So, for starters, this is a shoe that’s been around for a while. Thank goodness for us, La Sportiva hasn’t made any changes to this shoe because it’s a great all-around climbing shoe! I love the symbol on the heel rubber, which is Vibram XSEdge rubber that comes up from the sole. The Katana Lace has a semi-aggressive last and a nice, but not extreme, downturn in the one-piece sole. The unlined shoe leather, yellow in color, is wonderful when broken in, and although there isn’t a lot of toe rubber, the rand does the job quite well for toe hooks. Heel hooks are a breeze with these shoes! The nice part about the Katana Lace model is that you can really customize the fit with the laces, and you can get extra replacement laces specifically for these shoes from La Sportiva. This shoe edges well, smears well, and grips well. The toe is neither sharp nor rounded, but rather a nice middle-of-the-road shape that can grab edges and fit into pockets just fine. The forefoot is fairly wide, so people with wider forefeet can take heart that there is a quality shoe out there for them. Nice thick rubber on the sole guarantees you’ll be going for a lot of good climbing before these need resoled, even if you’re climbing on sharp limestone! As far as resoling goes, these will hold up to three or so resoles as long as you don’t wear them clear through before you send them in. When I bought my first pair of Katana Lace climbing shoes three years ago, they cost $165. These shoes now cost $195. Like I said, no modifications have been made, so you can see these are a popular and solid all-around climbing shoe! I highly recommend them!
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 