La Sportiva Miura VS

So far I've been using these in the gym exclusively, and once broken in (took about two days) they feel pretty solid. Not quite as sensitive in the toe area as my last shoes (5.10 Spires, sized aggressively) they initially felt downright clunky in the toe—and this is with no noticeable dead space in there—but once broken in, the toe is much more touchy-feely. They still definitely aren't as sensitive as the Sportiva Mythos I've owned, and as I mentioned before, the 5.10 Spires, which for "entry level" shoes, were surprisingly sensitive.

The comfort out of the box was pretty good; no rubbing on my heel from the pull loops, no rubbing or unwanted pressure on my toe knuckles, no excessive force applied to my achilles tendon by the heel rand. These seem more spacious in a 41 than my Spires did. Unsurprisingly, as a fairly aggressively lasted shoe, they are seemingly made with keeping your toes bunched up into the front in mind, and leave ample room in the toe box so your knuckles don't top out with too much pressure.

The one comfort/fit area I find lacking in these is the heel. It seems to be just too deep for me, and unless I'm standing flat and putting weight on my heels, there is some unwanted dead space in there. I found this much the same as with the Sportiva Katana velcros I've owned in the past; nice snug fit up front, heel cup a bit too deep. This was not a problem with my Mythos or 5.10 Spires, in which I filled the heel amply.

Fortunately, these are much more comfy than the Katanas ever were, and feel like they'll perform similarly. The heel rand on the Katanas was an annoyance, causing some heel pain, but these seem fine in that area, though I've sized them similarly, and the style of shoe is also similar. I'm not sure if there is an increase in fit in the front due to having three velcro straps vs. two on the Katanas. And, while I bought them with quick on/offs in mind, the extra velcro strap makes them more annoying to take off than I'd hoped; still quicker than lace-ups, though! The neoprene tongue on these definitely increases tactile comfort over the Katanas, but also makes them hotter. As a last Katana comparison, the Katanas were pretty nimble in the toe, as far as sensitivity goes, but these feel like they will edge and toe into small pockets better, and once broken in, as I mentioned, are sensitive enough.

I've just spent three days climbing in these, but here are some initial reports & thoughts after testing them out and after trying on close to 20 different pair in stores:

1. If these shoes fit you, I think they will perform amazingly. How do you know if they fit? If they are comfortable and if you can leave them on your feet for at least an hour. I bought them tight originally but couldn't sit through 1 baseball inning. Returned them for a 1/2 size up and these have just a little air in the heel (nickle's width) and am glad I did. Feet swell when climbing and the room is nice to have. Now I can leave them on for well over an hour.

2. I used these replace to my very comfortable 5.10 Ascents, a stiff multi-purpose shoe that I used for everything (V4 to 10 pitch trad climbs). I was not expecting a "bouldering/sport" shoe to be so comfortable, but on my feet they are. Ballerina bend and all...

3. I have a wide forefoot and these accommodate that just fine. I do wish the velcro tabs were slightly longer, I'm close to maxing them out.

4. I have a heels that that are very picky about the shoes they like. These have a deep but smooth heel cup which is particularly comfortable when dropping the heel while resting. This surprised me, as most shoes I've had seem to up the pressure on the heels when you drop your heels. These seem to relieve the pressure. An important bonus for easing tension in nervous spots and for surviving hanging belays.

5. The rubber is very good. These edge and smear and hook beautifully.

6. I like the stiff soles which does handle crack climbing just fine and provides more under-foot protection on long rough routes.

7. The neoprene on the inside is very comfortable.

Like a lot of people, I'm a huge fan of the original Miura. These shoes share the same name with the addition of "VS" but, really, they're a totally different shoe in my mind. Much more aggressive, with the pointed "beak" like toe and at the same time, quite a bit less comfortable. La Sportiva shoes have a great fit for me (although I wear a full 2.5 sizes down from my street shoe size - that's right - I wear 10.5 mens US street shoes and a 41 (US men's size 8) in these and they fit great. Note, these shoes won't stretch but the will break in a bit and get more comfortable after a few long days in them). To me, I think if you are coming from the regular Miuras you might want to go a size or half size up than what you run in the regular Miuras, unless you are looking for a pretty hardcore fit that you won't be able to keep your feet in for more than 30 mins. I climb mostly indoors and these are great for that but I'd be reluctant to bring these for a long day at the crag for anything but bouldering where I could take them on and off. All in all, I prefer the regular Miuras, they edge just as well (maybe even better?) and have more flexibility for smearing etc. These seem more like the kind of shoe that people who boulder really steep stuff all day would like... for that they're great.

Bought this shoe about 2 weeks ago, so it has had ample time to break in. Once broken in, the shoe really is amazing. I use it for mostly bouldering and short sport/top rope routes, and it is a very versatile shoe for what I do. You can still smear with this shoe, it just takes a little bit more effort to get the downturned toe flush against the wall. The toe rubber is AMAZINGLY sticky, and since it is vibram, I know it will last well. I did notice the first couple times I put the shoes on I got charlie horses on the arches of my feet because of how downturned they are. Since they are natural leather, they do stretch just a little bit, I would say probably 1/4th of a european size (i.e. 41.5 to 41.75). I wear a 43 street shoe, and I bought these in a 41, and they fit very well, with a surprising lack of pain anywhere on the shoe. Alot of people complain of pain on the tops of your toes from the shoe pressing down on them, but with these I didn't experience that at all...it seems La Sportiva built in a small "toe pocket". It looks like a bit of bagginess in the leather above the toes, which accommodated them perfectly. In contrast, when I tried on the solutions in the same size, the pain was present, as there is a rubber toe cap over the top of the toes (i presume for toe hooking)

I wear 12.5 street shoe, 43 Solutions, and 42.5 in miura vs was a tiny bit big. No chance of slipping off with great Velcro closure system, but could stand a 42.

This shoe is like a stiff Solution with better edging and smearing. Of course being stiffer, it doesn't have the same touch as the solutions. The toe is great on these shoes. You'll have more power than in solutions or any other shoe I've tried. Personally, I prefer the solution heel and toe for corresponding hooks, but vs does both fine.

Miura vs is a more "complete" shoe than the solutions. If you already have a great flat-wall shoe, then I'd go for solutions. If this will be your main pair for most climbing go with miura vs.

Also much more aggressive than regular miura and runs much bigger.

I have owned these shoes for almost a year, and love them. I got a size 40 which is the same size as my nagos, as well as my mythos. The vs's are a little tight after a while but the velcro makes taking them off to air my feet a non issue(unless doing a walk-off). I am having the same issue with the velcro boarderline maxed out now, but i can still get them nice and snug. Great for thin cracks, super small edging, and basically everything else. I bring them to jsut about every single pitch, hard multipitch, sport, and bouldering sessions. already had them resoled, not sure if its the resoler or the aggressive nature but the sole is starting to delaminate, although it hasnt effected my preformance at all. overall I love them and am planning on buying a second pair!

I bought the Miuras to replace my first pair of climbing shoes. Obviously it was a tremendous step up from entry-level Mad Rock shoes. I love how aggressive the shoe is; not the absolute most aggressive, but seems like just the right amount of downturn. The rubber is sticky and the toe is pointy, so I use them mostly for bouldering. They make toeing in a breeze. However, I have noticed two problems. The first is that there is no rubber protection on top of the toe box. Just having leather there makes certain toe-hooks painful. Also, it may be my specific foot, but my heel seems to slips every time I try to do a major heel-hook. I have found this to be a limiting factor on some routes, and for that I am a bit frustrated with this otherwise incredible shoe.

I've gone through my fair share of climbing shoes over the years and this is definitely the most worthwhile purchase. The velcro makes them easy on/off, vibram soles are spectacular, and the heel isn't too deep. They have fantasic edging ability and the agressive down turn in the toe makes those tiny jibs feel like jugs. These shoes are great for wider feet, but the sizing is definitely large. If your toes aren't at the very front, you'll lose the aggressive down turn very quickly. I would recommend going at least 2 sizes smaller. A little more rubber on top of the toe would be nice; sticking a solid toe hook can be a little sketchy sometimes.

Overall a fantastic shoe that is definitely worth the price. La Sportiva is definitely my manufacturer of choice from now on.

These are pretty great, I'm a big fan of the Miura so I decided to try the Miura VS for something more aggressive. So far I like them. I should say though that they don't run the same size as regular Miura - I wear a 10.5 street shoe and a 41 Miura (I know that sounds crazy like 2 full sizes down but for some reason they work)... in the Miura VS I should probably be wearing a 42 although i have been surviving oky in the 41 Miura VS they're a quite a bit more uncomofortable. All and all these things seem pretty great though, won't really review them besides size until I climb a bit more with them.

These are my favorite bouldering shoes. Of all the shoes I have, these seem to do the best job of balancing performance with comfort. I normally wear a size 12 street-shoe, and I ordered these in a 43 (European size or 10 1/2 US size). I can climb in these for hours (with slipping them off every now and then for a break). I could have gone down 1/2 a size, but I already have extremely tight shoes that are downright painful, and I don't feel that I'm sacrificing that much with these.