I bought the Skwama because of Babsi Zangerl. I remember watching videos of Zangerl, one of the best climbers in the world, free climbing on El Cap in a pair of La Sportiva Skwamas ($220) and thinking, I need those shoes.
Buying a pair didn’t automatically help me send 5.13+ big walls, but over the last 7 years of testing them on granite, limestone, and sandstone across Europe and the Western United States, they quickly became a favorite in my quiver.
This soft, slipper-like shoe is aggressively downturned, allowing for precise control over your footwork. It excels on steep terrain where you need power in your big toe to keep tension on the wall. As Zangerl has expertly demonstrated, it’s also at home smearing on granite and jamming into cracks.
The Skwama does almost everything well, except for edging on micro-footholds where a stiffer shoe provides more support. But for bouldering, sport, and trad climbing, it’s incredible to have one shoe that handles this much.
In short: If you’re looking for a climbing shoe that performs across a range of disciplines, the La Sportiva Skwama is hard to beat. These shoes move easily from gym to crag, have earned a following among pro climbers, and cost less than many other high-end shoes. The soft construction and aggressive downturn make them stand out, and that combination has helped keep the Skwama near the top of the climbing shoe category for the past decade.
Compare the La Sportiva Skwama with other options in GearJunkie’s guide to the best climbing shoes.
Sizing
Start with your street shoe size, or size down slightly for a tighter performance fit
Rubber
4mm Vibram XS Grip2
Profile
Aggressively downturned with medium asymmetry
Key features
Single-strap Velcro closure, split sole, S-Heel construction, large toe patch, slipper-like sensitivity.
Pros
- Excellent performance across disciplines
- Sensitive split sole smears well and twists into cracks
- Aggressive downturn pulls well on steep terrain
- Comfortable for a high-performance shoe
Cons
- S-Heel feels secure but a little bulky
- Not the best choice for sustained edging on tiny footholds
- Leather upper stretches over time
La Sportiva Skwama Review
Performance
The Skwama does a lot of things very well and has become one of La Sportiva’s most beloved shoes for good reason. I’ve worn this climbing shoe for over 7 years and have climbed in it across a wide variety of terrain and styles. From sport climbing and bouldering on granite, volcanic tuff, sandstone, and limestone, I’ve put these shoes to good use and have learned their exact strengths and weaknesses.
The aggressive downturn allows the Skwama to pull into steep pockets. The rubber that wraps around the forefoot also makes toe-hooking or jamming feel secure. The split-sole construction increases sensitivity, and the shoe feels at home on everything from gym volumes to granite slabs.
The Skwama is a rare combination of high performance and all-day comfort, making it one of the most useful climbing shoes I’ve worn. There aren’t many shoes I would wear for both bouldering and crack climbing. La Sportiva really created a unicorn here.
Fit
These shoes have a slipper-like fit and construction. The unlined leather upper and thin Velcro closure give them a close-to-skin feel without the bulk of thick tongues or laces.
Because the upper is leather, it’s important to note that these shoes will stretch a bit over time. A performance shoe can become a comfortable multipitch shoe over the course of a few months. If you want to keep the Skwama feeling precise, you may want to think ahead and downsize a half size more than usual to account for that stretch.
Sensitivity
The Skwama is a highly sensitive climbing shoe. That means I can feel more of the foothold than I would in a stiffer model. The advantage is that the Skwama bends and flexes with my foot, making it suitable for twisting into cracks and essential for smearing in the gym.
With a split sole and Vibram XS Grip2 rubber, the Skwama provides excellent surface contact, friction, and tactile feedback. The softer rubber helps the shoe smear well and conform to footholds, especially on steep or highly textured terrain.
The P3 randing system gives the Skwama enough support to edge better than a true slipper. It still isn’t the shoe I’d choose for standing on tiny edges all day, but it balances support and sensitivity better than most soft shoes I’ve tried.
Comfort
Some aggressive shoes feel so downturned that they’re almost agonizing to wear. The Skwama remains comfortable because of its slipper-like fit, soft leather, and wider last.
Comfort is subjective and varies with foot shape, foot size, and how much you downsize. But for me, the soft upper and medium support mean these shoes break in exceptionally well. That comfort is a big reason I keep coming back to them, especially when I want performance without my feet feeling like they’re in a vise.
Room for Improvement
One thing I’d like to see refined is the heel. The Skwama’s patented S-Heel feels secure while heel-hooking, but it also feels like there’s more rubber than I want when I’m trying to be precise.
I much prefer the heel on something like the Scarpa Instinct, which feels thinner and more sensitive overall. This isn’t a total dealbreaker, especially if you aren’t doing a lot of heel hooking. But if heel precision is a major priority, it’s worth considering.
The Skwama also isn’t the best choice for sustained edging; that’s part of the tradeoff with a softer, more sensitive shoe. If I needed an edging shoe, I’d add something stiffer to the quiver.
La Sportiva Skwama: Who Is It For?
The Skwama works well for climbers who want one high-performance shoe for bouldering, sport climbing, gym sessions, and plenty of trad days. It’s especially strong on steep terrain, smears, cracks, pockets, and climbs where sensitivity matters.
The only thing it really lacks is high-end edging ability. But I’d argue that adding that would make it an entirely different shoe. What makes the Skwama so good is its blend of sensitivity, medium support, comfort, and range across a wide variety of terrain and styles.
If you mostly climb vertical technical routes on tiny edges, you may want a stiffer shoe. If you rely heavily on precise heel hooks, the Scarpa Instinct or another shoe with a thinner, more sensitive heel may be a better match. For almost everything else, the Skwama is the shoe I keep coming back to.
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