La Sportiva Futura Climbing Shoe Review

 
 
La Sportiva Futura

The La Sportiva Futura is one of the most sensitive climbing shoes on the market. If you’re looking for maximum adaptability for hard sport climbing and bouldering, then this may be the shoe for you.

The Futura is graced with La Sportiva's 'No-Edge' technology. This construction involves a single piece of rubber that wraps from the sole, all the way to the top of the shoe (as opposed to a piece of rubber for the sole, and a separate piece for around the toes).


The Good

The La Sportiva Futura is all you could ever want when it comes to pure sensitivity. The shoe has 3mm of XS Grip 2 rubber. If you’re a bit of a shoe nerd (like myself), this will make you think, “God, that’s thin!” And so it should! This is the thinnest rubber you’ll find on any performance climbing shoe from La Sportiva. This is for good reason.

You see, the unique shape of the Futura positions your toe differently from the norm. Traditionally, standing in a climbing shoe feels like standing on an 'edge'. In a Futura, it feels like you're standing on your toe. This, combined with the thin rubber, results in the feeling of almost direct contact with the foothold you’re on. Every ripple, dimple and edge in the rock becomes obvious, allowing for maximum precision and confidence when you’re placing your feet.

No-Edge shoes are designed to be as soft and flexible through the midsole as well, to allow the shoe to conform to large, rounded slopers and nothing-smears. An advantage of this is that the Futura excels at the modern bouldering style. The incredible lateral flex makes the Futura mould to anything you put it on, much like the La Sportiva Skwama (my review of the Skwama is here. The Futura, however, is a cut above even that, combining the flexibility with an asymmetric, precise toe. This makes the Futura ideal for small pockets.

The heel cup on this shoe is equally sensitive, with thin, sticky rubber on the sides to give maximum purchase on marginal heel-hooks. Once again, this is a big advantage when trying to heel hook on tiny screw-on holds indoors, or hitting that exact crystal when outdoors.

Edging on a No-Edge climbing shoe is quite interesting. The smaller the edge becomes, the more you end up “smearing” on it, rather than truly edging. This is a completely different way of edging, compared to the technique you would use in a traditional climbing shoe. In a 'normal' climbing shoe, you would use the edge of the shoe as a platform to perch on small holds. In the Futura, you feel as if you’re really using your toe to edge, giving amazing confidence, but requiring a bit more strength to feel secure.

The leather in the La Sportiva Futura shoe is ridiculously soft. I’m talking feels-like-a Mythos soft, except a bit thicker. In addition, the soft microfibre is identical to what we find on the La Sportiva Solution, providing a plush, soft upper for your foot to press against. It’s not the most comfortable performance shoe you can get, thanks to its high asymmetry, but it’s certainly up there.


The Not As Good

As I just mentioned, to edge in a La Sportiva Futura requires a bit more strength than a regular, stiffer climbing shoe. If you’re looking for a pair of softer performance shoes, then I’d anticipate you to get a bit more tired for the first few sessions of use, particularly if you’re a sport climber (and therefore standing with more weight in your feet for longer than if you were mostly bouldering on steep terrain).

The same applies to the lack of structure in this shoe. In my personal experience, the softness of the shoe puts far more pressure on my big toe, particularly when I'm weighting only one foot. You’ll adjust to this, and it’s an understandable trade-off for the level of sensitivity that this shoe provides.


In conclusion, the La Sportiva Futura is an incredibly unique climbing shoe. Its ultra-sensitive and flexible sole lends itself to a completely different style of climbing. It’s something that you need to try to truly understand how much of a difference it makes to the feedback you get from the rock. Come in, try a pair on and see for yourself what No-Edge could do for your climbing.

Best for: Bouldering, sport climbing
Who for: Intermediate/advanced climbers looking for maximum sensitivity
Terrain: Slab, vertical, overhanging


Will Featherstone,
Bogong Equipment



See our range of climbing shoes.


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