Gear Review - LaSportiva Testarossa

The shoe really does make the climber, and not just any shoe will do. Climbers and boulderers alike need support, versatility, and durability more than anything else, and they can find it all in the LaSportiva Testarossa.

Better than the Dragons, better than the FiveTen, better than the Anasazis, the Testarossa shoe is perfect for bouldering and sport climbing. They fit so tight, it’s like a “second skin,” and are reported to never move, not even the tiniest fraction of an inch. They do stretch about a half size, but if you know anything about buying climbing shoes, you’ll know that when they do stretch, it’s just a better fit when your foot is inside the shoe. Getting it on is still the hard part.

The Testarossa is a lace-up design, far superior to the Velcro designs. It has a sling shot heel that forces all your weight into the toe of the shoe, which is a power toe. The power toe is a down-turned platform that allows your feet to move with such grace and precision that you have no problems hooking into a crevice. That, combined with the sling shot heel ensures that you will never blow out your heel in a climb. It’s a powerful and safe shoe that allows no rival to even come close to being as comfortable or technologically advanced.

The only thing that might take some getting used to with the Testarossa is that since they are so tight to start out with, they do take a lot of patience and care when you’re breaking them in. Just get them, wear them, and break them in as best as you can, and soon you’ll be enjoying the best bouldering shoe on the market today.