Shoe Review: La Sportiva Solution

Today there are endless shoe options. It seems like every company has dozens of models to choose from. Every year there is a new cutting edge shoe being released, with the latest and greatest technology to help you send.

12-15 years ago this wasn’t the case, it seemed like all you saw was 5.10 Dragons or La Sportiva Solutions. While the 5.10 Dragons were discontinued, brought back, and ultimately went away again. The La Sportiva Solutions have stayed on the market relatively unchanged, besides 3 color variations, an updated strap, and the introduction of the women’s version & the competition version.

So how does this shoe that was released in 2007 hold up in 2025? 17 years later, and they are still a common sight on the wall, inside and outside.

This review might be a little biased, since they are my personal favorite. They have been with me on most of my hardest sends. Helping me send hard vertical sport climbs on limestone to steep sandstone caves. This was the first shoe I bought (well second, but I sold my oversized tarantulaces almost immediately), and if I could only wear one shoe, this would be the one.

So what makes this shoe so great? In today’s world of ultra-soft performance shoes this shoe is on the stiffer side of soft. This used to be the softest shoe in my line up, and now it is the stiffest. I think this middle ground is what makes the Solution so great. Soft enough to smear and feel what you are standing on, while being stiff enough to drive power through the toe. The design is relatively simple, not too downturned, not too asymmetrical, and with just enough features makes it a powerhouse of a shoe. This “just right” shoe does everything. From slab (see video below) to roof, boulders to ropes, and indoors to outside.

The heel, love it or hate, chances are you have an opinion on it. The bulbous 3D molded heel cup is not for everyone or every foot. But if the shoe fits… this heel can be an amazing tool in your shoe quiver. While it might not be appropriate for every heel hook, the heel is great at delivering an immense amount of power. For me the heel fits perfectly. It is my go to shoe for any climb required a powerful heel hook (see video below) or technical heel toe cam (see video two below). After a short but brutal break in period, I have a good fit in both the toe and the heel. The added security of the Velcro-closure harness system ensures no slippage.

This shoe delivers an immense amount of power to the toe. The downturned talon shape and love bump under the toes, puts your toes into an aggressive and powerful position. This allows you to grab edges and features on steeply overhanging walls, or toe down aggressively on small feet. Again, if I only had one shoe this would be the one!

In conclusion! If the shoe fits, try it! Fit should be the number one factor when choosing a climbing shoe! The best shoe won’t be the best for you unless it fits well. If the Solutions fit your foot I would urge you to try it out! As shoes get more and more specialized, it’s nice having one shoe that can do it all! As a bonus, to show how the shoe is still relevant today, more than ever, here is Jakob Schubert sending some of the hardest boulders in Switzerland in the classic Sportiva Solutions!

Climbing is dangerous, it involves inherent and other risks and cannot be eliminated. The information presented here does not describe all of the risks associated with climbing and is not intended to replace or supersede expert instruction and training.

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