Climbing equipment review: La Sportiva Katana, climbing shoes

A friend of mine recommended the La Sportiva Katana climbing shoes, and until I tried them I had always been under the impression that you had to be a really good climber to wear them.

The Katana has quite a prominent arch in the sole, so it needs to be worn tight for it to fit your feet properly.  I tend to go for comfy climbing shoes in the summer, due to it being hot, but it thought that I’d give them a try.  When I first tried them on, they did feel a bit strange, but I think that’s because of the slingshock on the heel.  La Sportiva have put the slingshock in to help connect the rear of the shoe to the middle areas of the sole, so that you get better edging power and heel/toe hooks.  I then found out that there is a trick to getting this particular shoe to fit your foot perfectly.  Apparently you have to put the shoe on, and then twist the toe cap so that your toes are seated in the shoe correctly.  Once I had mastered this, the Kanata was much more comfortable.

I’ve had lots of climbing shoes over the years, and La Sportiva always delivers really well made shoes with Vibram rubber.  I found the Katana’s great for technical slabs and crimpy edges.  The Vibram rubber is superb for smearing, it really holds well on indoor walls and on rock, outside.

The Katanas are available in both a lace-up version and a Velcro one.  I usually tend to go for a Velcro if I’m buying a technical shoe because I like to wear them tight, but I also like to be able to get them off quickly when my feet start to throb!

So far I’m really impressed with these climbing shoes, I can highly recommend them.

If you’re a fan of lace-ups, you can find them for sale here: La Sportiva Katana Lace-ups

If, like me you prefer Velcro, then here’s the link for you: La Sportiva Katana Velcro