La Sportiva  Skwama Climbing Shoes - Men's

This is one soft shoe! As with other Sportivas, I had to downsize a bit - I'm usually a street shoe size 9 and went with size 40.5 EUR. Definitely could've sized even down to 40, but 40.5 was a comfortable fit. The shoe itself is aggressive, but due to the XS Grip 2 and split sole design, the shoe flexes easily. So far I've found the Skwamas to perform well across most bouldering routes except edging, which need some precise footwork as the rubber is quite soft. My only complaint with the shoes are the heels, which have too much volume for my feet. On aggressive heel hooks, there is some side-to-side wiggle which limits precise heel hooks in some cases.

My 14-year-old son bought these shoes and I’m quite disappointed by the quality given the price and reputation of La Sportiva. The upper rubber has come unglued in multiple places and is beginning to peel off after only a few months of use.

I did a lot of comparative research before purchasing these shoes, and I have been extremely pleased with them. I climb in them indoors and outdoors, routes and boulders. They are light and fit very well--so they are responsive and place precisely. The rubber is outstanding and sticks to everything. The sole construction allows for great sensitivity on a variety of hold and rock types. I have climbed in these shoes on slabs, faces, and overhangs, and on plastic, granite, and limestone. They have performed every time. I can call on all my leg power whether my toe is on little sloping bulges, shallow dishes/depressions, or tiny edges/nubbins. The heel is excellent for heel hooking, especially when navigating over roofs. I do not toe hook often, but the occasions I have in these shoes the upper rubber on the toe has made the hook feel much more secure. These shoes are excellent. There are some things some may consider drawbacks. I downsized two sizes from my street shoes (my choice) and these get uncomfortable after about a consistent hour to 1.5 hours in them. But, I pop the heel off for a few minutes and I'm good to keep going. Soft, sticky rubber means it can wear down a little quicker than other rubbers, especially on rougher rocks or if your footwork isn't precise--but that's the trade-off of competition grade rubber. The rubber on the upper foot of my shoes, above the big toe knuckle has started to peel a little, but I just glued it back down. If you are foot jamming a lot of cracks, I would not go with these shoes--softer sole and the downturned toe are not ideal. Knowing what I know after climbing in them for about a year, would I buy them again? Yes, and I did. I purchased a second pair that I use for only outside climbing. I highly recommend these shoes.

I’ve always had trouble finding shoes that fit both in the forefoot and the heel due to sizing up for width. I was originally asking to try on Miura VS and Solutions, but the store did not have my size and the Solutions were and absolute no. The employee helping me brought the Skwama out and I was blown away. I wear size 11 in street shoes and got these in a 10 and they fit perfect! The forefoot form fits out of the box and the heel has a vacuum fit. Very excited to find an aggressive, and technical shoe that accommodate my wide feet!

These shoes are my favorite shoes I've ever worn. They blend performance and comfort perfectly. The shoes I had before was a pair of LS Muiras in size 45 and I got these in a 44.5 and these are far and away more comfortable. I would even go as far to say these are more comfortable than my flat beginner shoes in a size 46. They've suited me perfectly for outdoor and indoor climbing and the rubber is super sticky. They perform great on cracks, slabs, and especially overhung terrain. They fit my wide foot very nicely.

Been climbing solely in the Skwamas for 6 months. Imagine a solution slipper with a wider toe box and you have the skwama. Very sensitive, flexible, and the S-heel is a notable improvement that allows malleability in the heel while not sacrificing the support some people love about the Solution heel. Toe hooking rubber is well-thought out and holds up despite my occasional toe dragging on low-angled climbs. If you're a heavier climber, this might be best reserved for very steep bouldering/route climbing and indoor climbing as they are not stiff nor supportive. However, they will definitely work on slabs if you are a lighter climber. Overall, I have on sighted, flashed, and redpointed all of my hardest climbs with these shoes, so they will be getting a resole and a replace when the time comes. I wouldn't recommend them as a one shoe quiver if you climb in an area where vertical edging is the name of the game, but if you climb boulders, steeps, and indoors mostly- these are a great option and at $145 retail are a steal!

Great for wide feet. Very little break in time required. Great for mid to higher end climbing. bought 1/2 down (42) from street size 42.5 - US men's I am 9 to 9.5 and on the border of needing wide models of shoes. A 9W usually fits me best. In regular width I usually go up to 9.5. I use this shoe for gym, sport, bouldering and traditional climbing. If I went down a size for higher performance (all toes buckled up) I would not use for gym or trad climbing. Would probably only give me a marginal performance upgrade and long lasting foot problems in the end.

Over the last few years my go-to climbing shoe for high performance sport climbing has been the Solution. However, for my limit cave projects (in the western states) I decided to test out some new possible options that could give me a tactical advantage for the steep, nuanced foot beta (that a slightly different performing shoe could capitalize on). The Skwama was just that for me! I have been addicted to using these shoes on steep routes (and boulders) that require intricate toe hooks and strenuous knee bars (as I feel that the Skwamas seemingly stiffer toe box allows me to use my calf muscles less). Overall, a worthy weapon to add to your shoe arsenal :)

Got this a few months ago on a size 40.5 EU as I've heard many amazing things about them. I loved them right away. I've got very wide feet, and shoes like the solution never feel quite snug but this one does even on a bigger size (I normally get 39 on the miura vs and laces). The toe is like a hook, you can feel it pulling your hips closer to the wall, specially on overhanging terrain. I do a lot of heel-hooking and heel is just as I wanted it, robust, with lots of rubber, and powerful. You can hang on it and pull as if it was your arm. Finally I love the toe-patch for toe-hooking and It also makes the shoe look very stylish. I've heard it performs really well on hard Trad climbing so I ordered a new pair this time on a 39.5 and can't wait to try them! Well done La Sportiva!

These shoes are great they are super flexible are great for toe hooking and for heel hooking along with pretty good edging, very similar to the solutions. Only thing I would recommend is to try these on before buying they are sized weird because of the flex and the aggressive heel.