4.47 of 5 stars
La Sportiva - Otaki - Climbing shoes tested
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Reviews overview
Disadvantages
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This is what other customers say:
It is really a great shoe. It edges amazingly in the smallest if holds and smears great too. I like the slightly wider fit that you can snug with the easy to use Velcro
I use to use Miura lace up and I think they are at par on technical climbs while providing better support with the p3
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- Advantages
- High edge stability
- Versatile
- Good grip
- Good fit
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
- All around
I've been using these for a few weeks now and i'm very happy with them. performance is as you'd expect from a high end la sportiva shoe. shoe has a mid/stiff rubber, edges excellently and the heel is super stable for heel hooking. shoe feels really secure. i bought two sizes down from my street size, they are tight and snug but comfortable enough for a two hour bouldering session with a break for coffee after them breaking them in.
if you want a high performance fit for hard bouldering i would maybe go 2 1/2 - 3 sizes down. for intermediate climbers like me i would suggest 2 - 1 1/2 sizes down and for people maybe buying their first climbing shoes i would go 1 size down.
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- Advantages
- High edge stability
- Good fit
- Good grip
- Robust
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- Recommended use
- Bouldering
- Sport climbing
I'm a Solutions die hard but thought I'd try a pair of the Otaki for a new indoor shoe. Very impressed and have swapped these to my primary outdoor shoe.
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- Advantages
- Versatile
- Good grip
- Good fit
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
- Indoor climbing
- All around
- Bouldering
I really like the Otaki model. I have had it for almost 1 full year and it has been a very good upgrade from my starting pair of Tarantulas. I have used them only for bouldering (indoors).
From my experience, at first the shoes were extremely hard and tight on my feet and very grippy on the walls (as a brand new pair straight out of the box, makes sense). I went for the 40.5 when my normal street shoe size is about 41.5-42. The first week (first few sessions) my feet felt quite crammed up but after that they have been very comfortable in the Otaki. So much so that I rarely take them off on a session, mostly at the last few routes I take them off my feet on rests.
The shoes themselves are very nice. They have a very good toe edge so the first half a year the toe edge is pretty good at keeping you even on the mega tiny holds. Now tho I've noticed that the edge on my shoes is almost completely gone where I have my big toe (kinda makes sense as that's the area I have been utilizing the most). Even with the edge almost gone the Otaki performs well. I haven't had a single complaint while climbing because of the shoes (it's mostly been because of my own mistakes in my technique). Toe hooks I would say are okay with this model, I am not good at them so I can't really judge, but heel hooks are amazing. I feel so comfortable popping my heels in holds and that the shoe will not slip at all.
Cleaning the shoes as well is quite easy as you can get to almost all the spots without much trouble and need to bend the flaps or anything with force.
So to summarize a little bit of my experience with the Otaki:
- Toe Edge is amazing
- Heel Hooks feel great
- Grip is very good
- Size was great (downsizing by 1 number EU standard)
- Durability of the toe edge could be better, but I still have rubber and no need for resole
Keep in mind my climbing sessions are about 1-2 times per week and about 2-3 hours per session on average, it can get up to 4 times a week and up to 4 hours per session. I don't feel like I'm one of the most dedicated climbers cause I see much more dedicated people. So think of me as an average climber on an intermediate level (I climb mostly 6B-6C+)
If I had to recommend a good shoe it would be this one, but everyone's feet are different. I got lucky when they arrived and fir me well.
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- Advantages
- Good fit
- Good grip
- Versatile
- High edge stability
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- Recommended use
- Bouldering
- Indoor climbing
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