La Sportiva Oxygym Climbing Shoe - Womens Review

La Sportiva Solution Review

This shoe is a favorite of many veteran climbers and still feels cut edge over x years later on its first release

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Price: $180 List | Check Price at REI
Compare prices at 3 resellers

Pros: Great precision, aggressive/downward turned toe tip, sensitive, great toe and heel hooking, precise fit, comfy, easy on/off

Cons: Not comfortable for all-day climbing, expensive, non the most versatile, hard to fit, single strap broke prematurely

Manufacturer: La Sportiva

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78

OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#10 of 29

• Edging - twenty% ix.0

• Cracks - 20% 7.0

• Comfort - 20% viii.0

• Steep Terrain - 20% 8.0

• Sensitivity - 20% seven.0

Our Verdict

The La Sportiva Solution is a deservedly popular, premium rock climbing shoe. It features a clever velcro closure system that quickly locks nigh pes shapes into a powerful position. The aggressive downturn shape is well-suited to unmarried pitch climbing and bouldering of just virtually any fashion or rock type. Unless you're exclusively crack climbing or tackling long multi-pitch routes, the Solution can handle anything you tin can throw at it. The biggest issue that some people seem to have is the shape and hardness of the heel loving cup. Nosotros acknowledge that it can feel insensitive, but with certain feet, they fit like a glove. And so don't hesitate to attempt out a pair of these excellent high-performing kicks. You should know quickly whether they will piece of work with your feet.

Compare to Like Products

	This Product La Sportiva Solution	La Sportiva Katana Lace	La Sportiva Solution Comp	La Sportiva Finale	La Sportiva Tarantulace
Awards
Toll	Check Price at REI Compare at 3 sellers	$156.00 at Backcountry Compare at ii sellers	Check Cost at REI Compare at 3 sellers	Check Price at Backcountry Compare at iii sellers	Bank check Price at REI Compare at 3 sellers
Overall Score	78	88	84	70	64
Star Rating	1 ii iii 4 v	i 2 3 4 v	ane ii three 4 5	i ii iii 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Pros	Not bad precision, ambitious/down turned toe tip, sensitive, corking toe and heel hooking, precise fit, comfortable, easy on/off	Versatile, stiff, durable, comfortable	Extremely precise toe, extra heel sensitivity, comfortable for an aggressive shoe	Comfortable design, respectable edging, depression-contour toe, fantabulous cost	Affordable, flat midsole is comfy all day, well-balanced operation beyond many areas
Cons	Non comfortable for all-day climbing, expensive, not the almost versatile, hard to fit, single strap broke prematurely	Expensive, limited sensitivity	Pricey, alpine toe box, besides narrow for some feet	Mediocre precision, subpar on the steeps, somewhat insensitive	Insensitive, imprecise fit, ineffective design for steep terrain
Lesser Line	This shoe is a favorite of many veteran climbers and nevertheless feels cutting edge over ten years after its first release	This stiff shoe is an all-day crack climbing workhorse that as well performs well on edges and slabs	An ultra-loftier-end shoe that could put you lot on the podium of your climbing contest	Decent overall climbing performance at an affordable price make these a sold selection	An entry-level shoe ideal for beginners that comes at an awesomely low price
Rating Categories	La Sportiva Solution	La Sportiva Katana...	La Sportiva Solutio...	La Sportiva Finale	La Sportiva Tarantu...
Edging (xx%)	9.0	10.0	9.0	seven.0	half-dozen.0
Cracks (twenty%)	7.0	9.0	7.0	7.0	7.0
Comfort (20%)	8.0	9.0	8.0	viii.0	8.0
Steep Terrain (20%)	8.0	8.0	10.0	half dozen.0	v.0
Sensitivity (20%)	7.0	8.0	eight.0	7.0	6.0
Specs	La Sportiva Solution	La Sportiva Katana...	La Sportiva Solutio...	La Sportiva Finale	La Sportiva Tarantu...
Style	Velcro	Lace	Velcro	Lace	Lace
Upper	Leather / Lorica	Leather/Lorica	Leather / microfiber	Leather / microfiber	Leather/Synthetic
Width Options	Regular	Regular	Regular	Regular	Regular
Lining	HF in toe box and curvation area	Pacific (forefoot and dorsum)	Pacific, lycra	Unlined	None
Rubber Type	Vibram XS Grip2	Vibram XS Edge	Vibram XS Grip2	Vibram XS Edge	FriXion RS
Rubber Thickness (millimeters)	4 mm	4 mm	4 mm	5 mm	5 mm

Show total specification details Hide total specification details

Our Analysis and Test Results

The La Sportiva Solution has long been a stalwart at boulders and sport crags the earth over. Nosotros hemmed and hawed for weeks nigh whether to grant this ever-popular shoe an award. Ultimately we concluded that the lack of sensitivity in the Solution's heel was a singled-out disadvantage compared to the softer heel on the Solution'due south close relative, the Solution Comp. Both are splendid shoes, but our testers prefer the Solution Comp over the original Solution.

Performance Comparison

Oh aye! A fresh pair of solutions ready to border, smear, jam, and heel hook all twenty-four hour period long.

Credit: Matt Bento

Edging

The Solution was i of La Sportiva'southward first shoes to incorporate their P3 platform, a revolutionary design that helps climbing shoes retain their shape and provide a solid edging platform. This shoe's pointy toe supplies an outstanding sensation of precision to ensure your toes are properly placed on the tiniest footholds. Our testers think they're some of the all-time shoes for utilizing micro edges, especially on steep terrain. Their merely complaint is that the downturned shape makes them less comfy during prolonged single-pitch leads or big days on multi-pitch routes.

The pointy toe and sturdy P3 platform assistance the Solution experience similar i of the most precise and capable edging shoes.

Credit: Jack Cramer

Crevice Climbing

Although these shoes aren't designed for cleft climbing, they're not terrible for some sizes. Climbing hundreds of feet of hand cracks in these puppies will probably exit you lot hobbled for days, merely for short stretches of perfect hands, the Solutions don't feel all that bad. For difficult finger cracks where y'all can inappreciably get your anxiety in the crack anyway, the Solutions are a cracking option. The low-book toe occasionally allows you to eke out a marginal toe jam or 2 in places where many other shoes would be likewise bulky.

It can exist hard to utilize marginal heel hooks in the La Sportiva Solution considering the bulbous heel cup leaves some expressionless space and the rubber on the heel is less than mucilaginous.

Credit: Jack Cramer

Steep Terrain

These shoes mow down pockets like no other. Their pointy toe and short toebox fit into smaller, shallower pockets than annihilation else we've tried. If you're headed to Lander, Tensleep, or whatever pocketed limestone crag this summer, you can't go wrong with a pair of these shoes in your quiver. On more than general steep terrain, they also perform well. The downturn shape is great for pulling your lower torso into the wall. The heel cup, however, is bulbous and covered with an unusually hard safety that lacks sensitivity. For really aggressive heel hooks, nosotros think the Solution Comp is superior.

Sometimes cutting your anxiety is the beta, merely the Solutions are there for yous when information technology's time to reel it in.

Credit: Matt Bento

Sensitivity

This shoe is stiff compared to many others. Although there is some bendiness across the mid-pes, the forefoot is firm, dense, and especially resistant to lateral torsion. Afterward a short burglary period of ten or so pitches, sensitivity improved, but it never reached the level of many softer bouldering shoes. Our testers didn't seem to mind, though, and they didn't complain of whatever problems while they were feeling their manner around on technical granite. One noted that they idea could employ crystal bumps in the Buttermilks just also as they could with softer shoes. Still, in head-to-head comparisons, nosotros must acknowledge that in that location are several shoes that tin can transmit more sensation between the rock and your feet.

The near noticeable difference betwixt the original La Sportiva Solution (left) and the Solution Comp (right) is the shape and thickness of the heel loving cup.

Credit: Jack Cramer

Comfort

Performance climbing shoes are never going to experience like sleeping accommodation slippers, but the original Solutions set a new standard in condolement for high-performing shoes when they were released over ten years ago. The heel bothered a few of our testers later on wearing them for long periods of fourth dimension, and the narrow toe box can make the fit feel worse as your feet not bad throughout the day. Still, some of our testers argued that these are perhaps the most comfortable bouldering shoes for people with narrow feet. The sock-similar cloth tongue is also super stretchy to help conform loftier-book anxiety. This seems to piece of work during shorter sessions, but eventually, the narrow toebox led to discomfort for many of our wide-footed testers.

The P3 platform and quality Italian construction help ensure that the La Sportiva Solution can go along its shape even afterward multiple rubber resoles.

Credit: Jack Cramer

Value

The Solution is a premium shoe with a correspondingly premium price. But if they fit your feet well, then information technology's probably money well spent. Compared to other high-dollar climbing shoes, we retrieve the Solution offers a superior design and materials that are to a higher place average in quality. Compared to cheap climbing shoes, the Solution'south advantages are myriad. They're also a shoe that resoles well, so hopefully, you can keep the aforementioned pair running for several years.

Decision

The popularity of the La Sportiva Solution isn't a fluke. These kicks offering unrivaled precision and some of the best edging performance on the market. They're ideal for the steeper terrain of the boulders and sport crags where their ambitious downturn won't exist too taxing on your feet. Although they aren't the about sensitive climbing shoes, this drawback is overcome by many more reasons for why you lot should consider adding them to your quiver.

— Jack Cramer & Matt Bento

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Source: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/climbing/climbing-shoes/la-sportiva-solution

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