4.81 of 5 stars
La Sportiva - Otaki - Climbing shoes tested
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I don't recommend it for limestone
I found this pair of shoes too slippery on limestone. I have been working on a project with a very used pair of shoes (wild climb pantera soft) and on my final attempts, I tried this otaki. They proved to be too slippery. Finally, I get back to WC pantera soft and I managed to send my project despite of been almost broken on the edge. Very disappointed about otaki.
- Advantages
- Good fit
- Disadvantages
- poor grip
- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
I found this pair of shoes too slippery on limestone. I have been working on a project with a very used pair of shoes (wild climb pantera soft) and on my final attempts, I tried this otaki. They proved to be too slippery. Finally, I get back to WC pantera soft and I managed to send my project despite of been almost broken on the edge. Very disappointed about otaki.
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- Advantages
- Good fit
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- Disadvantages
- poor grip
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
I have climbed with 7 different climbing shoes and have tried on many many more. I have wide feed with relatively small heels, so my most common issue is that the shoe either has a saggy heel, or is too narrow. This is probably the best shoe I have had so far - it is a bit stiff, and normally I prefer softer shoes, but despite that, this shoe seems to perform amazingly on all types of rock and types of climbing (overhang/vertical), as well as indoors both on roped climbs and boulder problems. It does the job for me on slabs as well, but I don't climb many "hardcore" super smeary slabs, and I would guess it might not be very good for that.
I usually wear EU43, and size 41.5 of this shoe fits me perfectly(took a fairly long time to break in though).
I'll have it re-soled soon and am considering getting a second pair just so I have another while the original is being repaired.
One thing to keep in mind that it is a performance shoe that is certainly not comfortable to walk in / wear for a long time, so I would not recommend it on long multi-pitches.
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- Advantages
- Good fit
- High edge stability
- Versatile
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
- Indoor climbing
- All around
- Bouldering
Bought this to replace Skwama that proved too soft for outdoor climbs, and Otaki works great both on the rock and indoor.
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- Advantages
- Good grip
- Versatile
- Good fit
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- Recommended use
- Indoor climbing
- Sport climbing
Excellent. Easy to on-off due to velcro straps, sensitive, agressive and confortable. They edge like katakis but are more confortable on same size. Fit my wide forefoot perfectly. Probably my new go-to shoe"
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- Advantages
- Good fit
- Versatile
- Robust
- High edge stability
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- Recommended use
- Big wall
- Sport
I bought these as a Katana replacement and I'm not disappointed. Even though it's stiffer and more agressive, the fit is extremely good for my slightly wider feet. Very short break-in period, only little strech and fantastic performance. The heel is also a big upgrade compared with the Katana. Nevertheless, I would never take this shoe to multipitch or alpine climbs (in that sense, the KAtana was more versatile).
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- Advantages
- High edge stability
- Good fit
- Robust
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
- Bouldering
- Indoor climbing
Hey Aliaksandr, I wear 41.5 Otakis and Skwamas and I'm happy with them. My street shoe size is 43-44.
I used to wear 41.5 Katanas but that was the old model (before the design change - I had the blue-green one). After the change, the new Katanas felt larger - so I'd probably pick a 41 Katana as a comparable sized shoe.
I looked for the hardest shoe out there because of a foot join inflammation which caused me to loose 50% mobility in my big toe. Sizing is a bit like the Solutions. I got 0.5 size bigger because of the issues i mentioned and it is awesome. Super good for edges and tiny placements. Average for slabs but i cirertly am unable to properly test. Super good foot support and not flexible which i love!
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- Advantages
- High edge stability
- Robust
- Good fit
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- Disadvantages
- not great on slabs
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
- Indoor climbing
- Bouldering
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
- Good fit
- Good grip
- Versatile
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- Recommended use
- All around
- Sport climbing
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
- Robust
- Good grip
- Good fit
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- Recommended use
- Sport climbing
- Bouldering
The shoes themselves stick well, however have next to no give. I was only using for bouldering and indoor lead, stuck it out for 2 months 3-4 times a week and then had to change as it was too painful. I ended up getting Skwama's instead which are much more forgiving. I went down 1.5 uk sizes as was recommended with both.
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- Advantages
- Robust
- High edge stability
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- Disadvantages
- Not comfortable
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- Recommended use
- Indoor climbing
- Bouldering
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Hey Razvan, give them some time to break in. Initially the Otaki is very stiff but with a few sessions it will develop some more edge conformity which is better for polished lime. These are primarily a stiff edging shoe so they do also need to be loaded in a different way to softer shoes - but I'd say it's primarily a matter of breaking them in as opposed to technique. Hope this helps :-)
Hi Mischa,
thanks for the free advice about technique. Limestone is not only stiff edge climbing, actually is more about rounded footholds where the smearing is likely more indicated technique to be used.
Hello Razvan,
Could you kindly elaborate on the size you've chosen? Especially if you previously had any of la sportiva shoes such as kataki or katana lace. TIA