UKC

Though these two climbing shoes are built on the same last, they could hardly be more different in use, says Rob Greenwood.

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In reply to UKC Gear:

Didn't see it mentioned but it's worth noting that the Otaki reviewed here is the men's version. The women's version has XS Grip rubber and is noticeably softer. I think the women's version is probably a better all round shoe overall.

I'm not sure if the women's version is available is this country, I bought mine in France (and didn't even realise it was a woman's shoe).

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Good point, thanks for raising.

In reply to UKC Gear:

Why do Sportiva (and other shoe makers) make so many models?

Sportiva have 11 "performance" shoes including these and the Miura which I use, so apart from the extreme ends of the range is there any noticeable difference between say the Otaki and the Miura?

In reply to Woolly:

For different shaped feet and different styles of climb?

But yes it is marketing to some extent.

In reply to Woolly:

The last is very different between the Miura and the Otaki.

In fact, due to it's narrow width I've never actually got the Miura Lace to fit. I did use the Miura Velcro for a few years (which is wider), but the Otaki is wider still (but still narrower than the Scarpa Instincts that I reviewed a few months back).

As for whether they need 11 within the range, I'll leave that for their marketing department to confirm. What I will say in their defence is that they don't tend to discontinue boots as frequently as many others do. There's nothing more annoying than having your favourite pair of boots removed from the market, just as you were getting to like them. As such, I don't mind if there's 11 - that's they're choice - but as long as there is consistency within the range from year to year then I'm happy.

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Thanks

Just having so much choice makes it difficult to choose

In reply to Woolly:

I'm with you all the way on that front, the mind boggles with all the choices out there!

In reply to Woolly:


When I start trying them on, there's only a small percentage that fit, so the actual choice isn't very difficult.

In reply to UKC Gear:
Rob - or anyone who has a pair of the skwamas.

How much do they stretch? I took the advice of going down 1/2 a size (to 6.5) but just in case, i ordered a 7 as well. Wow, they are both very tight out of the box, especially around the heel. I have the widest feet on the planet, a bit like dinner plates. The article said Rob went from a shoe size of 8 to 6 in these. Is this really correct? I am street size 7 and it took me a quite some force to even get my feet into the 6.5. Going from an 8 into a 6 just seems ridiculous and masochistic. Unless the sizing isn't consistent which is possible I guess.

Anyway, if they are going to give a bit when breaking them in and become soft, will keep the smaller ones. Out of the box they seem a lot stiffer than I was expecting, they seem like wooden clogs compared to my 5.10 teams .

Defo appear to be what I was looking for though. Pretty similar to the solutions but hopefully softer and more comfortable once broken in. My solutions never really got more comfortable.

Si

In reply to snoop6060:

Hi Si,

I'd say they 'give a bit' as opposed to 'stretched a lot' if that makes sense? Mine were definitely a little uncomfortable to begin with, but nothing as severe as what you're experiencing with the 6.5s. Whichever you choose it will be reassuring to know they were quick to wear in, and soon hitting that balance between comfortable and technical.

Interesting feedback re: sizing though. I've got quite wide feet and high arches, which is one potential reason why there's such a big difference in my high street vs. rock shoe size.

Hope that's of some degree of help. Good luck in getting out/about in them this winter!

In reply to snoop6060:

It's worth using the native euro sizing for the Sportiva shoes - if I remember rightly, asking for a UK 6.5 could get you either a 40 or a 40.5, which might account for some of the tightness.


For reference, my bigger foot is a 44 and the Skwamas in 42 seem dandy. At a push I could probably manage the 41.5