Review: La Sportiva Miura VS Climbing Shoe

02/02/2023

Will Featherstone has been Bogong’s climbing shoe expert, testing and reviewing the La Sportiva climbing shoe lineup. You can find Will’s other helpful reviews on La Sportiva shoes here.
The Miura VS is differentiated from the other Miura model by its Velcro strap system. This aggressive, performance first shoe is made for the climber looking to send precise problems in the gym or out on rock. Find your perfect fit of the Miura VS in-store or online, available in both Men's and Women's sizes.

The Miura VS has been a staple of the La Sportiva lineup for some years now. It’s a shoe that was designed to chew through micro edges and give maximum support on vertical to overhanging terrain.

Unlike many of the more modern bouldering shoes that are on the market, the Miura VS takes a more traditional structure to the sole. The sole is one complete unit of rubber, with a board inside to provide extra stiffness and support - something that’s important for toeing down on razors.

It’s a shoe that feels at home on long, technical sport climbs, or even harder trad. I’d look no further if you plan on standing on tiny edges when climbing at your limit.

In many ways the Miura is much more similar to a Katana Lace than a Katana is. The extra downturn and increased stiffness makes it quite comparable. That being said, the Miura VS is definitely geared toward harder sport climbing. It features a high volume toe box, allowing for the toes to really bunch up and curl. Generally speaking, this allows for a more efficient force transfer from your foot, through the shoe and onto the rock to create tension.

The asymmetry of the Miura VS is likely going to be the first thing you notice once you slip it on. Many models (such as the Skwama) are really downturned but not that asymmetric. However, the Miura VS forces your foot into a heavily supinated position. Biomechanically, this lends itself to forcing power through the big toe, letting us make the most out of our body's strength. Among other things, this is the X-factor that allows the Miura to stand on just about any edge.

As a caveat, many climbers might find this extreme shape quite uncomfortable. If your second toe sits quite far forward in relation to its big toe neighbor, you may find it feeling a bit squished. You may want to consider the Katana Lace instead if this is the case. Personally, I do find the Miura VS to be uncomfortable when I compare them to some other models, but the Miura isn't *quite* the right shape for my feet. Your mileage may vary, although La Sportiva combats this potential discomfort by providing convenient Velcro straps to fasten. Whenever not climbing, best to take these shoes off.

Of course, like most of La Sportiva’s lineup in this category, the Miura VS boasts 4mm of Vibram XS Edge rubber through the sole. A perfect mix of durability and stickiness, this rubber is more than enough to stand on basically anything. Due to it being a slightly harder compound, you do lose a bit of sensitivity when compared to something like the La Sportiva Solution.

The Miura VS Women use a thinner 3.5mm XS Grip instead to provide similar levels of sensitivity and performance in those with smaller feet. Overall shape and features remain consistent cross both Miura VS models.

If you’ve been climbing in soft shoes for a while, a shoe like a Miura VS can be a good mix up for your climbing style. I find the shift from my Skwama back to a shoe like the Miura to be really telling of my footwork. Suddenly holds I otherwise would have pasted my foot and forgotten about I need to slow down, and use some precision. This may sound like a bad thing to many, but in many ways this can be important for climbing progression. There’s an old saying in training; “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast”.

By forcing us to slow down, be precise and climb consciously, our general climbing will improve as a result.

Being more of a technical route climbing shoe, you won't find a large amount of toe patch rubber to help with those difficult toe hooks on rounded holds. Similarly, due to the Miura VS’s significant stiffness, it’s not as appropriate for indoor bouldering on big, slopey holds. In general, I don’t believe this to be an issue for the majority of climbers, however if I was looking to actually compete in a comp, I would have shoe such as Theory or the Python as my “racing” shoe.

Overall, the Miura VS is and will remain to be a staple in the La Sportiva lineup. It’s the shoe of choice for some of the top athletes in the sport (Adam Ondra used a left Miura VS on Silence!) for good reason. When it comes to thin, technical rock climbing there’s rarely a better choice. As with most shoes, make sure you come in and try them on before purchasing as getting the right size will make or break how you perform.