La Sportiva Miura VS Review

The La Sportiva Miura VS is a time-testing shoe that has been on the market for more than two decades. For 2023, the Miura VS received a slight update, which we happily report hasn't changed the shoe's edging power. If anything, it has slightly increased the shoe's sensitivity and comfort without taking anything away from its performance (which is not an easy feat!)

Performance Comparison

Comfort

For the newest version of the Miura VS, La Sportiva used a more supple rubber in the heel to help increase sensitivity. This also resulted in a slightly more comfortable fit throughout the shoe. While we used to claim that the tradeoff for good edging was a lack of comfort, this shoe now offers a pretty high level of comfort – if its toe box fits you well. The toe box is wide and tapers into an aggressive point, which is not how most feet are shaped. Our lead tester found the shoe an excellent fit for his slightly wider feet with longer big toes. But of course, all feet are different, so your mileage may vary.

Smearing

While the sensitivity of this shoe has increased slightly, it still is not what we would consider sensitive or flexible enough to smear well. The stiff, downturned profile makes it difficult to flatten your feet, which makes smears feel less secure, especially on sloping footholds. To be fair, the Miura VS isn't the most downturned shape on the market and will smear well enough when you need it to. But it's not what this shoe is designed to do.

Edging

The Miura VS is a function-specific shoe that does a few things incredibly well, and edging is at the top of that list. The supportive P3 midsole lets you power down through your toes on the tiniest features. It also edges well on all sides of the toe, allowing you to utilize the outside edge and turn your hips into the wall to increase your reach when necessary. The downturned toe allows this shoe to edge well even when the moves stretch you out. The VS is one of the stiffest shoes we've ever worn without a board last, and few shoes even come close to its edging ability. Despite its stiffness, this new model feels more sensitive than previous versions, offering an excellent balance of power and feel on small holds.

Pulling

Even though this shoe is not intended for the steepest terrain, either, the Muira VS does admirably well on gently overhanging faces. The edging power and low-volume toe make great use of pockets of all sizes, allowing you to toe in and hold tension on technical limestone features. Only a few other shoes can rival how the VS performs on pockets, and they all have pointier and even more painful toe profiles. The Miura VS performs well enough in steeper terrain, but its stiffness inhibits your ability to curl your feet around holds and a lack of additional rubber nearly prevents you from performing secure hooks.

Crack Climbing

You can get away with climbing a few cracks in this shoe, but it won't be very comfortable. The Miura VS is not designed or intended for use in cracks – the triple-buckle system gets in the way and will suffer some unnecessary wear and tear if jammed frequently into hand cracks. The low-volume toe is pointy, though, and can gain modest purchase in thin cracks and pods. In other words, it's not bad for trad cragging; it's just not our first choice for long days in wide cracks.

Should You Buy the La Sportiva Miura VS?

The Miura VS is a top choice for edging performance and may be your secret weapon in the pursuit of steep, technical face climbs. With that said, like all things in rock climbing – and in particular, like all things that go on your feet – it has to work for you. This shoe works as advertised and climbs hard, but its value as a specialty shoe is in how you use it. The Miura VS is certainly a shoe worthy of close consideration.

What Other Rock Climbing Shoes Should You Consider?