La Sportiva Women’s Solution

Performance (Original Solution vs. Women’s Solution)

So, how do the two Solutions compare in their performance? At the end of the day, the women’s version of the shoe climbs a bit differently. They are softer. They are lighter. They are more fitted.

The new Solution is all-round more sensitive and precise than the original in almost every respect, which I attribute to both the closer fit as well as to the lighter weight.

I also found the women’s Solution to be more trustworthy than the original on smears and teeny tiny nubs of nothing, and I suspect this has everything to do with the softness factor.

If the only thing La Sportiva had changed about the old Solution was its color and width—i.e., they made it pink and more appropriate for the lower volume, smaller feet of many women—then we would say simply this is a pink, women’s-specific La Sportiva Solution. But while this new shoe is clearly related to the original Solution, the fact that the shoe is both softer and lighter does make this a different shoe.

Design Similarities to the original Solution

And yet, the women’s Solution retains some of the key performance and design characteristics of the original Solution. I found zero difference in their toe-hooking capabilities, and I suspect that if I sized down a half size, they’d heel hook equally well.

Both the toe and the heel of the two shoes seems to be shaped the exact same way, and the women’s Solution’s overall ability to lend power in dynamic movements was equal to the original.

Both shoes have the same aggressive, downturned shape, retained by the P3 power platform. They both use the Lock Harness System, and they both use the same rubber. All of this means that the women’s shoe matches the consistent aggressive performance of the original shoe, which is precisely what any climber wants when climbing on boulders and on hard sport routes—i.e., the traditional stomping grounds of the original Solution.

Okay, So Which Solution Should I Get?

If you have narrower feet and tend to like softer, lighter shoes, then this pink version is the way to go. This goes for guys, too; don’t get hung up on the pink.

If you like a stiffer, more supportive shoe, and have higher-volume feet, the original is for you.

(Of course, if you like softer, lighter shoes, but have high volume feet, you may still need to go with the original Solution. Conversely, if you like a stiffer shoe but have lower volume feet, you will be making a compromise as well, because the original Solution will probably fit you more closely.)

Bottom Line

Overall, the performance of the women’s version of the La Sportiva Solution is stellar. It was an extremely trustworthy partner to pack in my bag and fly halfway around the world with, climb lots and lots of different types of boulders, and enjoy some of the very best climbing I’ve ever experienced.

Because of the added sensitivity and versatility of the women’s Solutions, especially on face and slab, I will likely make the women’s version my new go-to shoe. I will keep a pair of the original Solutions in my bag, though, just in case I ever find that I need more stiffness and support.

But! If La Sportiva is going to take one of our most popular bouldering and sport climbing shoes and put a “Women’s” classification in front it, turn it pink, and call it the same name, my expectation as a woman would be that the shoe fits my low-volume feet better, but is in all other regards the same exact shoe when it comes to performance on rock climbs.

But we have a slightly different version of the Solution evolving here that might deserve a classification of its very own. Call it a different name like the Solution II or something (sort of like they did with the Miura when they added velcro and called it the “Miu VS”—it’s a slightly different shoe with a slightly different name). Then turn it un-pink (even though we all know everyone wishes to “climb like a woman”), and market it to any climber, not just women, who wants a lighter, softer-than-the-Solution shoe, because it might not be just women who would appreciate some of these differences.