In 2020 La Sportiva is releasing 3 new climbing shoes, specifically designed for the Olympics. These shoes will need to come out around Jan 1 to be able to be used in the Olympics, but they’ll likely hit the US market in the late May/June time frame.

Later in 2020, more July-Oct timeframe, La Sportiva will also release some more beginner-focused shoes, the Zenit and Aragon.

Details for all the shows are below:

Cobra 4:99 – for speed climbing (unisex)

Based on the previous version of the Cobra, this slipper shoe has a few updates. Namely, taking anything not needed for speed climbing off, to create a lighter climbing shoe that won’t catch on the holds. This shoe is really only designed for the speed climbing route. La Sportiva has removed the back rubber from the shoe to lighten it and make it softer. The shoe also has less heel tension, a super soft heel, and non-sticky rand (side) rubber to prevent catching on holds. It’s name is inspirational: awaiting the day a climber will send the speed route in under 5 seconds. It’ll retail for $150 and be out in the US around June 2020.

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Solution Comp – for lead climbing (men’s and women’s)

The Solution Comp will be quite similar to the current Solution. One of the biggest complaints of the Solution is that some folks don’t fit the molded heel cup well, which causes issues with heel hooking. The Solution Comp heel is a lot softer and a lot more sensitive and should fit your foot if you didn’t like the previous version. It’ll work better on microholds as well since it’s softer. It’s also slightly shallower and lower volume. The entire structure of the shoe will shift slightly and feel softer because of this softer heel. The toe now has substantially more rubber than the current Solution so it should catch and hold toe hooks much easier. It’ll retail at $185 and come out in the US around June 2020.

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Theory – for bouldering (men’s and women’s)

Designed specifically to climb on huge volumes and have maximum rubber contact. There is no midsole so you can do parkour-like moves with maximum rubber contact. It has a unique sole design where the tip part of the toe has an classic edge and the sides of the sole have the no-edge design to maximize surface contact. The sole rubber tapers from 4mm at the toe to 1mm at the back of the sole for increased sensitivity. This shoe will also have the most rubber on the top of the shoe compared to any other La Sportiva shoes. The goal is that there is so much rubber that it’ll stick no matter where the shoe touches the wall. The heel has a molded harder yellow rubber so the shoe will resist deformation on hard heel hooks, but has soft rubber on the sides to help stick. It’ll retail at $190 and come out in the US around June 2020.

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Tarantula – updated colors in 2020

All else is the same. We were so focused on the 3 new models that we forgot to take a photo of the new colors…

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New La Sportiva Shoes in 2019

La Sportiva is coming out with one updated shoe and one totally revamped mountaineering boot in 2019.

Testarossa (updated) climbing shoe

$190, Spring 2019

The Testarossa will continue to be aggressively downturned with an asymmetric last. It keeps the pointy toe and Vibram XS Grip 2 rubber. The updated differences are a new heel design and aesthetics. See the video below for more details.

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See all the climbing shoes currently on the market:
weighmyrack.com/shoe

Olympus Mons Cube mountaineering boot

$1199, 1050 grams, ~~Oct/Nov 2019~~ March 2020

The Olympus Mons Cube is a mountaineering boot designed for cold expeditions like Everest and Antarctica. Most notably it debuts a tech fit binding system which will allow for skinning up, over, and across glaciers (it’s not made for downhill skiing).

The Oly Mons lost 400 grams while still gaining warmth, compared to its predecessor. It also exchanged traditional laces for two Boa® dials on the outer boot that control pressure above and below the ankle. There is now also a third inner boot layer, which is a sock-like liner booty, that will significantly increase the drying time.

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Click for more Olympus Mons Evo photos and details.

New La Sportiva shoes for 2018

To see all 44 climbing shoes that came out in 2018, go here: 2018 New Climbing Shoes post

Futura – Women’s

May 2018, $185

Following the success of the soft, sensitive, and aggressive men’s Futura, La Sportiva is releasing the Futura Women’s with the same No-Edge sole and Vibram XS Grip rubber. The women’s model is built on a lower volume last than the men’s model, with a narrower forefoot and heel. Like the original Futura, the Futura Women’s utilizes the P3 rand platform to keep the shoe (and the climber’s foot) in a downturned position. The upper is also unlined leather enabling it to mold to the climber’s foot.

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Skwama – Women’s

Summer 2018, $165

Building on the success of the men’s Skwama, the Skwama Women’s will feature a lower volume last in the forefoot and heel. It’ll have the same midsole and split outsole as the men’s version, along with the S-heel construction of the Skwama/Otaki line. It utilizes the P3 rand platform to keep the shoe (and the climber’s foot) in a downturned position and a large rubber toecap for volume creativity and tension based climbing. It’s a softer, more performance orientated shoe prioritizing sensitivity, downturn and aggressive foot position for steeper sport, bouldering and competition climbing.

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Cobra Eco

Summer 2018, $140

The La Sportiva Cobra slipper was removed from the North American line for a few years, but now it’s back, in an Eco edition. The Cobra Eco is very similar in design improvements to the Mythos Eco, emphasising environmental responsibility, reducing waste and recycling. The rubber is fully recycled from the production of other shoes (ie, small scraps from the Solution and Genius, etc). The leather and nylon are environmentally sourced, eco-tanned and use water-based glues and dyes. The Cobra Eco slipper will be great for crack climbing if you go up a size or it can perform on the steeps when you downsize.

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Gecko Gym (men’s and women’s)

Spring 2018, $110

The La Sportiva Gecko Gym was designed for indoor climbing and training (although you can certainly go outdoors with them). La Sportiva used their XF 2.0 rubber for maximizing durability. The Gecko Gym has a powerful midsole to support the foot during long days in the gym. A split outsole makes it easier to resole when the time comes. It’s built on a comfort oriented last with minimal asymmetry or downturn. Most notably, the Gecko Gym is washable – train all day, and when it’s starting to smell you can toss ’em in the washing machine, let it air dry, and you’ll be ready for the next gym sesh.

See and compare every climbing shoe from every brand at:
weighmyrack.com/shoe

See all the new gear coming in 2019 from Black Diamond, CAMP/Cassin, SCARPA, etc
in our 2019 Gear Post

Khoi Chau

Khoi's loves to climb sport and trad, ideally multipitch. His love of rock climbing has driven him to seek out as many different climbing destinations as his vacation days can allow for, and, for better or worse, it has also resulted him amassing an extremely large collection of gear.

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