La Sportiva Futura, Love at First On-site

       There comes a time in every climber’s life when they meet the perfect shoe. Based on a general consensus the perfect shoe is a blend of aesthetic attraction, functionality, comfort, and most of all compatibility.

       

       First off, the Futura’s top suede/leather/Lorica design has the perfect balance of and flash and natural beauty with curves where they need it and the ability to draw the eye for a double take without being obnoxious.

       

       Secondly, being that I primarily boulder and or lead over-hung routs, aggressive downturned lasts and sticky rubber are the least of my expectations. The Futuras semi-aggressive design and sticky Vibram® XSGrip2 three millimeter rubber perform just above average. I traversed a few climbing walls to get a feel of how they work when climbing for extended periods of time on slab, vertical, and overhung movments. They felt very close to every foot hold I held but the stiffness and support soon broke after ten minutes of continuous traversing. The Futuras excelled when applied to overhung feet even after continuous wear. These specs and observations are all fine and well, but what I wanted to know most was how they feel on the the foot?

       Climbing more than three times a week deems comfort as necessity. When I first slipped the Futuras on my wide for-foot and pushed down with my narrow skinny heel I noticed the inner lay had been reinforced with padding much like the the La Sportiva Lady Miura Vs shoe. In addition to the comfort feeling exactly the same as the Lady Miura Vs, the heel cup was just as snug. This excited me because unlike the Lady Vs’s, the Futeras came with a more aggressive toe box and extended rubber on top for toe hooking.

        The issues I dislike about La Sportiva brand is the life of the rubber on the toe and mechanical malfunctions. Owning and knowing owners of La Sportiva Shoes of the Velcro kind it’s not rare to see straps and buckles repaired using super glue as a solution. This in mind the longevity of the Futura is still in question because of the lace design being taken from the Solution. The no edge technology is also something that initially is a good idea; however, time will tell how it holds up to the likes of, let’s say ,HP40 sandstone or Hueco’s volcanic rock. But for now they work, breaking them in was very easy to do and for this downsizing a whole size is easy and recommended.  The Futera is perfect so far, but far from being the perfect shoe. La Sportiva Improved on the comfort and performance but did they keep longevity in mind? With a 170$ price point is the Futura is their chance to reconcile with the past problems. Is this shoe the last shoe you will ever buy? Will this shoe bring away from the 5.10 and Evolv demographics?After climbing in these shoes for  two months I will update this post well the shoe is holding up to gym climbing.

Pros

• ·         Very Comfortable/Easy to break in
• ·         Cool design and color
• ·         Aggressive toe
• ·         Snug heel cup for smaller heels
• ·         Works well in overhanging boulder problems
• ·         3mm Vibram® XSGrip2 No Edge Technology- maximum sensitivity

Cons

• ·         Works poorly on slab and vertical.
• ·         Works poorly under continuous long use.
• ·         3mm Vibram® XSGrip2 No Edge Technology – Brand new and inconclusive.
•            $170 price point. 

Sizing – One Whole size down from street shoe size.