Great Bouldering Shoes, Need to size them 0.5 to 1 size smaller
I've been following this pair of shoes since La Sportiva announced it last year. I have duck feet and really like the La Sportiva Genius's wider toe box area. The Skwama while cheaper, is a pretty big improvement.Pros:The S-heel is great, it's not a miracle feature, you are not going to suddenly jump from a V5 to a V7. However, the S-heel does keep the heel stiff and in place. I feel very secure when I do a heel hook. I think the heel is also slightly narrower than the Genius. I have skinny ankles. It's a very snug fit.The toe box is great. As mentioned before, I have duck feet. The Skwama toe box is just as comfortable as the Genius. I don't feel side compression at all. One feature I wish the Genius had was a pointier front toe. It's hard to get your foot into these small pockets on the plastic. The Skwama toe box does have a point like the solution. It makes it much easier to jam your toe into small pockets or on tiny holds. I feel very secure with this front.The rubber patch on top of the front toe area is also really nice for toe hooking. I tried this feature on a couple of problems at the gym. The rubber does hold you in place pretty well. I never once slipped or lost my footing.Cons:The shoe is HUGE! I wore a 39 Genius and felt it was just a tiny bit too small. So I first ordered a size 39.5 Skwama. (My street shoe size is 8 - 8.5) They feel like my street shoes at 39.5. Then I tried size 39, still too large. 38.5 is about the same size as the 39 Genius. I actually compared the 38.5 Skwama to my 39 Genius. They are about the same size. I wish La Sportiva does a better job keeping their shoe sizes consistent.Summary:I would definitely recommend this pair of shoes for bouldering at the gym. La Sportiva doesn't do a good job differentiating the Solution and the Skwama. The former being the previous premier bouldering shoe. I've never tried the Solution and I've been doing a lot of research online comparing the two. From what I've gathered, go with the Skwama if you have wider feet and Solutions if you have narrower feet. That seems like the primary driving force behind which shoe to choose. From a pure feature standpoint, I do think the S-Heel is an improvement. Overall, I would say the Skwama improved on the Genius with sports bouldering specific features.P.S. Another feature I didn't mention is a small cut out area on the bottom front of the shoe. La Sportiva is selling that feature as something that will expand, contract, and better form to your feet. Honestly, I didn't notice that much of a difference. My feet didn't hurt as bad after my first session with the szie 38.5 shoes. Maybe the cut out did make the shoe fit my feet better? It's hard to say.
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Enter the Wave
These are the best shoes I've come across for overhung routes. The toe has the perfect amount of stiffness to dig in while also being soft enough to smear relatively well. They are more versatile shoes than I thought they would be. The heel is, of course, fantastic, the design adding rigidity and support. I sized down 2 1/2 US sizes (10.5 to 8) and they were extremely painful to break in but they fit like a glove. Even so, the elastic lip has stretched, leaving the feel of the fit not as precise as it was originally. Too much weight on the heel puts pressure on the shoe width wise, stretching it even more. So far the effects are just aesthetic, a tight strap rectifies the fit problem. The strap itself is also great. Simple and thick, it should last a long time with no problems as opposed to the drawstring strapping system of the solutions.If you're looking for your next shoes to help you progress as a boulderer, look no further. These are amazing shoes and they look quite nice as well. Sensitive and stiff at the same time, and decent enough for all types of climbing.
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Genuinely the best gym shoe
So, maybe it’s me but this is my Cinderella slipper. Its just aggressive enough that I can tuck toes into pockets, but can still smear walls, volumes, and slopers. The heel cup isn’t super deep which I like. It feels like it just sucks my foot in and won’t let go. The rubber is super solid and sticky, albeit not tremendously durable. But this shoe is an edging, toeing, and heel/toe hooking machine. Its really nice to have on more technical climbs. Now take all that and apply it outside too, the rock loves to bite into the rubber. So cozy and solid. Great all arounder
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A
Amazon Customer
January 26, 2024
great shoe
It fits great if you have a shallow heel and a wide toe box. It performs amazingly on the wall with no problem on tiny footholds, smearing, heel hooking, or toe hooking but it needs to be broken in. Initially, the shoe is extremely stiff and uncomfortable but once broken in the shoe stretches about half a size and fits like a glove. The shoe also takes a couple of sessions to break in but the process can be expedited by wearing them in the sauna or in the shower.
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B
Blaise DeZarate
May 06, 2025
Worth it!
Amazing, aggressive climbing shoe. Pointed toe and great in the heel. I will say, it took me 4-5 sessions to break them in. It was digging into my skin hard around the ankle. But once that was over with, it’s been an awesome climbing shoe.
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C
Caleb C.
October 15, 2023
They work great but are uncomfortable
When I say uncomfortable to use I mainly mean around the heal and ankle. You have to wear very thick socks to prevent rubbing or blistering. Overall they grab wherever you put them. Even on damp surfaces these shoes get it done. Veryhelpful for climbing and finding footholds anywhere on the rockface. I only wish the opening of the shoe wasnt as sharp and that they were easier to get in and out of. They fit almost exactly like you would expect. If you have wide feet you may want to avoid these. Quality is there for the intended use but the comfort part is slightly lacking.
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Excellent climbing shoe
One of the best shoes available. Generous room in the toe box. Sportiva vibram sole is its typical sticky self. Excellent climbing shoe overall.
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