La Sportiva Ondra Comp Climbing Shoe Review
The new and much anticipated Ondra Comp by La Sportiva recently arrived on the shores of Australia and my toes have had the privilege of cosying up with them (almost exclusively) for the last month! Being the newest member of the extensive fleet of climbing shoes by La Sportiva, they are an incredibly unique and carefully curated shoe with a particular set of qualities and use cases in mind.
I am almost certain that if you are currently reading this you know who Adam Ondra is. For the 0.05% of climbers who don’t, he is affectionately considered the GOAT, and he now joins the ranks of Tommy Caldwell (TC Pro) in having his own eponymous La Sportiva shoe. This shoe is the brain child of Ondra and was designed to fill one of the few remaining gaps within La Sportiva’s catalogue, ‘smeadging’. What this, somewhat questionable, newly formed verb refers to is the shoe's exceptional ability to edge on small smeary footholds.
Ondra himself has lamented the fact that there are exceptional shoes at both smearing on volumes and rock (think the Futura), and edging on small/sharp jibs and granite crystals (think the Katana Lace), but there were no shoes that could perform particularly well in both, let alone both simultaneously.
A Side-by-Side of the Ondra Comps (left) next to my all time favourite (and very smelly) Solution
Technical Specifications
The Ondra Comp sports an incredibly unique design, even by La Sportiva’s standards, with some exciting new and patented tech. Straight away looking at the shoe you notice the shortened half-sole, something often seen on the softer shoes in Scarpa’s range (e.g. the Drago). This is essentially just to allow for more bendability in the shoe, creating a greater surface area across flat features, volumes and slopers.
The most hyped technical feature of this shoe has to be La Sportiva’s brand new ‘Sensegrip’. This is the key feature that makes this shoe so unique in its ‘smedging’ excellence. Sensegrip is essentially a ‘crown’ (horseshoe shape) of thicker rubber built around the outside of the sole platform (see diagram above) which still allows for excellent edging performance, with a kind of thin, soft cushion on the inside of this through which you get the extreme sensitivity. This, paired with the slightly softened P3 system has created an unmatched medium between sensitivity and edging perfection!
An approximate outline of the hardened piece of plastic comprising the midsole
Another key component of this shoe is its enormous surface area of textured (and very grippy) rubber on the toe of the shoe, making it the ultimate toe-hooking machine. Don’t believe me, just watch Hamish McArthur crushing all of Squamish’s hardest boulders in them via the following link. As well as this, a feature that has flown under the radar on this shoe is the inclusion of a small, shock absorbing cushion underneath the toe box.
The idea behind this is to provide a bit more protection and comfort for those dynamic toe hooks so often found in modern competition climbing.
How the Shoe Fits
So, let's quickly talk about how the shoe fits! For me, VERY well. I have also found whilst fitting many people in climbing shoes recently, that it is about as good a ‘universal fit’ as any climbing shoes I have encountered. I think this is likely to do with the relatively low volume (and not moulded) heel cup, as well as the decent volume and width in the toe box. I would say that if the profile of your foot fits anything between a Solution to a Katana Lace, the Ondra Comps will likely feel something like a warm hug to your dogs.
In terms of stretch, I would say the Ondra Comp is most similar to the Theory. That is to say it will stretch maybe ⅓ of a size (this is not a scientific measurement, just going off feel). This is quite a small amount, but given the inordinate amount of rubber that comprises the upper of this shoe, it is not bagging out anytime soon.
In terms of sizing, I am a size 44 foot (and wear between 44-45 ‘normal’ shoes) and I fit my Ondra Comps at 41. I usually sit anywhere between 40.5 (for my smallest Solutions, yes that is a little sadistic) and 41.5 (for my ‘comfy’ Miuras). I found that given the softness of the Comps I didn’t want to size them quite as small as my Solutions, and I could maybe even go a half-size up if I wanted to! I also found that given their lack of stretch I didn’t need to size them quite as small as other mostly leather La Sportiva performance shoes.
Smeadging Outside?
Despite the shoes primary focus on modern competition climbing, of which I am not particularly good at, I have found these shoes to be an excellent performer on Victorian quartzite, particularly the smooth ‘Arapilesian’ bulges of Dyurrite. I got to put them through their paces, from lengthy traditional (trad) on-sight climbing on a mix of moderate terrain to harder sport climbing. From using these shoes out at Arapiles and the Grampians the past month I have actually found them to be far more of an all-rounder than I was anticipating.
The shoe, unsurprisingly, felt superb on particularly slopey edges and surfaces on sandstone (both the smooth metamorphic stuff and the gritty sedimentary). I felt probably the most comfortable I ever have trusting crappy smears, but no one is shocked by this… I think the most eye-opening thing was how well it still managed smaller edges.
Admittedly there are far superior shoes when it comes to edging on the small stuff, however when you’re climbing a pitch full of smeary business, there will likely be at least a section that features at least some smaller/sharper features, and I found the trust I had in these on varying terrain to be unmatched!
This, in my opinion, makes this shoe an excellent choice for those getting out to the Wimmera (and beyond)! I largely put this down to their excellence on smoother formed rock, as well as a surprising versatility on all manner of rock features.
I would also mention that if you often find yourself toe-hooking outside (looking at you boulderers), there is genuinely no better shoe, Seriously… They might even be aid (jury’s out).
Negatives
I hardly feel qualified to speak poorly on a shoe designed by the world’s best rock climber himself; however I will give some of my anecdotal thoughts on where this shoe might not hold up as well as others and may not be a great choice for some.
For starters, and this likely goes without saying, if you are mostly climbing on sharp edges particularly on vertical and slabby terrain this shoe might not be the one for you… I would also say, given the height of the toe box, this shoe is not the best on ‘pocketty’ stuff - this is a similar issue I occasionally find with something like the Skwama. Though the Ondra Comp is slightly better, if you need to jam your toe into anything smaller than a fist-sized hueco, it is again probably not the ideal choice!
Final Thoughts
The Ondra Comp delivers exactly what you'd hope for from a shoe bearing the GOAT’s name - a masterful balance of sensitivity, versatility, and precision. While built with modern comp-style climbing in mind, it’s far from a one-trick pony. It holds its own impressively on real rock, particularly on ‘smeadgy’ sandstone and a mix of terrain where trust in your feet is non-negotiable.
It’s also not just for the crushers! With a surprisingly universal fit and versatility, this shoe works well for a wide range of climbers. I think newer gym climbers will find it both accessible and empowering - light enough for kids and teens to benefit from its responsive softness, and technical enough to grow with you as your climbing progresses.
In short: this is a comp shoe that climbs way outside its category. If you're after one shoe that can smear, edge, toe hook, and still feel like an extension of your foot - no matter the setting - the Ondra Comp is well worth a look.
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