FIRST LOOK: La Sportiva's New Range of No Edge Shoes

[@the.Aruarian]

This new LaSpo branding style looks so clean! The Genius was the only NoEdge shoe that fit my wide feet originally (now the Theory fits, too). It was such a weird experience. Compared to Skwama and Instinct VS, they are so sensitive it almost feels I wasn’t wearing a shoe at all. It took me a while to get used to the amount od sensory input.

[@bilaltahir9978]

Please can you recommend some climbing shoes with wide toe boxes?

[@the.Aruarian]

@@bilaltahir9978 Sure! It ofc depends on your overall foot shape, but for me the following work well: LaSportiva - Skwama, Otaki, Theory. Scarpa - Instinct VS, VSR and S. A lot of people have good luck with Evolv shoes (Shaman, Oracle) but my feet were too high volume for those.

[@tommym875]

Genius. Skwama. New katana lace. Scarpa veloce.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

What sort of thing are you looking to do with them - are you after comfort or performance? Also, what’s your intended usage too - indoors, boulder, sport, trad? I’ll fire across a few suggestions once you’ve got back, as there’s a lot of variables involved. I don’t want to recommend a load of wide shoes that aren’t fit for the intended purpose.

[@bilaltahir9978]

@ukclimbingofficial so for indoor bouldering, I use the veloce strap. I can wear them during a whole bouldering session without needing to take them off. The wide toe box is great for me. I am looking for something similar but for outdoor sport and trad climbing. I am looking for comfort and not performance.

[@tomriddle2257]

I would like to give a review to the Mandas: If you are a heavier, taller climber looking for a Vibram Grip 2 bouldering shoe that is good at edging on small footholds there are not many options (I owned them all): Scarpa Quantix SF and Instincts VSR are great but not asymmetric enough, which led to problems with the big toes. Booster and Drago, are a little too soft, especially the ladder. Booster is still excellent though. The La Sportiva Solution is an amazing shoe at overhangs, but it has this strange „claw“ that is the opposite of NoEdge technology and places a good 2 cm rubber between your toe and the wall, creating the worst leverage that makes it nearly impossible to stand on small footholds. The Mandala is the only shoe so far that is perfect in all regards. Amazing at small edges, still sensitive, asymmetrical and precise. Also the toepatch is modern and large. Can absolutely give it my award „best Allrounder“. 😊

[@WetNoodle9]

Is there any indication that the known problems of the closure system will be addressed with these models? It looks exactly like the Solution closure which often breaks before the rubber wears through.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I’ll see if we can find out. We’ll be publishing an in-depth review of the Futura and Mandala once they arrive; however, given that they haven’t arrived yet and we usually like a few months before doing any filming it might be a while - we’re always keen to put them through proper use before passing comment on their performance.

[@TheStig272]

Really wish they would fix this. I love my solution comps and the strap on that has lasted fine. But I got futuras and the strap broke in 3 months or something. Been known issue for years and years and they just won't fix it.

[@keiferrussell8543]

I would be unbelievably easy to just put a strap on that is replaceable (like Evolv has sone on their phantoms and probably others). I feel like La sportiva knows people will buy the product either way and are choosing not to fix the problem. They obviously are aware of it as its pretty much 𝘵𝘩𝘦 complaint when it comes to the solution and solution comp.

[@oliverli7539]

More like a planned obsolescence. No rocket science behind this. So they would have fixed yrs ago if they want to. Therefore, unlikely to see an updated closure system.

[@donkyuhbuhts540]

I have been strictly climbing in futuras for years. They fit my foot perfectly. I can say unequivocally the "known problem with the closure system" is 100% user error. I have worn through tons of pairs of these and never once had even fraying of the stitches on the strap. I take my time and carefully move and tighten the strap to put the least amount of strain on it. Problem avoided... the only way I can see it ever breaking if using this method would be if you did tons and tons of full foot toe hooks on indoor boulders. The sandpaper might eventually wear through it. That however is not any different then most climbing shoes.

[@senojensen2397]

is the size model for the mandala and theory the same? i currently use the theory in size EU43, 46.5 in my la sportiva approach shoes, I would like to get the same fit & size, I cannot try it in-person as the shops around me doesn't have it, yet.

[@tomriddle2257]

Nice shoes! Unfortunately, I have the wrong foot shape for La Sportiva.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

They’re definitely on the narrow side, particularly when compared to Scarpa

[@mikekenny1698]

I have wide feed and I’ve found the solution comp and skwarmas extremely comfortable, I recommend you try them

[@Stooge2]

Lol. I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum. La Sportiva are the only shoes that can fit my skinny heel.

[@chyza2012]

Any climbing shoe becomes "no edge" after you climb in it for a while.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

This was a regular comment back when it was first launched, but it isn’t the case - it’s not just a shit, slightly worn out shoe 😅

[@007boxlunch]

My thoughts exactly its the same rubber. Any shoe also becomes more sensitive + smearable as they wear through, which are selling points of this. Comes off as just a pre-worn shoe minus the break in. Maybe comp climbers like that? I could see that demographic trading longevity for a certain type of performance 🤷‍♂

[@Jackwithoneeye]

​@@007boxlunchin my experience climbing in no edge they actually last way longer due to how the rubber wraps around the toe.

[@driesvanoosten4417]

I haven't climbed in these shoes, but it seems like the sole rubber wraps seamlessly around the toebox. That seems like a benefit as otherwise, you would be wearing out the rand. I am curious how resoling with these shoes would work though. It seems like that is made more difficult...

[@RM-xq7gf]

@@driesvanoosten4417 not really, think of how you resole a normal sole but now you just have this strip of rubber you have to pull and glue over the toe. I can see it being difficult if they use their own ruber to resole rather than using official lasportiva resoling kits

[@florianneumann9441]

I tried those shoes last week, but didn’t just quite get it… it felt really wired trying to step at small edges, i feared so much to miss it or but pressure on it. But I think I will get one to really check it out.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

If you've used shoes with edges all your life then they definitely feel unusual out the box, but they're definitely worth bearing with as they do something pretty different and are really fun to climb in.

[@christopherkline4042]

Love this, especially since I literally just bought regular mantras. Why is it always me?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

FWIW, they don't sound like they've changed a lot, so you've still got a really good shoe

[@PeakDistrictBouldering]

Hi Rob. What's your 'go to' shoe for smearing up grit slabs? Where you're standing on nothing and just hoping it doesn't slip. I don't care if it's so soft you can only wear it once..... what's the stickiest, smeariest shoe you like to reach for? (and yes, obviously it has to fit your foot etc.... I'm just curious as I don't keep up with these things and just stick to Tenaya these days)

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Oosh, good question, but hard to answer!! Recently my go to shoe for that sort of stuff has been the Vapour S. It obviously helps that it fits me perfectly, and is supremely comfortable, but it feels like a shoe that you can get a lot of rubber to rock as a result of this. In previous years I’ve used a variety of different shoes, with personal favourites from the last 15 years including the Instinct VSR, Anasazi VCS and (believe it or not) the Five Ten Dragon.

[@PeakDistrictBouldering]

@@ukclimbingofficial Interesting. Thanks for the reply. I'll have to see if any other those fit my funny feet.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Fit is definitely the key. If you get something that works for you, and you trust them, then that goes a long, long way towards them being ‘the best’. If Tenaya work for you, then why change? They certainly make some great shoes. I really liked the Indalo and Mastia. Never quite got the Iati or Oasi to fit…

[@dominikrebej1260]

Would you say these are good for indoor sport climbing ? They fit me ok enough but hurt a little not sure for routes … thanks

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Yeah, certainly - they'd be great for that. In terms of fit though, make sure they're right for your foot - they shouldn't be too painful!!

[@dominikrebej1260]

@@ukclimbingofficial great thanks i cant decide between mandalas and genius they both fit ok rally narrow and they both hurt a bit but i think theyll stretch. which would you say are better for vertical walls and some overhanging routes ? thanks a lot

[@ukclimbingofficial]

For what it’s worth, they don’t stretch much, so I wouldn’t make on that. It could be worth going to a shop, trying on a load of different shoes from different brands, and going with whichever feels the best on your foot.

[@emac4d]

is there a shoe with a wide and comfortable toebox as intincs or drago and narrow heel hook as solution or katanas? not leather

[@Andrea_Rossi_qualunque]

Have you tried skwama or booster/boostic? They could fit your feet

[@ukclimbingofficial]

The Vegan Skwama would be your best bet, but they’re a bit narrower than the Instinct/Drago.

[@tomhatcher1066]

are drago wide in the forefoot then?

[@anguslashwood6567]

@@ukclimbingofficial I have the vegan Skwama and find the heel baggy despite the forefoot/toebox being relatively comfortable. Maybe I'm a genetic freak but I'm still yet to find a shoe with both comfortable forefoot/toebox AND secure feeling heel

[@VenelinBanov]

Scarpa Instincts and Drago's toe box is not comparable - they're totally the opposite. When you go to scarpa's website it tells that instinct is for wide and center shaped foot while Drago is for narrow and regular shaped. E.g Drago is similar to solution while Instinct is similar to Skwama and hopefully Mandala, judging from this video.

[@bilaltahir9978]

Are there la sportiva shoes that are just as wide in the toe box compare to the scarpa veloce?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

As a sweeping generalisation Scarpa tend to be quite a lot wider than La Sportiva, although there is a lot of variation within both brands. That said, I’m struggling to think of a La Sportiva model that’s quite as wide as the Scarpa Veloce (and fits the same sort of spec too) 🤔

[@bilaltahir9978]

@ukclimbingofficial what about the skwama? My only problem with the veloce is that it is more suitable for indoors so it would be good for an outdoor version for sport or trad climbing

[@ukclimbingofficial]

The Skwama is slightly wider than your average La Sportiva shoe, and is definitely worth trying - it’s a great shoe. The Otaki uses the same last but has a whole lot more support, which can be good for trad/sport here in the UK, so is also worth trying (depending on what you’re priorities are).

[@bilaltahir9978]

@ukclimbingofficial this is very useful. Many thanks for your insights. My last question is whether there is a another scarpa shoe that has similar width to veloce but for outdoors? I was looking at the quantics but wasn't sure if they are as comfortable as the veloce. Thanks for all your advice

[@eurekaflows]

From a pure aesthetics point of view, they massacred the Mantra. The 2022 model (teal with geometrical pattern) took a bit of getting used to, but I look at mine fondly now. The 2024 model looks so ... generic.

[@tapperino7114]

Very curious if no-edge technology is ever going to come to a vegan shoe, patiently awaiting that day 🙏

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how much more they expand the range. It’s obviously been developed from where it once was, so I’m sure they’ll have something else on the horizon, although the current collection does feel quite complete - if only from a performance perspective. The fact they’ve introduced the Skwama Vegan would suggest that this might be something that would happen, although I guess it depends on how commercially successful it was.

[@mikafull]

Futura with an English accent sounds a bit painful 😅 In Italian it's so much smoother.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I can’t argue with that - there are fewer things smoother than an Italian accent (and fewer things more awkward than an English one) 😂

[@freerockliketoast]

Is that a new otaki on the shelf?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I think that's just the Otaki, as opposed to anything new (or updated)

[@sovereignyx3158]

And they did it again! 😅 The whole lineup won't fit many many people the right way because of the loose heel cups. And I know a ton of climbers with LS shoes who have the same complains.

[@ShitJustGotReel]

Curious what makes you say this? Just going off how they look or?

[@sovereignyx3158]

@@ShitJustGotReel compare the heel with other climbing shoes like Mad Rock Drone for example. There is absolutely no change in size but its so important in climbing to have a snug fit… to accomplish high heel hooks on tiny chips for example.

[@sahntahdemon]

How have the Geniuses changed other than cosmetic?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

No, the changes are purely cosmetic within the Genius

[@sahntahdemon]

@ According to La Sportiva they added more material to the upper to make them more supportive 🤔.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

If they did, it’s subtle - I can’t see it being a significant change in terms of supportiveness

[@sahntahdemon]

@ Hmm. How about the Futura?

[@Hesh_Mast]

I’ve been hearing about these shoes for what seems like almost a year and I have yet to see them in any store makes no sense

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I think it’s a blend of factors, with stock arriving later than expected and in smaller quantities. Hopefully they’ll start to filter through, although that said - we’re yet to get our pair of Mandala through for review!!

[@scrubbasher]

Vibram xsgrip is not the industry standard of stickiness, scarpa s-72 rubber on the Veloce is way stickier.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

It is stickier, but it’s not the industry standard as it’s only used by Scarpa, whereas XS Grip is used by almost everyone - hence it’s ‘the standard’

[@scrubbasher]

@@ukclimbingofficial fair point

[@arnoldkotlyarevsky383]

Any word on when these are actually going to be available? My Mantras are fucked and no one has inventory....

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Some stores seem to have them, but so far they seem in quite limited supply

[@nailniall]

I thought the theory might get a refresh as well, or is it being shunned now that the Ondra Comp is on the scene?

[@thatonefeller3375]

Theory isn't considered part of the no edge collection. It's got its own thing going on-sharp edge at the front, but no edge on the sides.

[@antybris]

The theory is getting a small aesthetic retweak that's all

[@thesii213]

Hey guys - any reason why I'm getting four minute unskippable ads on your content now?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

We haven’t changed anything, so I’m not sure what’s going on there - other than that sounds like an extremely long and annoying advert!! We’ll have a look at the settings and see if anything strange is going on.

[@thesii213]

@@ukclimbingofficial Appears to be a KZbin change to serving "server-side" ads in certain regions. Not great!

[@velociroger]

Are the women's futuras getting an update?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Sorry, we probably should have mentioned within the video. The entire women's range is also available: www.lasportiva.com/en/woman/footwear/climbing/l/cst-tecnologia:no-edge

[@seeeeeb9300]

Seems to me they are all unisex now, only 1 version per model

[@themeatpopsicle]

all this new shoe tech makes climbing shoes creep ever closer to actually being aid

[@RM-xq7gf]

terrible take, no edge doesnt make footwork easy, it just makes it slightly different. I suggest you try the shoes out yourself.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Just because you’ve got a decent pair of shoes doesn’t mean you’ve necessarily got decent footwork.

[@philipppuchner1115]

is the Mandala "just" the Velcro Version of the Genius? IN the video you said the Genius beeing more supportive. So, is the Mandala just a little softer genius with Velcro? Angle of the toe box, aka how high the shoes curl up your toes: From a ton of research and validated by myself by tryin on every model in different sizes it is as follows, from the most curled up big to to the least curled up big toe: Speedster, Genius, Futura, Maverink. Mantra i have no tryed on yet. Maverink also a smaller size than the other ones, because they are just going up to size EU 42. How does the Mandala fit in there? Again, is it "just" a softer(?) Genius with Velcro? For me: I don't know how to describe, but all no edge shoes (see above) hurt too much my big toe! Steping hurts! I have the feeling that my whole bodyweight is concentrated on the angled joint of my big toe and the rest of the toes anf the shoe does NOTHING. And the Speedster curles up my big toe THAT much, that the last joint of my big toe is the furthest point in the shoe, so my toe is bent backwards! I cannot even stand normal in them! The Genius... I even tried them one half size up from my usual Sportiva size (so in EU 43,5 instead of EU 43 for my larger right foot (45,5)) and it is a little better, but still super painfull and i gave up trying them, break them in whatever with indoor lead climbing. the pitches were like 4min of hell. The Futura, the angle of my big toe is even "flatter" but still more painfull to climb than any other climbing shoe. mayben in 43,5 they bould be ok after time to stretch, but the heel is nearly as FAT as the Speedster one - I don't know how any human (besides a gout footed elephant) my fill this heel. I really don't. No offense to anyone though. And at last, the Maverink for kids! There, even in EU 42 the toes lie "normal" in the shoe (curled up because of the size, but not bent backwards and stuff) and even in the too small size 42 for my right 45,5 foot, i could climb in them. 42,5 for the right 45,5 foot would be perfect! By the way: Same with Skwama Women's for me. Skwama Women's and the old(!) yellow Katana VCS fit a half size larger than any other Sportiva climbing shoe. So, to sum up sizes for anyone interested (lol). Normal feet (middle wide, maybe a little bit less witdh than middle width), normal arches, extremely small volume heel, really low volume foot. My feet are: left foot somewhere between size EU 44 and 44,5. The right foot is precisely 45,5. I basically wear every Sportiva climbing shoe in EU 42 for the left foot and EU 43 for the right foot, so -2,5 EU sizes. JUST old(!) yellow Katana VCS and Skwama Women's it is -3,0 EU. I know, also the Skwama Women's (which are definately narrower than the men's version!) just go up to EU 42. So, for my larger right 45,5 foot it is sadly -3,5 EU and it is too small. So they are just my hardcore pair in 41,5/42 left/rgiht foot. ( For all who don't know: Sportiva makes them in EU sizes and translates them into US and UK sizes, ditto Scarpa, whereas many other companies make US or UK sizes and translate this into EU sizes. For all who realized than in the spectrum of sizes, sometimes there is half a size "missing". it is due to rounding error.) Analogy for Scarpa: -1,5 EU sizes down per foot. Just the old Boostic has to be taken in a larger size. The new Boostic can be taken in a smaller size than the old one, for sure one half size smaller. More than that: I don't know, I just had them on my feet briefly and never climbed in them. They are a little bit wide for me in the forefoot and i feel slippery inside the shoe. So, a more comfy material on the inside by reducing friction is NOT neccessarily a good thing! Also, Boostic lovers for the stable edging shoe will hate the way softer model. It is like the latest Vapor V (yellow/blue), it is a softened up version for indoor climbers, but the enery transfer from the too soft midfoot/heel is lost on the toe. I therefore sold my yelow/blue vapor V and still usen the oldest model (grey/orange, 2010-2014) with full length XS Grip outsole for outdoor sports climbing. Anyway: Sorry for offtopic, back to the Sportiva no edge climbing shoes: How does the Mandala (and alos the Mantra, which i haven't tryed yet) fit into the spectrum of a.) forefoot width b.) heel volume c.) toe angle

[@FlorisBos]

Too much Adobe enhance used.. nice video otherwise

[@TheDJKru]

At the time of its premiere Genius itself was a pretty ugly shoe according to La Sportiva standards, but the new version looks so much worse I can hardly find words to describe it. Long gone are the days when most shoe models had a real visual identity, old Testarossas being the best example. New Katanas, Theories and Solutions seem to remain true to the original spirit. All of the other new releases are one big disappointment. They look like cheap Chinese counterfeits.

[@Miura.Powers]

All white. I miss the color in them. Also Miura and Katana LV are white.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I quite liked the colour of the original Genius. Unsure as to where I stand on the white/muted design that they’ve gone with here, although I’m much more interested in how they perform. Hopefully we get a pair to review soon 🤞

[@Alex.0470]

Now even the shoes are non-binary

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I think the rest of the La Sportiva range comes in men’s and women’s models, it’s just the No Edge collection

[@Alex.0470]

@@ukclimbingofficialit's a joke. You said "you're either on or off. It's very binary"