La Sportiva Miura VS Women’s Vibrum XS Grip 2 (with some comparison to the lace version)
Weight: 8.23 oz / 228 g
Sizes: Women’s: 33 – 42 (half sizes)
Size Tested: 34.5 in the VS; 35 in the lace-up
Construction: Slip Lasted
Upper: Leather
Midsole: P3® with 1.1mm LaspoFlex
Sole: 4mm Vibram® XS Grip2™
My Foot: My toes are all about the same length and a bit like Lit’l Smokies sausages. The front of my foot is definitely fatter than my heel, and my right ankle has perma swell from chronic spraining. I have been told I have a neutral foot strike, my arch is normal to slightly high, and my heel is a a bit narrower than average. I cruise around in a size 5.5 or 6 street shoe.
Time Tested: Two years
Test Locations: The Enchanted Tower, NM; The Dungeon, Los Alamos, NM; El Rito, NM; Diablo Canyon, Santa Fe, NM; Kalymnos, Greece; Hueco Tanks, TX; Bishop, CA; Joe’s Valley, UT; Poudre Canyon, Ft. Collins, CO; Rifle Canyon, CO.
MSRP: $170
I am primarily a sport climber and a boulderer. So even though I can be found occasionally on a crack climb (probably cursing), when I comment on climbing shoes, my predilection for sport and boulders shapes my perspective.
Generally when I look for a shoe, I want something that can handle a little technical face, a little slab, a little overhanging, a little of everything. The women’s version of the Miura, both the lace-up version as well as the Velcro strap (VS), has been quite good at accommodating my climbing “style,” my opinions about shoes, and my idiosyncratic climbing habits.
My journey with the women’s Miuras began when I got my first pair for free at a party. (Isn’t that how all addictions start?) My buddy ordered a pair of the lace-up version too small, so I scored. I thought I liked my women’s 5.10 Anasazis, but when I climbed in the Miura lace-ups for the first time, my taste in shoes was changed for good.
I wore the lace ups for two years and loved them, but I ended up switching to the VS and am currently in my second season with them. The lace-up version as well as the VS have ample padding over the top of the arch for comfort, and the toebox is wide enough that my sausages don’t get squished when I’m standing around in them.
So why my current devotion to the VS version of this shoe? My decision does not have to do with the convenience of laces vs. Velcro, as it might for some. I found the lace version of the Miura was just as easy and convenient as the VS when it comes to getting in and out of them. And while I believe that the lace version is a fabulous shoe, I find that I get a smidge more control and “pop” out of the toe of the VS when I am making dynamic moves.
Perhaps I get this extra zing because of what Sportiva calls their LapsoFlex technology, which is designed to create side-to-side stability (what some tech geeks might call “torsional rigidity”) in the shoe. In the VS, the LapsoFlex extends through the midsole. In the lace-up, however, it is limited to the forefoot, so it makes sense that I feel more response from the VS toe and midsole in certain situations.
Great work Marci. Great shoe too. You may remember and you may not, but it’s your fault that I got my first pair, at Stone Age that time that we all scaled the Mongolian Barbeque after. I think it was that time. JE went back for seconds. Typical. But yeah, great shoe. Sticky as hell and the right amount aggressive. It is what the Huns wore, I’m pretty sure. Very well done review.
Yep. That was an historical evening. But the real question, Adam, my friend, is this: Did the Huns barbeque?
Barbecued foes, with Salcitas.
Marci,
That was a fantastically and informatively written review. It is always an on going dilemma trying to differentiate between the extra letters and numbers after a shoe’s brand and name. Lucky for me we have the same exact feet and climbing styles, so I don’t have to drawback in consideration of what if my feet are different. Many thanks to your insight and clarity to the situation.Climb on!
-K2
i got these about 4 months ago. I usually wear street shoes between 5 to 6. and I bought the Miura VS 35.5 and I too was wearing before Anasazi in 37. I am not a fan of the ‘shoes being painful, gotta get smaller size’ feeling. i have chubby toes but i think slim feet, if that is possible. and I still find these are a bit too tight on my 2 toes next to my pinky toe. and my heel does not stay cupped in the corner of the shoe and yes I too get the feeling will the shoe come off… but it has not ever done that. but i do feel that the toe sticks in. i have only climbed indoor with these soo far… hopefully this spring i will see what it can do outdoors…
Great article- I am new-ish climber but soon found my Five Ten Rogue’s were much too soft. I didn’t set out to buy one of the most expensive pairs of shoes (though somehow it always happens that way) but the VS’ were undeniably the best fit for my foot. I am really excited about trying these out in the Bishop boulders. Thanks!