2/16/2024 0 Comments La sportiva katana laceThe padded tongue atop the foot keeps laces from digging into your foot. Though this shoe is billed as a sport-climbing and bouldering shoe, I found success even on cracks, particularly of the finger to hand-sized variety. Its heel-hooking capabilities also fell short due to how the shoe fit my wider, higher-volume heel. Without much rubber atop the foot, the Katana Lace struggles to keep up with other models in the toe-hooking category. Good enough, but I think a slightly softer shoe would help me out on feeling those smears. That sensitivity factor came into play on smears, too. The Katana Lace edges well enough on routes up to 5.12, but the shoe isn’t quite sensitive enough to use when edges get really small or steep. For those of you with narrow feet, this may be your new favorite kick. This is one of the lowest volume shoes I’ve tested, too. The shoe is just plain comfortable, employing some nice padded cushioning atop the foot. La Sportiva’s proprietary randing system, the P3 (Permanent Power Platform), tensions the rubber and maintains this shape through the lifespan of the shoe. The asymmetric Katana Lace is slightly down-turned, which gave the sensation of a performance shoe but managed to retain the comfort of a flatter shoe without those performance features. I tested the Katana Lace on limestone and sandstone of all angles and slipperiness, and was pleased with its versatility as well as the Vibram XS Edge rubber’s stickiness. Where the Katana Lace-up falls short is that it has too little arch support, there’s a long break-in period, and overall, I would love to have more sensitivity for technical climbing. Compared to many shoes on the market, the Katana-as with most shoes in La Sportiva’s line-just feels well made. I also love the lower-volume heel, and just how breathable and comfortable the shoe is. The slight asymmetry and downturned toe of this narrow lace-up adds a ton of performance without compromising comfort. I love Sportiva’s proprietary P3 rand-it retains the shoe’s shape over its life. This sleek, sharp weapon for your foot excels on sport climbs and boulders, but can be used for trad as well. The La Sportiva Katana Lace (MSRP $165) is a slightly asymmetrical, low-volume, slightly downturned, all-purpose climbing shoe.
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