Win 1 of 2 Pairs Of La Sportiva S-Heel Rock Shoes.

Since the 1970s La Sportiva has been at the forefront of innovation developing features such as toe down rock shoes and No Edge. New for 2016 is S-Heel technology, featured on the Otaki and Skwama.

SKWAMA:

A HIGH PERFORMANCE SLIPPER WITH THE SECURITY OF A HOOK AND LOOP CLOSURE FOR ELITE-LEVEL TECHNICAL ROUTES AND BOULDER PROBLEMS.

OTAKI:

AN ALL-AROUND, AGGRESSIVE HOOK AND LOOP CLOSURE SHOE FOR CLIMBING PERFORMANCE ON ALL TERRAIN.

UK La Sportiva distributor Lyon Equipment are offering a pair of either shoe to two lucky winners.

REVIEW: Scarpa Instinct VS, Instinct VS R and Instinct Lace

This review has been something of a long-term affair, starting a year ago when I received a pair of Instinct VSs for a trip to Waterfall Boven in South Africa. Having worn a lot of shoes in my life I am always conscious of how the process can be - for want of a better word - agonising (and even more so in warm weather)! Yet what was immediately noticeable about the Instinct VS was that it was a shoe that offered both comfort and performance, alongside a certain degree of stiffness. In fact, if you've seen me climbing trad or sport over the past year these are probably the shoes you'll have seen me wearing.

Since then there have been two other additions to the Instinct family, the Instinct VS R and the Instinct Lace, which I have subsequently been using alongside the original. Rather than write three separate reviews, it seemed sensible to write a single all-encompassing review for the range as a whole. As a quick summary (for those that can't be bothered to read on) I would offer the following sweeping generalisations:

- Instinct VS: the all-rounder
- Instinct VS R: the boulderer
- Instinct Lace: the trad and edgy sport shoe

If you're interested in hearing more, read on...