Description
Open up new foothold possibilities.
- Permanent Power Platform and molded 3-D heel cup help the shoe hold its down-turned shape so you can attack the steepest routes day after day
- Tubular construction mixes the performance of a lined shoe with the comfort of an unlined shoe
- Speed lacing for a precision fit in half the time
- Vibram XS Edge rubber provides crazy grip for technical edging, is resistant to deformation on razor-sharp edges, and won't creep when you're smearing
- Perforated, breathable tongue keeps your foot cool on hot days
Terms And Conditions
This Usage Agreement (the "Agreement") governs your conduct while using various services on the web site Backcountry.com and its affiliate web sites (collectively, the "Site"). All references to "we," "us," and "our" shall mean Backcountry.com and all references to "you" and "your" shall mean the user of the Site and Site Services. This Agreement applies to various services and activities on the Site as well as to gear review and product ratings (collectively, "Site Services"). Please read this Agreement carefully.
BY ACCESSING, BROWSING, AND USING THE SITE, ANY SITE SERVICES AND OTHER SERVICES THEREIN, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT AND ITS TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY SUBSEQUENT MODIFICATION THEREOF, DO NOT ACCESS, BROWSE OR OTHERWISE USE THE SITE OR SITE SERVICES, INCLUDING THE SUBMISSION OF ANY REVIEWS OR COMMENTS.
Your use of the Site is governed by this Agreement and any other agreements and/or terms of use adopted by Backcountry.com and/or its affiliates. This Agreement shall govern in the event of, and to the extent of, any inconsistency with the Site. For more information on our privacy practices, read the Privacy Policy to understand our practices regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information on the Site and with respect to Site Services.
Any comments, reviews (including gear reviews and product ratings), posts, feedback, questions, answers, notes, messages, images, video, audio, materials, documents, data, graphics, ideas, suggestions or other communications (collectively, "User Content") you submit on the Site are not private or proprietary. By submitting User Content on or through the Site, you grant, assign and transfer to Backcountry.com all of your rights, title and interest, including without limitation, all intellectual property rights and moral rights, in and to such User Content. To the extent the preceding assignment and transfer is ineffective, you hereby grant Backcountry.com an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual right and license to use, copy, modify, adapt, display, publish, archive, store, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works based upon such User Content, in any form, media, software or technology of any kind now existing or developed in the future.
By submitting such User Content on or through the Site, you are confirming that (a) you are the sole author of the User Content and the User Content originated with you and not copied in whole or in part from any other work; (b) you have obtained all necessary permissions associated with the User Content, including without limitation permissions relating to copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity and/or rights of privacy; (c) the User Content does not contain hate speech or profanity and is not unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, libelous, obscene, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, an invasion of another's privacy, or otherwise in violation of this Agreement; (d) that you are not a minor and have the legal right and capacity to enter into and comply with this Agreement; (e) such User Content does not and will not, in any way, violate or breach any of the terms of this Agreement; and (f) Backcountry.com shall not in any circumstances be required to pay or incur any sums to any person or entity as a result of its use or exploitation of the User Content.
With respect to your conduct on the Site or while using the Site Services, you agree not to: (a) attempt to disguise the origin of any User Content transmitted to the Site Services whether through the Site or any third party site; (b) act in any manner that negatively affects other users' ability to use the Site and Site Services; (c) impersonate any person or entity, including without limitation, a manufacturer or owner of any product, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (d) interfere with the Site or Site Services, or servers or networks connected to the Site or Site Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies, or regulations of networks connected to the Site or Site Services; (e) upload, post, or otherwise transmit any User Content that with respect to the Site Services: (i) is not relevant to the product, service, person or entity being reviewed; (ii) you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (by way of example but not limitation, inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (iii) contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; or (iv) is unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation.
By submitting any such User Content on or through the Site, you grant Backcountry.com permission to use your name, alias and any other information (as provided by you) to attribute such User Content to you. Without limiting the generality of the previous sentence, and subject to our Privacy Policy, you authorize Backcountry.com, its affiliates, and sublicensees to share the User Content across all affiliated Web sites, and to use your name and any other information in connection with its use of such User Content, as they may choose. You also grant Backcountry.com and its affiliates the right to use any material, information, ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques contained in such User Content. We are not responsible for the similarity of any of our Content or programming in any media to User Content submitted by you. Any and all rights granted in this section are granted without the need for any compensation to you in any form.
User Content does not reflect the views of Backcountry.com, and Backcountry.com does not represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, integrity, quality or reliability of any User Content, nor does Backcountry.com endorse or support any opinions expressed in any User Content. In no event shall Backcountry.com have or be construed to have any responsibility or liability for or in connection with any User Content, Any gear reviews and/or product ratings submitted on the Site, if displayed, are displayed for entertainment and informational purposes only. Under no circumstances will Backcountry.com be liable in any way for any User Content, including but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any User Content, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any User Content posted, emailed or otherwise transmitted via the Site or Site Services.
If Backcountry.com determines, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you or any User Content you submit violates this Agreement, we reserve the right, at any time, without notice and without limiting any and all other rights Backcountry.com may have under this Agreement, to: (a) refuse to allow you to submit further User Content; (b) remove and delete your User Content; (c) revoke your registration and right to use the User Content Submission Features; and (d) use any technological, legal, operational or other means available to enforce the terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, blocking specific IP addresses or deactivating your registration, access to the Site and Site Services using your e-mail address, and your user name and password. Without limiting the foregoing, once User Content is submitted to the Site, Backcountry.com may take any or no action with respect to such User Content, including without limitation, deleting, editing, modifying, rejecting, or refusing to post such User Content, but is under no obligation to offer you the opportunity to edit, delete or otherwise modify User Content once it has been submitted. Backcountry.com shall have no duty to attribute authorship of User Content to you and shall not be obligated to enforce any form of attribution by third parties.
If, despite the foregoing assignment and transfer of rights in the User Content, it is determined that you retain moral rights (including the rights of attribution or integrity) in the User Content, you hereby declare that: (a) you do not require that any personally identifying information be used in connection with the User Content or any derivative works of or upgrades or updates thereto; (b) you have no objection to the publication, use, modification, deletion and exploitation of the User Content by Backcountry.com or its licensees, successors or assigns; (c) you forever waive and agree not to claim or assert any entitlement to any and all moral rights of an author in any of the User Content; and (d) you forever release Backcountry.com, and its licensees, successors and assigns from any claims that you could otherwise assert against Backcountry.com by virtue of any such moral rights.
You are prohibited from violating the security of any system or network compromising the Site or the Site Services, including but not limited to the following: (a) unauthorized access to or use of data, systems, or networks, including any attempt to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of the Site or Site Services or to breach security or authentication measures; (b) unauthorized monitoring of data or traffic on the Site or of the Site Services; (c) interference with the Site or Site Services including without limitation, any type of flooding technique or deliberate attempt to overload the system such as denial or service attacks; (d) forging of a message header or any part of a message header; or (e) using manual or electronic means to avoid any use or access limitation placed on this Site or the Site Services. Such violations may result in criminal or civil liability.
Backcountry.com reserves the right to report any activity or persons that Backcountry.com suspects has violated any law or regulation to appropriate law enforcement officials, regulators, or other appropriate third parties (including the disclosure of appropriate subscriber information). Backcountry.com may also cooperate with appropriate law enforcement agencies to assist in the investigation and prosecution of any illegal conduct. Indirect or attempted violations of this Agreement and actual or attempted violations thereof by a third party on behalf of any user shall be considered violations of this Agreement by such user.
BACKCOUNTRY.COM DOES NOT ENDORSE THE USER CONTENT, IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE USER CONTENT AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, PERSONS WHO MAY USE OR RELY ON SUCH USER CONTENT) FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE (WHETHER ACTUAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE), INJURY, CLAIM, LIABILITY OR OTHER CAUSE OF ANY KIND OR CHARACTER BASED UPON OR RESULTING FROM ANY USER CONTENT PROVIDED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.
Share your thoughts
What do you think of the
La Sportiva Katana Lace Vibram XS Edge Climbing Shoe
? Share a...
La Sportiva Katana Lace Vibram XS Edge
Backcountry Video
Member since
Inferno White Horse Ledge
Gregory Luber
Member since
Great Shoes
Gregory Luber
Member since
I went from using a cheap pair of 5.10s and the change to these was just astounding I went from to solid 5.9 climber to an iffy 5.11 climber. They are truly great. I love everything on the shoes. The two most important things I think is having the tongue that is really form fitting and I can keep shoes on quite tight with them untied. The other really important thing is that they are yellow. My old 5.10s were red and after a long day of climbing they would turn my feet red. These I have no problem with. I got them resoled and now they are climbing like new again. I just fear that I will not want to try any other shoes after wearing these.
Shoe is great for sport and even cracks
Reuben Cousin
Member since
This shoe has a down turned toe, but not to the extent of the miura's, solutions, or similar aggressive shoes. The slight down turn makes this a great sport climbing shoe that is aggressive and it will edge great, but will also perform well in cracks. I have climbed up to 5.11+ cracks in this shoe and it was great. I would not take this shoe out on all day trad climbs, but it will be perfect for single pitch or even a couple pitch climbs.
An unexpected contender
kurp251724
Member since
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
- Fit my foot better than the Solutions (no pain in the toes).
- Laces provide flexibility of tightness up and down the shoe.
- Sturdy and has held up a considerable amount of time.
- Comfort + performance of a down-turned toe.
- Heel fits perfectly without any dig in of the ankle area.
Recommended for anyone looking for a more aggressive shoe.
Great all-around
Emil Dimantchev
Member since
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
Sizing: In my experience (sport climbing in a gym about 3 times a week) these shoes stretch about half a size after 8 weeks. I got them one size smaller than my regular shoes, but I regret not getting them 1 and a half sizes smaller. I think that would be the ultimate feel in the long run.
Finally found the best fit (so far)
Susan Rogers
Member since
- Gender: Female
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
The saga of finding a pair of rock shoes ended with the purchase of a pair of these babies. I've settled with the Miuras for some time now, but I could never get the right fit (35 was just a little too snug in the wrong places/35.5 sloppy in the heel and toes).
Enter the Katana - the 35's fit perfectly right out of the box and have gotten even better since breaking in. The laces allow for some good cinching action, and the cushy lining (just like in the Solution) makes slipping them on and off super simple.
Great sensitivity without sacrificing a good firm sole.
I want a pair of these for Crack any clue...
robert warden
Member since
I want a pair of these for Crack any clue on sizing? I wear a 10.5 US street shoe and a 42 EU in solutions and Miura VS. I want my toes flats they will be good for fingers, tight/hands to hands.
Josh Ewing
Member since
I wear a 40.5 Miura VS for bouldering and hard sport. 41.5 Miura for granite routes and comfy sport climbing. 42 TC Pro with flat toes for off widths and hand cracks. 43 Katana Lace for flat toe action in finger cracks. It seems to run small, IMO.
Best of the best
Johan
Member since
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I have tried on every aggressive shoe model made my five ten, and most aggressive shoe models made by Sportiva, literally for than 10 pairs of shoes, and I actually spent time climbing in a few of them, and these were the ONLY shoes that were comfortable on my feet. I have somewhat wide feet with longer toes (slight mortons), and I had almost given up hope of ever finding a pair of comfortable shoes for those hard, steep progressive sport routes and bouldering problems. The Miura's, no matter what size I used, were extremely painful on my toes. Every pair of five tens that I tried on (Hornets, Quantums, Dragons) had a WAAAY too deep heel cup and a painful toe box, but the Katana's got it just right. They fit super snug but with almost no pain in the toes. The heel cup sucks up my heel just right. The down turn is not too aggressive on the Katana's, but so far they have more than done the job on the roof problems that I have been working on where aggressiveness is the name of the game. Edging is a dream. The best thing is that I can hook my toes into the small positive holds and pull my body unto the wall, allowing my arms to rest. Lastly, these shoes just look cool and feel so nice. The way Sportiva lines their shoes and sows in the tongues makes for such a comfortable experience.
awesome
derick
Member since
- Gender: Male
so i just got these shoes , and its my first time geting back into climbing in 4 years, so ima have to relearns some stuff, but when i got them they looked badass, wore em all weekend in the hosue to stretch em and break them in, now they are so fit to my foot its just great, and they barely hurt now, would definately recomend these shoes.
I have a pair of the tarantulaces and i...
Cade17
Member since
I have a pair of the tarantulaces and i have tried 5.10 shoes as well and found that the 5.10's have much better grip compared to the taratulaces. So im wondering if these are close to the same as the tarantulaces or have better grip.
Joshua Bruch
Member since
This is a very technical climbing shoe and they have great grip, from what I've heard. The legendary five-ten stealth rubber is always sticky to the max and great for smearing. The five-ten arrowheads are great bouldering and sport-climbing shoes, you should check them out.
Cade17
Member since
I was just looking at the Arrowheads and well end up likely getting those!
Sandy
Member since
The Katanas have better rubber than the Tarantulace...and the slightly aggressive downturn is perfect. I love these shoes!
best All Around Shoe I've worn
Patrick Mulligan
Member since
These are comfortable, precise, stiff where it counts and the sock dealio makes crack climbing nice and comfy. I sized down about 1.5 (normally size down 2 mondo sizes) and they're comfortable enough to wear all day.
Great performance, durability issues
Matt Layne
Member since
I wear a 42 street shoe and found a 40.5 Katana to fit best. The fit is tight, but not crazy tight. They performed great during moderate sport climbs and showed tremendous edging ability. However, after 3 months a hole develeoped in the toe and got bigger and bigger each day. I'll try another pair to see if I got a bad sampe, but a $165 shoe should last more than 3 months.
How is the size of the Katana Lace compared...
ThomasW
Member since
How is the size of the Katana Lace compared to the Katana Velcro? Any differences?
Noah
Member since
Some people prefer lace because you can fit the shoe to your foot better than some velcro designs.
I'm looking at these and the Miura VS or...
CascadeExplorer
Member since
I'm looking at these and the Miura VS or XS. Right now I climb about 80% gym (V4-V5+ currently) and 20% bouldering. Any suggestions as to which is better for my needs? I have a hand-me-down pair of 39.5 Nagos and while they fit perfect are good, I'm ready to step it up. I'd take any input on sizing too (tried on 40 VS and they almost hurt but figure they'd stretch to a 40.5) Thanks!
Patrick Mulligan
Member since
If you're mostly climbing in the Gym I'd go with a cheaper shoe. Gyms are notoriously hard on shoes. For bouldering I would go with the Miura VS as you'll appreciate the Velcro for taking shoes off between burns. However, in my opinon $170 is a lot to spend on a shoe that will be used 80% indoors. Check out the Mad Rock and Evolves...
For what its worth, I use the Katanas for outdoor trad /crack and the Miura Lace for outdoor multi-pitch sport and face climbing. I use the Miura VS for super steep boulder or face routes. I sized the Miura's in 39.5 and the Katanas at a 40. I wear a size 41.5 or 42 in street shoes.
I have an old pair of 5.10s I use in the gym
lsk4271075
Member since
i have both the miuras, lace and VS. 39 and 39.5 respectively. i have a shorter by normal width heel, and average food with, size 8 US street. if you're in the gym a lot i'd recommend the VS, i love them and the heel is shorter than most aggressive shoes. the muira lace though.. man those are some killer shoes. size em really tight and break them in over a month. you can wear them loose or tight with the laces and they edge so strong and precisely. dreamy shoe, and it can get pretty aggressive with toe work because it's fairly sensitive
A weapon indeed...
Richard Taylor
Member since
I absolutely love my Katanas. I got them a couple weeks ago, and I had been looking at both these and the Solutions. The Katanas felt so much better right off the bat, and I'm glad chose them. The molded heel feels great, and I've had much better precision placing both heels and toes in these than my last pair. As others have said, sizing down wasn't bad at all in these as the break in time was pretty short. Long Live La Sportiva!
Yay Sportiva!
Carly Stark
Member since
Bought these over a year ago and I still wear them to the gym. They are great!
comfy and technical
Chris R.
Member since
Killer all-around technical shoe. They edge and smear great and are not bad in cracks. Really like the sewn in tongue that wraps around your foot. I ordered these in a 42.5 and wear a 10.5 street shoe. My Muiras are a 42.0. If I was going to order again I would get a 43.0. These shoes really don't need to be super tight to perform really well.
I am want to buy a pair of climbing shoes...
leyla
Member since
I am want to buy a pair of climbing shoes for my boyfriend. We are both beginners, have been climbing inside for like a year and no more than 5 times. So I really am not sure what is the best choice for us. but if I go for this pair he wears size 11 for US MEN, so I am assuming one size smaller would be better for rock climbing shoes?
Thomas Ogasawara
Member since
Sizing varies largely from shoe to shoe, company to company. I strongly suggest trying on a few different pairs to see what works for you. Generally, La Sportiva shoes fit a narrower, more asymmetrical foot with a lower volume heel, while Five Ten fits a wider foot with a deep heel. If you can't try anything on, going down about one size from your street shoe is a good place to start. Happy climbing!
Lov'em
Neil Roberts
Member since
I finally suckered down and bought these, i am glad i did. I wear a 44 normally for a street shoe, but got a 42.5 in these. work like a charm, great control, and do more than you could possibly expect!
View all contributions... Be patient, it might take a while.

andrew_max1647644
Member since