La Sportiva  Otaki Climbing Shoes - Women's

These are my first pair of aggressive shoes after destroying my Scarpa Force V. They felt very uncomfortable at first but after a couple of sessions they started to feel like custom made. Perfect arch and toes snug enough. I wear a 10 for sneakers and these are a 9.5. So size down but not too much, they don’t really stretch out because of all the rubber. The fabric is rough on the back of my heels and hurts a bit. My advice: apply some vaseline at the beginning of your session to avoid blisters. Overall, I love these shoes. They have a lot of grip, definitely boost your technique, and you can even practice your ballet pointe game on them :)

Bought these to utilize as a more aggressive shoe compared to my Mythos. For reference, in a street shoe I typically wear a 40, own Mythos in 39.5 which I could have downsized more on, and bought the Otaki's in a 39. I think these are a great intro pair into a more aggressive shoe as they are more comfortable than comparable pairs I have tried on. The break in period is not terrible (I don't want to cry (I did cry in my Mythos for some reason)), and the rubber sticks on practically everything. I think if you are trying to up your climbing game, but not into the common practice of torturing yourself in shoes, these are a great next step.

I was looking to graduate from my comfortable beginner shoes to something more aggressive and sharp for indoor climbing. These shoes didn't disappoint! I tried on at least a dozen different shoes across the usual brands and settled on these. They are comfortably snug (so far as climbing shoes go) for my foot type and so sticky. Edges, crimpy footholds, and heel hooks are a dream in these shoes. I'm still breaking them in but so far they are very promising. One note on the sizing. I ended up going 1/2 size larger than my street shoe. My street shoe size left my piggies painfully curled and the heel digging into my achilles tendon. Consider sizing up!

The shoes took a little while to break in as the shoe is for more of a narrow foot. They are great for edging and heel hooks. Sadly after only 6 months of gym climbing only the toe had softened and started to rip a hole. Also noticed the side of the shoes rubber detaching from itself. For the price i didn't expect them to break apart so soon.

Bought these because I read online that these are made for people who love the Katana Laces. I have to say, these are comfier for the toe area. The leather feels softer and doesn't fight the knuckles so much during the break-in period. The heel feels secure, though still a bit more volume than I'd like. My only issue is that the P3 band digs into the achilles after a while. I noticed that the band is higher than the Katana lace and much higher than the Genius (best fitting heel I've ever owned).

I was looking for a moderate/aggressive shoe. This fit the bill. Sizing: My feet are 37.5 but after trying on a few shoes, I got 36.5. It felt snug but not too tight that my toes were curled. Function: I tried them on right away at the gym and felt confident. It is sticky/grippy. The outer edge was perfect for small footholds. Smearing was great. Comfort: I was afraid I would have to break these in but I didn’t have to. Felt fine on day 1. Overall, very pleased with this purchase.

I went through trying on a lot of shoes to find my next pair after the la sportiva Nagos. These are great for overhung bouldering and steep top roping, tolerable on slab. I love the super sticky rubber on these although I think it will wear though rather quickly. I also really enjoy the velcro for easy on off. They are kind of ugly, but I like that because it makes them unique and maybe less likely to be stolen... I tried a lot of shoes before settling on these. I have relatively wide forefeet with "roman toes" and very narrow heel, overall flat looking feet, and also a hallux rigidis problem in both my big toes, so I looked for a shoe with a stiff toe area. I tried LS miuras/finales/katana lace/solutions/futuras/katakis, five ten anasazi pinks, evolv shaman/x1, scarpa vapor/vapor lace/instinct vs, and the the shoe that fit my foot best was the otaki!! Of all those, I think miuras fit the worst (lots of extra space in the toe box, or if I sized down, the heel cup didn't fit right and my toes were too compacted). For the Otaki I had to size up a whole size from my nagos which were 37s, but stretched a lot. My street size shoe varies from women's 7-8.5 depending on the shoe. Tend to be a size 8 in athletic shoes.

My first pair of good climbing shoes. Not super aggressive. High suggested as a pair of climbing shoes for an beginner or intermediate climber. Wonderful for sport climbing, but I did not love them for hard overhanging bouldering. Perfect for any type of face climbing. Sizing: I went down a full size from my street shoes. Once they break in, they'll be comfy since they're leather. Street shoe: 7 USW. Otaki shoe: 37EU

The shoes of my dreams! None of the other aggressively styled shoes fit me tightly enough in the ankles and heel cup area. These are perfect, no air pockets, and they broke in after only a handful of sessions. I could wear these forever, and will definitely buy again when the time comes.

Otakis are my fav bouldering/sport shoe. I am a size 8 and wear 37.5. It was really tight and a bit uncomfortable at first but it stretched and fits like a snug glove. Perfect for bouldering, but might be a bit uncomfortable for longer routes. Love the heel!! Make sure the heel fits and doesn’t pop ;) According to the La Sportiva chart, Otakis are for a medium foot volume. I would check the chart and make sure you know what type of foot shape you have. Out of La Sportiva shoes, the Katanas also fit me really well (size 38), but I found the Miura VS to be super wide towards the ankle area (which makes sense since according to the chart, it’s categorized in the wide section). Highly recommend checking the chart and if you already own La Sportiva climbing shoes, it might be a helpful guide to experiment other shoes close to the range of your beloved LS shoe.