I've probably done 90% of my hardest and best climbing since 2017 wearing my La Sportiva Testarossas. They're the first climbing shoe I properly loved, and they've unlocked god knows how many boulder problems, sequences, foot movements and placements for me in that time. I graduated from the old version to the new, which brought a brilliant improved heel cup.
Now, I hear, they are being discontinued for good (many of La Sportiva's other models have been briefly taken off the market, and now replaced with PFA-free versions (which is a great) but it appears that the testorossa definitively does not make the cut for this new generation of shoe.
I have had soirees with other shoes, including the skwama and the (now also discontinued) kataki especially but other than the kataki (which I use for trad milage and easy soloing mostly) I have never really taken to other shoes. Nothing beats them for precision, edging, board climbing, for me.
So - some questions!
a) Have you moved from loving the Testarossa to another similar shoe? If so what is it/are they? I'm thinking about trying the Boostic?
b) Do you work for La Sportiva and would you consider bringing back my dream shoe, unchanged except for having an added toe patch? Please, just take my money.
c) Does anybody have any spare pairs in decent nick, size 43.5?
RIP to my GOAT shoe, I have probably 3-4 resoles left. It's going to be emotional.
n.b. I know there will be sound business rationale for shelving them - they clearly haven't sold as many as other models. It's probably down to a specific foot profile which caters to people off the side of the bell curve, like me, apparently. But I do think more retailers should have given them a chance!!
