This new LaSpo branding style looks so clean! The Genius was the only NoEdge shoe that fit my wide feet originally (now the Theory fits, too). It was such a weird experience. Compared to Skwama and Instinct VS, they are so sensitive it almost feels I wasn’t wearing a shoe at all. It took me a while to get used to the amount od sensory input.

is the size model for the mandala and theory the same? i currently use the theory in size EU43, 46.5 in my la sportiva approach shoes, I would like to get the same fit & size, I cannot try it in-person as the shops around me doesn't have it, yet.

Is there any indication that the known problems of the closure system will be addressed with these models? It looks exactly like the Solution closure which often breaks before the rubber wears through.

I tried those shoes last week, but didn’t just quite get it… it felt really wired trying to step at small edges, i feared so much to miss it or but pressure on it. But I think I will get one to really check it out.

Hi Rob. What's your 'go to' shoe for smearing up grit slabs? Where you're standing on nothing and just hoping it doesn't slip. I don't care if it's so soft you can only wear it once..... what's the stickiest, smeariest shoe you like to reach for? (and yes, obviously it has to fit your foot etc.... I'm just curious as I don't keep up with these things and just stick to Tenaya these days)

Love this, especially since I literally just bought regular mantras. Why is it always me?

Nice shoes! Unfortunately, I have the wrong foot shape for La Sportiva.

Any climbing shoe becomes "no edge" after you climb in it for a while.

is there a shoe with a wide and comfortable toebox as intincs or drago and narrow heel hook as solution or katanas? not leather

Are there la sportiva shoes that are just as wide in the toe box compare to the scarpa veloce?

Is that a new otaki on the shelf?

I thought the theory might get a refresh as well, or is it being shunned now that the Ondra Comp is on the scene?

Any word on when these are actually going to be available? My Mantras are fucked and no one has inventory....

Very curious if no-edge technology is ever going to come to a vegan shoe, patiently awaiting that day 🙏

Futura with an English accent sounds a bit painful 😅 In Italian it's so much smoother.

I’ve been hearing about these shoes for what seems like almost a year and I have yet to see them in any store makes no sense

Are the women's futuras getting an update?

And they did it again! 😅 The whole lineup won't fit many many people the right way because of the loose heel cups. And I know a ton of climbers with LS shoes who have the same complains.

Vibram xsgrip is not the industry standard of stickiness, scarpa s-72 rubber on the Veloce is way stickier.

Hey guys - any reason why I'm getting four minute unskippable ads on your content now?

is the Mandala "just" the Velcro Version of the Genius? IN the video you said the Genius beeing more supportive. So, is the Mandala just a little softer genius with Velcro? Angle of the toe box, aka how high the shoes curl up your toes: From a ton of research and validated by myself by tryin on every model in different sizes it is as follows, from the most curled up big to to the least curled up big toe: Speedster, Genius, Futura, Maverink. Mantra i have no tryed on yet. Maverink also a smaller size than the other ones, because they are just going up to size EU 42. How does the Mandala fit in there? Again, is it "just" a softer(?) Genius with Velcro? For me: I don't know how to describe, but all no edge shoes (see above) hurt too much my big toe! Steping hurts! I have the feeling that my whole bodyweight is concentrated on the angled joint of my big toe and the rest of the toes anf the shoe does NOTHING. And the Speedster curles up my big toe THAT much, that the last joint of my big toe is the furthest point in the shoe, so my toe is bent backwards! I cannot even stand normal in them! The Genius... I even tried them one half size up from my usual Sportiva size (so in EU 43,5 instead of EU 43 for my larger right foot (45,5)) and it is a little better, but still super painfull and i gave up trying them, break them in whatever with indoor lead climbing. the pitches were like 4min of hell. The Futura, the angle of my big toe is even "flatter" but still more painfull to climb than any other climbing shoe. mayben in 43,5 they bould be ok after time to stretch, but the heel is nearly as FAT as the Speedster one - I don't know how any human (besides a gout footed elephant) my fill this heel. I really don't. No offense to anyone though. And at last, the Maverink for kids! There, even in EU 42 the toes lie "normal" in the shoe (curled up because of the size, but not bent backwards and stuff) and even in the too small size 42 for my right 45,5 foot, i could climb in them. 42,5 for the right 45,5 foot would be perfect! By the way: Same with Skwama Women's for me. Skwama Women's and the old(!) yellow Katana VCS fit a half size larger than any other Sportiva climbing shoe. So, to sum up sizes for anyone interested (lol). Normal feet (middle wide, maybe a little bit less witdh than middle width), normal arches, extremely small volume heel, really low volume foot. My feet are: left foot somewhere between size EU 44 and 44,5. The right foot is precisely 45,5. I basically wear every Sportiva climbing shoe in EU 42 for the left foot and EU 43 for the right foot, so -2,5 EU sizes. JUST old(!) yellow Katana VCS and Skwama Women's it is -3,0 EU. I know, also the Skwama Women's (which are definately narrower than the men's version!) just go up to EU 42. So, for my larger right 45,5 foot it is sadly -3,5 EU and it is too small. So they are just my hardcore pair in 41,5/42 left/rgiht foot. ( For all who don't know: Sportiva makes them in EU sizes and translates them into US and UK sizes, ditto Scarpa, whereas many other companies make US or UK sizes and translate this into EU sizes. For all who realized than in the spectrum of sizes, sometimes there is half a size "missing". it is due to rounding error.) Analogy for Scarpa: -1,5 EU sizes down per foot. Just the old Boostic has to be taken in a larger size. The new Boostic can be taken in a smaller size than the old one, for sure one half size smaller. More than that: I don't know, I just had them on my feet briefly and never climbed in them. They are a little bit wide for me in the forefoot and i feel slippery inside the shoe. So, a more comfy material on the inside by reducing friction is NOT neccessarily a good thing! Also, Boostic lovers for the stable edging shoe will hate the way softer model. It is like the latest Vapor V (yellow/blue), it is a softened up version for indoor climbers, but the enery transfer from the too soft midfoot/heel is lost on the toe. I therefore sold my yelow/blue vapor V and still usen the oldest model (grey/orange, 2010-2014) with full length XS Grip outsole for outdoor sports climbing. Anyway: Sorry for offtopic, back to the Sportiva no edge climbing shoes: How does the Mandala (and alos the Mantra, which i haven't tryed yet) fit into the spectrum of a.) forefoot width b.) heel volume c.) toe angle

all this new shoe tech makes climbing shoes creep ever closer to actually being aid

From a pure aesthetics point of view, they massacred the Mantra. The 2022 model (teal with geometrical pattern) took a bit of getting used to, but I look at mine fondly now. The 2024 model looks so ... generic.

At the time of its premiere Genius itself was a pretty ugly shoe according to La Sportiva standards, but the new version looks so much worse I can hardly find words to describe it. Long gone are the days when most shoe models had a real visual identity, old Testarossas being the best example. New Katanas, Theories and Solutions seem to remain true to the original spirit. All of the other new releases are one big disappointment. They look like cheap Chinese counterfeits.

Now even the shoes are non-binary