Review: La Sportiva Solution Climbing Shoe

Review: La Sportiva Solution Climbing Shoe

I'm going to cut right to the chase. The La Sportiva Solutions are incredible climbing shoes for sport and bouldering. They are expensive -- no doubt -- but the quality definitely reflects the price. You will feel the work La Sportiva has put into this shoe.

First of all, these shoes are as about aggro as they come. The downturn at the midsole and toe is just... angry. If you are doing hard, overhanging boulder problems or sport routes with tiny feet, these shoes deliver. The rubber at the tip of the shoe covers the toes; this is an advantage if you find yourself toe hooking frequently.

The heel cup on these shoes feels like a little octopus is gently clinging to the heel of your foot with its little suction cups. It fits snugly and leaves no airpockets like the FiveTen Anasazi Arrowheads (these are both great shoes, but they never seem to fit me right). The heel rubber is spectacular for heel hooks, although, to be fair, very few shoes are bad at heel hooks.

Like most aggressive, downturned, frequently-downsized sport or bouldering shoes, they are an absolute nightmare to put on. That's the M.O. for this type of shoe; I have yet to wear a shoe of this style that is easy to put on. However, the lace structure is stable and flexible and offers a lot more fit customization than you might think.

La Sportiva uses Vibram XS Grip2 rubber. This is my favorite kind of rubber because it offers long-lasting performance. I've had plenty of La Sportiva shoes and have sent hard problems even in 3-year-old shoes. After you've used them for years and have worn nearly through the rubber, La Sportiva climbing shoes will be a great backup or hand-me-down. The performance lasts a long, long time. Despite my appreciation of 5.10, Evolv, and other companies, their shoes have never matched La Sportiva for longevity in my experience.

Still aggressive after a lot of use. 

Alternatives include the Evolv Shaman (a.k.a., Chris Sharma's shoe) and the FiveTen Team 5.10. These shoes are a bit cheaper, offer similar (although, in my opinion, lesser) performance, and have the undisputed advantage of looking less silly. 

In the world of climbing shoes, the La Sportiva Solutions are the sports cars: sleek, powerful, aggressive, and built for performance. To continue the analogy, you can't expect Lamborghini performance at Hyundai prices. The price tag reflects the work and engineering that has been put into theses shoes. At $170, the La Sportiva Solutions are one of the most expensive climbing shoes on the market. You can buy them from Amazon.comat the link below.


Pull harder,

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations