La Sportiva Kataki Climbing Shoe reviews and deals for sale

Not right for my foot

I decided to give these a go after putting some mileage on my old Miura laces, which I can wear all day without complaint. The Katakis sport the P3 platform, and are noticeably sturdier than my now-compliant, well-broken-in Miuras. I should own that I have a wideish, hobbity midfoot. While the toe- and heel boxes of the Katakis are comfortable for a fairly aggressive shoe, I get… read more painful cramps around the middle of my foot, no matter how tightly or loosely they're laced, and consequently cannot wear them for more than 20-30 minutes at a time, which is a major bummer. They might work for you, but they didn't work out well for me

Amazing sport/bouldering shoe

These shoes are amazing. They are comfortable for a more aggressive shoe. I got a 43.5 and I usually wear an 11 street shoe. They broke in quickly. I would size down 1/2 size to a full size depending on preference. I personally don't like my feet to be extremely uncomfortable when I climb so 1/2 size down was good for me. They will stretch a little bit over time.

Best Sport Shoe Ever

These were my first modern climbing shoes with significant downturn. I bought them when my old Tenaya Ra's blew out and they have since become my favorite shoe for redpoint burns. They edge like a dream, fit my foot like a sock and honestly just feel great no matter what. They aren't going to climb slab well, just too stiff for that. I wore them all summer last year and need to… read more Resole them. The p3 works great, and the Achilles heel pain gets better over time. I love the fit of this shoe, with a zero dead space s-heel and a wider forefront toebox, it just works for my feet. If they fit your foot you'll love them. Currently running skwamas, so will see how those compare to these beasts. I'm a 8.5-9 street shoe in US... Not entirely sure European. 42 likely. I tried these on in store and was going to go for a 41.5 or 41 but I found a nearly new pair for a discount price in a size 40.5. Those have worked great and stretched just enough to mold to my feet. Think for crack climbing I would size up to a 41 so my toes lay more flat.

Go to shoes

I ordered the Katakis after my TC pros blew out and love them!!! I will still probably get another pair of TC pros for long alpine rock climbs (more supportive) but the Katakis are way more precise and feel much more "sporty" than the TC's. Have become my go to shoe for pretty much everything around here in New England: taken them to Cannon, Cathedral, Rumney, and Shagg crag and… read more they were awesome everywhere whether I was on finger cracks or hand cracks, face climbing or overhanging cave routes.

New England Rock’s Worst Nightmare

I can’t speak for sandstone or rock types outside of New England, but these shoes are a must have for every climbing destination in the area. These shoes face climb like miuras, crack climb like katanas, and heel hook better than solutions. I find them to be a little bit softer and more comfortable than the otakis, with better feel for the rock. Fit them tight, and cruise up the… read more vertical to slightly overhanging technical climbs at Pawtuckaway and rumney, or have full faith in your heel for the crux topout of “ride the lightning” (trust me, you need it). Go one size up, and stick confidently to the glassy face holds on cathedral ledge, or jam in anything from the smooth handcracks to the razor sharp fingercracks, while still being able to be precise with your feet even in the bigger size. Because of the split sole, they are not as supportive as the tc pros and your feet will get tired from standing on edges for long periods of time, but your feet will get stronger and lessen this issue with use. However, even though they are slightly downturned, the split sole makes them better for smearing than the tc pros, and second to none but maybe the futuras in the smedging department. If your project has a difficult or technical toehook or requires a softer shoe, bring a different pair (I’d recommend futuras), and if you’re climbing pure friction slab I would also go with something else. Other than that, I have yet to find a major downside to these shoes. They have turned every other pair I own into a “specialty” type of shoe that I only use for specific things. Other than that, I always reach for my katakis before anything else, and I’m sure you will too. As a disclaimer, I have very narrow feet, but since the shoes are lace ups and have a leather upper, they should stretch to fit all but the very wide-footed comfortably. This is another thing that makes them wonderful for finger cracks. 9-9.5 street shoe 40 in futuras (toes fully curled) 40 in skwamas (toes fully curled) 40.5 in tc pros (Big toe flat, smaller toes have slight curl) 40 in katakis (toes not as curled as futuras or skwamas, and could probably go to 39.5 and get the same fit, but I don’t think it’s needed to get the high performance these shoes have to offer. Great for edging, percison, and slight overhangs. This size hurts to smear or crack climb in) 41 in katakis (toes almost completely flat. good for smearing and edging, great for smedging and cracks)

Good not amazing

After trying the Skwama and Otakis, I'm pretty happy with these new Sportivas. They're one of very few downturned shoes that fit nicely without toe curl. They're precise, especially on vertical to slight overhang, and very good pocket stabbers. Not quite stiff enough to be mega-edgers. Good in a two-shoe rotation with TC Pro. TC Pro - 44 Otaki - 43.5 Skwama - 42.5

Not My Favorite

I love La Sportiva shoes, but these ones haven't impressed me so far. First, the sizing is different than most of their other shoes. In the Futura, Genius, Miura, and Solution I wear a size 43.5, but the 43.5 is probably a half to a full size too large for me. Secondly, they are a fair bit more narrow in the toe box than other La Sportiva designs. Thus, while it may work for some… read more folks, for those of us with a wider fore-foot, be wary. Lastly, they haven't been as stiff as I expected. Definitely not as stiff as the Miura or the Otaki in my opinion. I'll update as I use them more, but haven't been my favorite.

A stiffer Muira with a rad heal

This shoe is sick, as a long time Muira user I was skeptical of trying something new. This shoe works best on vertical to slightly overhanging edging BD 5.-3 sized cracks and vertical aretes with heal hooks, and longer technical routes. They are not too painful the way I seized them it did take a little to break in the head but it was never that bad. I use a 41. 5 Muira for… read more trad climbing and I got these for all-around climbing in a 42.5. I have a 9.5 to 10 street shoe.

Versatile High Performance

Check out La Sportiva's look into the Kataki climbing shoe.

Perfect shoe for me

I searched long a hard to find a comfortable yet slightly more aggressive climbing shoe and the Kataki absolutely nailed it. I wear a size 10 street shoe, I wore a 41.5 in the La Sportiva Finales and a 41.5 in the TC Pros, I bought these shoes in a 41.5 and while they took longer to break in than previous shoes, they now fit like a glove. I received a ton of help from Wes at Backcountry… read more to find a more aggressive shoe and this is where we landed. First I tried the Katana Lace, really wanted to like it, but my heel kept slipping in the shoe making an awesome fart noise every time I took a step. Wes suggested the Kataki because of the slightly lower volume heel and it fit like a suction cup, perfect. Thanks again Wes!!

Runs small

I really want these to fit! I'm an 11 sneaker and got these in a 42, size 9, which is how i sized my Skwamas and found these to be unbearably tight. Which I was very surprised by. Just an FYI! Edit - I remembered later on that I'm a 43 in the Miura VS, which is also a stiff shoe. So that that might have something to do with it

Amazing upgrade from Katana Lace

I was in the Katana Lace for many years in a 39.5, sadly never stretched out and hen I lost them. Finally bought these two weeks ago and have used them 6 times so far and I LOVE THEM!!! Went with a 40 this time and it’s tight enough for power and precision but not overtly killing my feet like the 39.5. The arch in the mid section is where the downturn mostly happens for this… read more shoe, so it digs into my right arch a little causing some discomfort but it’s slight. Used these inside only so far and they perform amazingly well. My usual go to shoe for roped climbing is the Scarpa Techno, which I love, but these aggressive shoes make for a really amazing quiver filler. They hand overhangs for bouldering well and I can edge down hard on small foot chips when wall climbing. The heel is something completely different than anything I’ve ever used before. The S heel construction really does deliver power into the heel hook. Have used it confidently a couple of times so far. It’s a little weird cause at first you’re not sure you want to trust it but when you do it’s like , OKAY, WOW!! This really does work!!

A few details not mentioned by others

I'm a roped-climbing guy, not into bouldering. I bought these as an experiment, looking for more performance. I have a Morton's toe, difficult to fit narrow feet with low foot volume, and arches that don't flex all that much, so I often climb in women's (for best fit) La Sportiva Mythos that I can wear all day without discomfort. I enjoy the improved edging performance these… read more Katakis offer, and they heel-hook nicely, so I use them when I'm on really challenging routes for more confidence, and they serve that purpose well. Comfort is about as good as I can get in shoes with an aggressive toe down-turn (painful for the first few pitches each day but improving with time as I leave them on). However, the region immediately above the heel tucks forward tightly against the Achilles tendon, and for me, requires some tape to prevent abrasion/chewing up the skin there. The front lining will turn the sole of your foot blue. The tongue padding is generous and the lacing system is easy to adjust to suit your preferences. I bought the same size I use in La Sportiva mountaineering boots (G2SM, Batura 2, Nepal Evo, and Trango) and my Mythos and I haven't noticed any meaningful stretch in them. They breathe pretty well and don't build up too much moisture. If not for the annoyance on my Achilles tendon, I would give them 5 stars. P.S. I'm 5'9", 145 lbs, bought size 43

Very comfortable, amazing control

I just got the Kataki a few days ago, and they've already helped me make some progress on my bouldering FA project. For the first time I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get up it, mostly because the Kataki has allowed much more precise footwork. The amount of control this shoe gives you on the tip of the toe is incredible. My project has really thin foot holds for the first five feet,… read more and these shoes kill it at precise edging. The one down side is the amount of material in the shoe. I've been climbing with all leather, simpler shoes and I might have just not adjusted to these shoes yet, but I can feel the rock less. That being said, they're very comfortable. They fit similarly to Muiras except a half size larger and actually fit my scrawny ankles.

Great Shoe

I have been using these shoes for a couple of months now, and so far I don't have any complaints. I only use them at the gym, where they preform wonderfully on steeper climbs and bouldering. The fit is similar to that of the Miura lace in my opinion, but surprisingly more comfortable. I would definitely recommend checking out this shoe.

The do everything thin and more shoe!

This is an awesome new shoe! It sort of looks like the Katana shape...but with a "better", lower volume and a tad narrower fit. The Kataki is apparently built on the same PD75 last as the Miura line and it does feel like a bit of a hybrid, especially in the precision at the tip of the toe. The Kataki also feels different than the "velcro-version" Otaki, which has a noticeably roomier/… read more higher volume fit. I say the Kataki fits "better" because it fits ME better. I have medium width, low-volume feet and long toes and I prefer a snug fit. I have primarily worn La Sportiva for years; my favorite recent models being Muira VS (the lace-up is too asymmetric for how high volume it is) and the TC Pro (fit tight). The Katana just doesn't fit me as well as the Kataki, which is also proving to be a much more precise front-pointing shoe. Compared to the Miura VS the Kataki is more comfortable and better in thin cracks. I still might prefer a Miura VS for super sustained thin pocket limestone climbing, but the jury's not out yet (I definitely prefer the Kataki on granite, sandstone and basalt "tech-9" face/edge/smearing/thin jamming, etc). I really can't compare the Kataki to TC Pro since they're for totally different applications (TC's are still better for long granite crack routes and friction/steep slab). The heel... La Sportiva nailed it with the new heel design. It fits me perfectly and so far does not deform or slip and heel-hooks extremely well. The laces... Once again, La Sportiva nailed it! The lacing design is tweaked a little better over the Katana and the lace material seems quite durable. I wear all my climbing shoes on the tighter side (knuckled toes). The Kataki has suede in the upper and I have noticed a little stretch, which for me is perfect. I wear most street shoes in US 11.5 (La Sportiva approach shoes in 45). I wear Kataki, Miura VS and TC Pro all in 42.5, but if I wanted a Kataki for a specialized Indian Creek fit I'd probably opt for a full size larger... Lastly, I think the Kataki is well made, durable and a solid design. When you pull it out of the box it looks flawless in construction with zero waviness around the edges where the sole and rand meets. My pair is perfect!