La Sportiva Miura VS - Women's Review

With a stiff platform and an aggressive shape, the Miura VS are masters of precision, shining in the realm of technical climbing.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

An entirely different shape from their lace-up counterparts, the Miura VS is more or less an entirely different shoe, with its own intricacies in terms of fit. The Velcro version of this shoe has a more padded tongue, which we loved. It also has a slightly wider last than the Miura, which helped our wide-footed lead tester break the Velcro model in faster.

As opposed to the majority of Velcro shoes on the market, the Miura VS has not one or two but three Velcro tabs to help fine-tune the fit. Our lead tester appreciated this, because the three straps helped accommodate their wide, oddly shaped feet. Another positive aspect of the VS is its versatility. These shoes can be sized down for a less-comfortable but high-performance fit, making them an impressive edging shoe. Or, they can be sized up a tad, making them perfect for all-day free climbs.

We noticed that there were a few gaps across the top of the tongue, which makes these shoes look like they aren't sized properly. These fit issues were probably a result of having a wide foot and didn't affect the overall comfort of the shoes. Our lead tester has worn these shoes in both their performance fit size and a half-size up, and found that both options are comfortable, depending on what you are trying to get out of them.

Sensitivity

Though they are stiff, the Miura VS is an incredibly sensitive shoe. The P3 technology, combined with the Miura VS's fairly aggressive downturn, means that all your standing power transfers to the tip of your toe. This, combined with Vibram's XS Grip2 rubber, allowed us to trust our feet and feel the texture of the rock through the soles of the Miura VS.

From limestone smears to slippery basalt foot chips, these shoes were sensitive enough to smear, but stiff enough to stand on small holds. This combination of stiffness and suppleness makes for an impressively sensitive shoe — perfect for precise footwork.

Edging

Hours spent toeing in to tiny footholds on a gently overhung wall is the Miura VS's ideal day. These shoes are made for edging; with La Sportiva's Slingshot rand and Powerhinge technology, the Miuras pull you into the wall by forcing your weight into the toe. Their downturn was not an issue on vertical terrain because their stiffness allows the Miura to hold shape, even when standing on a vertical wall.

The technical abilities of these shoes in terms of sensitivity transfer into the realm of precise edging because of their combination of a stiff last and a soft, sensitive rubber.

Crack Climbing

If you are trying to send your technical, thin crack project, the Miura VS might do the trick. If long hand cracks are what you seek, a softer, less aggressive shoe might be a better place to look.

The Miura VS can stem and edge like a boss — skills that come in handy on hard trad routes; their ability to climb straight in cracks is less than ideal. For that, look for a less aggressive model. In the Miura VS, rather than splitter desert towers, seek out a technical, every trick-in-the-book Yosemite-style crack climb instead.

Pockets

With their downturned shape, the Miura VS toes into pockets with the best of them. Their sensitivity and edging prowess come in handy in steeper terrain, especially when paired with their aggressive shape.

These shoes perform better on overhanging terrain than their lace-up counterpart, the Miura. Though the VS did well on pockets, we actually preferred a softer shoe for pocket climbing, since we were able to cam our toes in. Perhaps we are just trad climbers at heart.

Ease of Use

With three Velcro straps instead of the usual two, the Miura VS takes a very slight amount of extra effort to get on and off than most of the Velcro models we reviewed. That said, these three straps make it easy to fine-tune their fit and adjust the Miura VS to the desired tightness.

Should You Buy the Women's Miura VS?

The Miura VS is an all-around technical master and a tried and true longtime favorite of our testers. It's a high-performance shoe that manages to maintain relative comfort. The edging ability, sensitivity, and overall design make them a fairly versatile shoe. We know some women who climb strictly in the Miura VS, from long free climbs in Yosemite Valley, to sandstone bouldering, to European limestone. This is a testament to the Miura's ability to climb well in a wide range of disciplines. We recommend these shoes for any form of hard climbing — from sport climbing to bouldering — where the difference between sending and failure could be as simple as a botched foot placement. The Miuras can edge on granite razor blades and toe-in on slippery limestone pockets with ease. Though they can be painful to break in, the Miura VS will perform with the best of them.

What Other Climbing Shoes Should You Consider?

There are many high-end shoes on the market that will give you similar results as the Miura VS. The La Sportiva Miura, for example, is its "sister" lace-up version and an excellent choice for thin edging and toeing in on pockets. Another great climbing shoe that will give you high performance and versatility is the new La Sportiva Katana Lace. It's pricey, but what you pay out of your pocket, you'll be paid back on the rock.