of today’s sock-like bouldering shoes while retaining the stiff, aggressive structure (a function of its P3 platform) for which the OG Solution is famous. The Comp has a larger toe-scumming patch and a narrower, more traditional heel—updates that pair perfectly with the OG shoe’s tried-and-true features, including the pointy, precise toe box, the downturned P3 platform for mega “bite” on steeps and micros, and the Fast Lacing System.
The Solution Comp comes in both men’s and women’s versions, which is a gendered way of saying that it comes in two thicknesses. Lighter climbers, or climbers looking for softer shoes, should go for the women’s version. Heavier climbers should consider the men’s version or level up to the original solution: it’s one of the best (and most versatile) climbing shoes EVER made.
La Sportiva Mantra
Pros
- Precise vacuum fit
- Plenty stiff for most outdoor edging
- Conforms into irregular footholds and divots like a boss
- Solid heel-hooking and toe-scumming
Cons
- Too squishy for micro-edging
- Heel cup can run baggy
- Not the most durable
Our thoughts
If you were on the fence about No Edge tech or wanted a stiffer, more precise No Edge shoe for outdoors, then check out the Mandala. It is one of the most proficient and versatile steep-rock beasts in recent memory, especially on “innie” footholds, and also holds its own on vertical terrain.
Until now, our testers considered La Sportiva’s soft No Edge shoes for gym use only. The Futura, Genius, and Mantra are fun shoes, but the unique, single-piece sole/rand that rounds up over the toebox was too squishy for most outdoor applications. Though the Mandala has the same 1.1 millimeter midsole as the other No Edge shoes save the Mantra, it somehow felt heftier—there was more weight, support, and precision in the toe, which also comes to a more marked front point than its siblings.
This extra structure and bite translated to fluency on both plastic and rock, with the Mandala going gangbusters on steep smearing, grabbing, edging, and especially concave/divot footholds (see: that front point) where you need to deform the rubber.
Matt Samet used them religiously on a 30-degree overhanging local granite project, The Crenulator, that required just about every foot technique, with an emphasis on steep, powerful smears and precision divot stabs. Other testers also found themselves standing confidently on a variety of footholds in the Mandala. “While climbing blue-streaked limestone near Canmore, Alberta, I loved the shoe for onsighting 10- to 20-degree overhanging pitches,” reported Anthony Walsh. He noted that he could paste the Mandala on just about any rugosity when in panic mode and still have it stick.
Unparallel Qubit
The Qubit may look like a bouldering shoe with its pared-down aesthetic and downturned, mildly asymmetrical last—and, yes, it does excel on techy, toe-focused boulders—but it also emerged as a sneaky, light-on-the-foot, top-notch all-arounder.
In the end, testers were pleasantly surprised to find that the Qubit shone most on technical sport. It was supportive and precise for long, facey pitches, but it also earned high marks for crack climbing, thanks to its toe- and side-rand coverage—we gave it an 8 out of 10 for jamming. With its massive, patterned, siped toe patch, it also earned a solid 10 out of 10 for toe scumming—better than any other shoe in the test.
Pros
- Extremely stable edging and micro-edging
- Top-notch toe scumming
- Flexible toebox fit
- RH rubber is grippy
- Hard-wearing
Cons
- 4.2mm sole felt thick for smearing
- On/off is onerous for boulderingWell-balanced and precise forefoot structure locks in on small holds
Our thoughts
With the Qubit’s unlined synthetic upper and stretchy elastic tongue, tester Anthony Walsh noted quick break-in, as the forefoot and upper spread out easily. “I loved that the toe patch’s siping let me aggressively size down and have curled toes, while providing those toe knuckles room to breathe,” he commented.
Matt Samet wore his street-shoe size, 10, which felt perfect. This translated to comfortable wear on long pitches, like the undulating 35-meter gneiss routes in Colorado’s high country where he tested. It was on this vertical and just-past-vertical terrain where the Qubit, with its rigid midsole, excelled, withstanding massive foot pressure on edges, jibs, and micros, with minimal foot fatigue. And for Walsh, on vertical limestone at Nevada’s Mount Potosi, the sole also proved durable, even when standing tall on sharp micro divots.
The flip side of it being such a stiff, long-lasting shoe is that its thick sole mutes feedback. The other issue is break-in: the Qubit has held its shape so nicely that it’s still a struggle to get our heels in for the first pitch of each day.
La Sportiva Miura VS
One of the all-time best-selling shoes in La Sportiva’s lineup, and beloved by sport climbers and trad craggers alike, La Sportiva’s Miura VS is a moderately downturned, highly asymmetrical, three-velcro shoe designed for vertical and slightly overhanging climbs that demand both precision edging and powering into incuts. The Miura VS’s subtly updated 2023 re-release includes a slimmed down heel, slightly altered velcro positions, and the inclusion of more recycled materials—none of which diminish the original Miura VS’s strengths. It comes in two fits: the men’s version, which is stiffer and meant for heavier climbers, and the women’s version, which is made with a softer rubber.
Pros
- Stiff enough to be a technical edging beast but sensitive enough to feel small nubs and slopers underfoot
- Asymmetry and moderate downturn ensure excellent performance when pulling into edges on steep walls
- The P3 System and slingshot rand allow the shoe to maintain its aggressive shape even under significant toe pressure and after significant wear
- Leather upper makes it comfortable to size down… at least after a break in period
- The adjusted velcro position reduces wear & tear on the lowest of the three velcro straps
- The inclusion of recycled materials come at absolutely no expense to performance.
Cons
- With no rubber toepatch and three velcro straps, it’s terrible for toe-hooking
- Feels clumsy and stiff on big smeary volumes unless you size up—in which case you sacrifice the edging performance (and sort of miss the point of the shoe)
- Lower velcro still shows signs of wear despite adjusted positioning, though certainly less than on OG models
- Expensive
I tested the shoes along with Anthony Walsh, who was a first-time Miura VS user. He put 15 days into his pair, climbing mostly in Squamish and the Bugaboos and submitting his poor shoes to a wide range of gnarly granite slabs, techy vertical faces, stem corners, finger cracks, hand cracks, and slightly overhanging dykes.
He was especially impressed with how they performed on a five-day mini-project in Murrin Park called The Masses are Asses, “a relentlessly technical, vertical 5.12 on a glassy pane of granite.” About his experience, he writes: “The pitch follows two parallel cracks, which protect with RPs and #0 Z4 cams and lean slightly to the right. The crux of Masses, to me, is the multiple technical foot placements: thin edges, tiny nubbins, rand smears, and thin foot jams. I tried the Katana Lace, TC Pro, and Miura VS on the pitch, and settled on the Miura for its combination of edging prowess (some of the edges are really small!), sensitivity on polished smears (it’s softer and more sensitive than the Katana Lace), and precision throughout the pitch thanks to its radical asymmetry.”
Putting it through a gauntlet of sport climbs, boulders, and rock types, I was unsurprised to find that while the shoe shone on smooth basalt, quartzite, sandstone, and granite, particularly when the climbing involved small divot-like smears and precision edging, it felt a bit too stiff (especially in its first few outings) on lumpier volcanic tuff, where softer shoes can better mold around the irregularly shaped footholds, and on comp boulders in the gym, where the shoe’s stiff and asymmetric downturn means that it doesn’t flatten itself around larger footholds. I felt particularly grateful for the Miura while trying one of my granite projects in Northern New Mexico. The climb involves 80 slightly-overhanging feet of Rifle-esque sidepulls and underclings, holds that feel terrible unless you push extremely hard into the small sloping edges underfoot. I’m confident that even once this review is done and my testing obligations turn to other shoes, the updated Miura VS will play a major role in my sport climbing quiver for years to come.
Read the longform review here.
Ocun Sigma
The Sigma is an aggressive and asymmetrical lace-up that delivers astonishing edging performance on vertical and slightly overhanging sport terrain. Despite the shoe’s stiffness—achieved by an innovative split-sole design, which provides strong under-arch support for comfortable dime edging—the Sigma is also sensitive and bendy enough to serve passably well in gyms and on steeper boards
Pros
- Amazing edging performance on vertical and slightly overhanging walls
- Surprisingly good smearing performance for such an edging-specific shoe
- Aggressive downturn and asymmetry allow for solid “grabbing” performance
- The split-sole design minimizes foot fatigue after multiple pitches of edgy climbing
- Ample toe rubber allows for competent toe hooking
- Pointy toe shape is excellent for toeing into narrow pockets
- Vegan
Cons
- Lace pocket on tongue is unnecessary
- The long tongue can be uncomfortable and bunchy underfoot
- The stiffness makes the shoe feel a bit clunky when trying to “grab” incut footholds in the steeps or smear on volumes inside
Our thoughts
I’ve been on a soft-shoe kick lately, largely because brands leapt to release new indoor-focused shoes in time for last year’s Paris Olympics. These shoes—notably La Sportiva’s new Ondra Comp and Scarpa’s Veloce L—served me well on the steep, south-facing basalt sport caves where I spent my winter. But with spring’s arrival, I traded the hot caves for some desperately thin, dead-vertical 5.13s at my local shoulder-season crag, and it immediately became clear to me that those soft shoes weren’t going to cut it. So I pulled Ocun’s Sigma out of their winter retirement, and I was glad that I did. I’ve never stood on smaller feet more comfortably. Multiple times, I’ve held my breath when committing my full weight to almost-imaginary credit-card-size feet. The Sigma was up for the challenge.
Ocun has done something interesting with the Sigma’s split-sole design, extending the midsole rubber well past the arch and thickening it as it approaches the heel. The result is a shoe that essentially does not bend in the arch area. This gives you a ton of underfoot support when standing on tiny edges. But thanks to its asymmetry and downturn, the Sigma retains just enough under-foot flexibility to (a) bend upward for slopers and toe hooks, and (b) bend downward in a grabbing motion when you’re trying to toe-in on crimps in the steeps.
That said, the Sigma is designed for a specific range of steepness. It functions incredibly well on vertical to 30-degree overhanging terrain, which happen to be by far the most common sport-climbing angles. In this range of steepness, the shoe’s shape—its downturned and highly asymmetrical last—allows it to grab during high steps and is just flexible enough to perform well on the sorts of smears you’re likely to find at that angle. But the shoe just isn’t designed for the more intense smearing you’ll find on, say, comp volumes; nor is it great for the sorts of grabbing you do on a steep Kilter Board. Plus, on walls less than vertical, the aggressive shape is just plain uncomfortable.
La Sportiva Katana Lace
The Katana Lace, La Sportiva’s flagship technical/edging/high-end all-around shoe, was redesigned in 2022—and for the better. The shoes remain mildly downturned and mildly asymmetrical. The stiffer “men’s” version has a full-length 4mm XS Edge outsole, while the softer “women’s” version has a split sole and a 4mm XS Grip 2 outsole.
Pros
- Incredible edging and micro-edging, with consistent stability and lateral and transversal support, even on tiny holds
- Pointy toe is excellent in seams, thin cracks/pods, dishes, and pockets
- Solid build and stiff 1.1 mm full-length LaspoFlex midsole point toward improved longevity and resole-ability
- Redesigned heel is form fitting and responsive in hooks and heel-toe cams // Burly laces have held up well to abrasion in cracks
Cons
- The shoe is stiff—expect reduced sensitivity, a long break-in, and middling smearing
- The long, pointy toe may not be for everyone, especially those who like “grabbing”—one tester felt like the shoe put him on his outside edge/pinky-toe side
- Sizing seems to have changed slightly: Perhaps come down ~ half size for a precision fit, unless your intended use is multi-pitch/all-day trad
Our thoughts
The new Katana Lace is an edging and micro-edging beast that is notably stiffer and pointier than its predecessor (it will especially suit climbers with long, narrow feet), and that is killer for pockets, pods, and thin cracks. Its construction feels beefed up, pointing to the shoe holding its precision and withstanding resoles longer than the old version. This is a high-end, niche shoe for thin face climbing, technical slabs with micro holds (not smeary slabs), cracks up to hand size, and all-day trad/multi-pitch. Even if you size big for comfort, the Katana Lace will still be stiff enough to offer traction on small face holds. This is not an ideal bouldering or gym shoe.
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Honorable Mentions
These are the shoes we liked but got knocked off our top ten list by new arrivals this past year.
Instinct VSR
The Instinct VSR won our 2017 Editor’s Choice Award and has remained a go-to for several of Climbing’s writers and staff members. “Soft” and “sensitive” are the two words that echoed through our testers’ review notes on the new Instinct VSR. Built almost exactly the same as the outstanding Instinct VS—a favorite around here—shoe designers put Vibram Grip 2 rubber on the shoe, which is a softer and more supple compound. The other major change was making the upper fit even closer, so testers said, “I wore itlike a sticky-rubber sock; my toes could actually feel even quarter-inch bumps.” A single Velcro strap dials in fit for the microsuede upper.
Pros
- The VSR stood out impressively for bouldering when techy heel and toe hooking were necessary. In an apples-to-apples comparison with the Instinct VS, testers found that they complemented each other well.
- Even though the Grip 2 rubber is very soft, it has impressive durability, showing no signs of damage after months of use
Cons
- Less adept at vertical edging than stiffer counterparts
Want the slipper version? We also loved the Instinct SR, which won our 2019 Editor’s choice award.