Climbing Shoe Review - La Sportiva Skwama

La Sportiva describe the Skwama as a high performance shoe for everything from overhangs to slabs. In reality most climbing shoes cannot do everything and we all know that, yet here Sportiva are saying that they have a shoe that works well across the entire range of routes and problems. With a few new innovations I was willing to take a risk and see what was going on, who knows they may be onto something.

The Skwama - Seb Smith

The big news with the Skwama (and it’s sister the Otaki) is the new S-Heel technology. A thick band of non-compressible rubber has been put down the inside of the heel, to prevent torsion of the heel and reduce the loss of power and stability associated with this. In other words when you use a heel hook your foot is able to move around slightly in the heelcup because the the rubber on the inside of the heel is so soft. The slight deformity of the heel this movement causes, means you’re not quite as stable in the shoe and obviously the power that goes into deforming the heel cup is lost from the heel hook itself. This is where the S-Heel technology comes in - The thick rubber band in the S-Heel means you cannot disfigure the heel of the shoe, in the same way, and as such that previously lost power is put straight into the heel hook itself - this should in turn make the heel hook feel more solid and improve your overall ability to use your heel properly.

Another addition of note is the cut out sole; removing a piece of rubber from the middle of the sole allows you to spread the front of the foot, increasing the amount of contact with the rock. For a downturned shoe the Skwama smears well, and is not out of it’s element on slabs as is often the case when it comes to aggressive shoes.

On the opposite side of the toe box, rather than remove rubber La Sportiva have decided to add it. Nearly the entire front half of the shoe is covered in a soft, sticky toe patch. The rubber is some of the softest I have ever felt, making toe hooks extremely easy outside- where the combination of the rock friction and the soft nature of the rubber work exceptionally well together. Indoors the toe patch still works well, though there have been times I have wanted a slightly stiffer rubber to give a little extra support to my foot.

The Cut-Out Sole - Seb Smith

The only problem I have found with the Skwama is the mixture of Edge and No-Edge technology. The problem isn’t a preference over one type or another, rather having both on the same shoe. The very point of the toe has an edge while further back, on the inside and outside of the foot, is the No-Edge Technology. Fresh out of the box, where the two meet, the shoe feels uneven and loses some of its feel on the wall. Once I had worn them a while and the edge rubber had started to wear this ceased to be a problem - but it could be overcome altogether if one was chosen over the other, and I don’t think the combination adds enough to the shoe to warrant the slight frustration it causes.

Comfort

La Sportiva say the Skwama “fits like skin” and they are not wrong. The Skwama could have been sold without the velcro strap, as a slipper, and no one would have complained. The addition of the velcro strap gives extra security and really allows you to minimise any areas where the shoe is not as snug as you would wish. There is really little to no give in this shoe, so while you can go down in size quite a way with these boots, they do not stretch - more just mold to the foot. If you aim for a snug but comfy pair out of the box, that is how they will stay.

Sensitivity

The Skwama is a phenomenally sensitive shoe: at first I was worried that using 4mm Vibram rubber instead of the 3.5mm would rob the shoe of some sensitivity; this is not the case. A combination of the split sole and the soft XS-Grip 2 rubber allows the user to really feel what is happening under their feet. Due in part to the soft nature of the shoe, the sensitivity can be on the painful end of the spectrum when really weighting your feet on sharp pebbles - unless you are constantly standing on pebbles though, you should not let this deter you.

On the Rock

Let me assert this shoe is brilliant outside: I use them for pretty much everything now. My Skwama have already been to Magic Wood and Fontainebleau with me. On the hard granite of Magic Wood, the Skwama was like no other; the cold temperatures certainly worked well with the soft nature of the shoe; not taking long to warm up yet never softening up too much. Mid-April in Fontainebleau was maybe too warm for the Skwama, while the shoe never held me back, there were times I was felt a slightly stiffer sole would have made life easier.
Closer to home the Skwama has performed without fault on the gritstone of Yorkshire and the Peak, while the shoes were definitely better in the colder temps, so is the rock - so I’m not sure this should ever be a deciding factor. I’ve also managed to get some use out of the Skwama on limestone more recently where they have been superb for really feeling the rock and giving that boost of confidence on weighting your feet.

The Skwama doing what they do best - Seb Smith

In the Gym

A good, all round pair of shoes, the Skwama is going to be a great choice of shoe for anyone bouldering at a mid to high level indoors. It’s lightweight, downturned design means that at the higher end of lead climbing where necessity dictates that performance outweighs comfort, the Skwama is a perfect choice.

Overall

When it comes to the Skwama, La Sportiva have managed to make a brilliant shoe. It is soft and sensitive without having to sacrifice power. The S-heel technology is really impressive and I’m sure we will see it being used on a lot more Sportiva shoes going forwards. For me, the shoe would have been improved if it La Sportiva had used the No-Edge Technology on the entirety of the toe, but this is a minor point and I’m sure soon they will have an Edgeless shoe with the S-Heel tech - Until then this will be my go to shoe for sure.

Climbing Shoe Review - La Sportiva Genius & No-Edge Technology

Since buying my Genius a fair few people have asked me what I thought about them and more specifically the no-Edge technology. I have now owned my La Sportiva Genius for 5 months so I feel I can finally pass judgement on them and the No-Edge technology. When you look at one you can’t help but look at the other - So here you have somewhat of a mixed review. First a bit of background on the new tech.

La Sportiva Genius

No-Edge Technology

At first, like many, I was somewhat sceptical of the No-Edge technology La Sportiva were pushing on some of their more high-end boots. Boots have had good edges for years; it’s one of the things many people look at when they are buying a new shoe. Deep down everyone knows you need an edge to stand on those tiny little “Credit Card” edges. And we have all had to throw away a pair of shoes that are just too worn down - a big sign of which is their lack of edges.

According to La Sportiva however, none of this is necessarily true. A “No-Edge” shoe is produced using a brand-new process, meaning that La Sportiva can make the following claims:

• No-Edge brings rock and foot into closer contact.
• No-Edge enhances the sensitivity and the adaptability of the shoe.
• No-Edge allows for a more even pressure distribution across the shoe.

There are a few things to consider here, that once your normal shoes are worn down enough to be edge-less the rest of the shoe is used and abused to the point where they don’t function as they should. And while an edge is great for standing on a tiny crimp the extra rubber you have to put on a shoe to produce an edge will obviously reduce sensitivity - More rubber on the shoe, means more rubber to have to feel through.

Another question we could ask, is why did we want Edges in the first place? I mean I can see the logic of them being great on crimps but are they useful on any other hold type, that is to say “Does a shoe’s edge offer any advantage on a hold type other than a thin lip?” Are we maximising gains on one specific hold while causing losses on all the others? I can’t really find a satisfactory answer to this anywhere, but at least this is an interesting point for another time.

Anyway enough general waffling and onto the shoe itself.

The Genius in Action - Seb Smith

La Sportiva Genius

Comfort

As a rather aggressive shoe the genius is not a comfy out of the box boot. However they broke in within a handful of sessions and really sat nicely on my feet. Wearing them untied at first decreased the discomfort but probably also increased the amount of time to break them in. The lace system obviously allows for the shoe to mould very closely to one's foot, while the Classic La Sportiva P3 system maintains the downturn and hence the feel of the shoe. There is a ridge of padding under the curve of the toes which took a bit of getting used to, but is actually a really nice feature and does increase the comfort overall. One great feature is the full lacing system, allowing a really adaptable fit for a range of different foot sizes and shapes.

Sensitivity

I originally bought these as a stiff shoe, on both the shelf and the test pair the rubber felt stiff while still being flexible. However after breaking in the Genius has become much softer, still not as soft as say the Python’s but still noticeably softer than they first were. The sensitivity is brilliant; you really can feel a lot of what is going on underneath you. I was worried about whether my footwork would become more shoddy - just stabbing a foot on and letting the No-Edge technology do its job - however this isn’t so much the case. You are not so much just stabbing a toe on and just going, but there is no time needed to make sure the edge is on just right. You can feel the rock beneath you, know you can weight it and be straight off again.

In The Gym

I’m not sure this is the shoe for you if you solely use them in the gym. They are an expensive pair of boots and honestly I’m not sure feet are ever so bad in the gym that an edge will be what’s holding you back. That’s not to say I don’t use them when indoors, but if this is your only stomping ground I wouldn’t be rushing out to buy a pair -Though I will say that I have started using them during training board sessions, and they are very useful at getting your feet used to that specific sort of precision footwork.

On the rock

This is where the genius really shines. The amount of information you receive from your toes is simply phenomenal. I have had these out and about all over Yorkshire and Peak grit. They are good at everything from standing on pebbles and quarried ledges, to smearing on non-existent holds. Recently they were my go to shoe for a week in Fontainebleau, where they performed exceptionally well on the glassy and non-glassy sandstone of the area alike, even performing well on even the most delicate of Font slabs. The one thing I haven’t mentioned is how great they are at heel-hooks. The stiff yet sticky heel holds really well, is easy to weight and even easier to trust.

An ill-advised heel hook - Seb Smith

Overall

The Genius is a great bouldering shoe, fulfilling all the needs of a performance rock boot. They are built fantastically well and given the good state they are still in after 5 months of use that quality seems to last. For those of you who take a selection of shoes to the crag, this is definitely one you need to consider, and I am sure you would quite quickly be pulling this one on first. It can take a while to get used to but it is definitely worth it.  The “No-Edge” technology can be a bit of a Marmite style divider, but for my money it works - and don’t let that be what puts you off trying a brilliant shoe.