La Sportiva Futura - Women's Review

We were huge fans of the La Sportiva Futura. Their No-Edge technology allowed us to rediscover footwork and climb with newfound confidence. On steep climbing, especially limestone and sandstone, the Futuras were impressive; they inspired such confidence that features we would have laughed at in the past suddenly became decent footholds. They were our go-to shoes, especially on steep climbing where smeary feet and small pockets are the name of the game.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Futura brings an impressive combination of performance and comfort that is unparalleled among the shoes we've tested. The soft, synthetic upper is supple and malleable, which helped them adapt to the shape of our foot - after just a few days of use. As they broke in, comfort increased over time. Though the shape appears aggressive outwardly, the Futura keeps the foot in a fairly natural position.

Sensitivity

The No-Edge technology used in the construction of the Futura can be a little unnerving at first. Instead of a distinct 4mm layer of rubber that separates the sole from the rand, the Futura has a layer of rubber that wraps from the sole of the shoe over the tip of the toe. This makes for an incredibly sensitive toe and forces you to climb with more precision and faith. Once we warmed up to them, the Futura inspired us to stand on the smeariest, tiniest footholds we could find with complete commitment.

Edging

Though they excel in terms of sensitivity and smearing, the La Sportiva Futura is not the first pair we would pick for routes that require technical edging. The soft, sticky No-Edge style toe doesn't stand on edges the same way a stiffer shoe does. The Futura doesn't treat footholds in the same way a traditional climbing shoe does, so it's almost hard to judge their performance for this metric. If you try to edge as you would in a shoe like the Kataki, the Futura will likely feel pretty frustrating. Instead, take time getting used to these shoes, and they will show you an entirely new way of interacting with footholds.

Crack Climbing

Most of the crack climbing we did was centered around smeary lay-backing rather than straight-in jamming. The Futura can stem and smear with the best, but splitter cracks are not their strong suit. The Velcro closure system could easily get worn down if used on hand cracks or anything wider that requires repetitive jamming, and the No-Edge technology used in the design of the toe box is too bulky to successfully fit into finger cracks.

Pockets

We loved the Futura for steep, pocketed climbing. The toe box fits into small pockets with ease, and the heel is precise and tight-fitting enough for the occasional heel hook. The No-Edge technology allows the Futura to toe into the shallowest of pockets with ease. For steep, pocketed limestone, the Futuras were on par with other top Sportiva models we've tested.

Ease of Use

La Sportiva's Fast Lacing System makes the Futura one of the quickest pairs to get on and off. This technology consists of a thin nylon strap that weaves across the top of the foot and is secured by a bit of Velcro; this makes the shoes easy to tighten or loosen, and even easier to slip on and off in between burns.

Value

With a hefty price tag, the Futuras are an investment. For folks who have been climbing for a long time and are looking for something new, the Futura could be a good choice, but with the price tag, they could also feel like an expensive experiment.

Conclusion