La Sportiva Finale Womens Climbing Shoes Review

The La Sportiva Finale Womens is a shoe I almost wrote off—too simple, not enough bells and whistles. I was wrong.

After a few months of bouldering and sport climbs, it’s clear this is a shoe that quietly gets the job done:. Forgiving enough for long gym sessions and moderate outdoor routes, but technical enough to tackle surprising terrain.

The Finale isn’t perfect—stiff enough for lasting support, but it won’t save you on the tiniest edges or hold your foot in a heel hook like high-end models. Still, for the price and comfort, it’s honestly hard to complain.

For most climbers, especially those starting out or looking to climb for fun without wincing, the Finale is a solid pick.

When I first started ClimbingShoesFit, my main motivation was pure frustration. I bought my first climbing shoes online, trusted the size chart, and spent weeks bandaging my toes instead of sending boulders. Over the next few years, I became a bit obsessed (okay, a lot obsessed) with finding shoes that actually fit, and helping other climbers skip that pain.

So when my usual aggressive shoes started to make me dread warm-up laps—or any multi-pitch day—I decided to look for something forgiving, but still capable. I went for the La Sportiva Finale Womens, half-expecting it to feel like a boring ‘beginner’ shoe.

You know what? I was wrong, and I’m glad I gave this sleeper a real shot.

Let’s take a look at what makes this climbing shoe unique.

Let’s start with the good stuff. The Finale’s platform is pretty stiff for a ‘comfort shoe.’ I was expecting floppy, sloppy edges, but that’s not the case.

At the gym, the first test was a techy vertical wall problem with dime-sized plastic nubs. I was nervous—my big toe wasn’t curled and crammed like usual—but the shoe totally held up. I could stand and shift my weight, even relax a little.

The edge isn’t laser-sharp like a Solutions or Kataki, so tiny limestone crystals outdoors are still a challenge, but on most sport routes or gym boulders, it’s more than enough.

One funny thing: on a sharp granite route, I could feel my weight sinking into the sole rather than perched on the tip. It’s not ultra-precise. If you’re chasing micro-edging glory, this isn’t your shoe. If you want a platform you can trust for easy to moderate edges, the Finale feels supportive and steady.

Here’s where the Finale starts to shine. Because the sole is flatter and doesn’t point your toes down, it lays against the wall and the rubber grabs well.

I tackled a weird slabby traverse at the gym—a route that pretty much dared you to smear your way across blank volume. While a super-stiff shoe might have peeled off, the Finale’s balance of support and flex kept me stuck to the plastic.

Outdoors, I tried it on an old sandstone slab (the kind that eats your shoes for breakfast).

The toe box laid flat, and I could press the ball of my foot comfortably without fight or pain. I wasn’t blown away by sensitivity (more on that later), but for most slabby smears, the rubber stuck and the sole flexed just enough.

Real talk: the Finale is one of the most actually comfortable climbing shoes I’ve worn—and I’ve tried a lot. The first time I put it on, I braced for pain, but it felt more like a snug slipper than a torture device.

My toes were flat, not crunched, and there was enough width that I didn’t have to pop them off between climbs. On my first long gym session, I actually forgot I was still wearing them during stretches (true story).

Of course, there’s a little break-in period. The leather upper is soft but stiffens up once laced. After about three sessions, it molded to my foot—especially around my bunion (thank you, Finale!).

If you want the ‘sock-like’ feel, be ready to sweat it out for a week or two. But for most feet, the pain level is maybe a two out of ten from day one.

Alright—here’s where I felt a little let down. The thick-ish sole and solid construction mean you don’t get that ‘barefoot’ feeling or super-precise feedback from the wall.

During a circuit of balancy problems, I had to actually look at my feet to make sure I was placing them well—I just couldn’t feel tiny ripples or subtle texture like in a softer, thinner shoe. If you love feeling every grain of sand under your toe, you’ll have to work a bit harder with these.

That said, after a couple weeks, I got used to ‘trusting’ my placements and stopped worrying so much. The trade-off is that your feet don’t get destroyed by every little bump, which is a plus for long days.

Let’s talk hooks. I’ll admit, heel hooks are not this shoe’s specialty. I tried to stick a committing heel hook on my local gym’s moonboard—right foot up, overhung, pulling hard— and the Finale just kind of squished around my heel.

The lack of structure in the heel meant I had to really engage my foot to keep it on, and even then, it slipped a few times.

Toe hooks are a bit better—the rounded rubber at the front grabs volume edges well enough, especially on easier problems. But if you’re working a comp-style dyno with wild toe camming, you’ll probably want something with more aggressive shaping.

Outdoors, I did manage to stick a low heel cam on an easy sport traverse, but again, not with much confidence. For most friendly routes, these will do fine, but advanced moves will push their limits.

What surprised me most was how much more I enjoyed climbing when pain wasn’t the main event. No more taping my toes or cursing on the walk-off because of numb feet.

One session at the gym, a friend who’s totally new to climbing borrowed my shoes (she’s close in size). She ended up climbing twice as many routes as usual, and I realized—comfortable shoes can actually unlock longer and more fun sessions.

I still switch to aggressive shoes for overhang projects. But for everything else, the Finale made me fall for climbing all over again. Even after heavy use, they’re my default shoe for relaxed outdoor days or gym endurance training.

I’m passionately picky about shoe fit. If you also obsess over toe shape and don’t want to feel like you’re stuffing your foot into a sardine can, the Finale is pretty forgiving.

It’s got a rounded toe box—best if your big toe is longest (Egyptian), but there’s enough width for squarer foot types too.

• Great for: Egyptian, square, or gently Greek toes
• Not great for: super-pointy feet (Greek type), or if your toes are hugely different lengths
• Width skews a smidge to medium/wide—skinny-footed climbers will want to lace tight

What I love is that the leather upper actually stretches to fit, especially over bunions or wide spots. No more mashed pinkies or numb spots after an hour.

The Finale fits the three most common toe shapes without forcing any weird bends:

• Egyptian (big toe longest): plenty of room so your big toe lies flat.

• Greek (second toe longest): extra length up front so your second toe isn’t cramped.

• Square (toes nearly the same length): all toes rest side by side naturally.

Medium or wide feet will be happiest in the Finale. The toe box is generous and the leather stretches, so pinched pinkies and bunions are usually not a problem. Narrow feet might struggle to get a really tight, performance lace-up fit.

This model is specifically cut and sized for women’s feet—narrower heel, lower volume, and sizes available down to EU 34. If you’re a guy with a lower-volume foot, you could still consider them, but they’re made for women.

Sizing climbing shoes is never easy—ask the scars on my toes.

My regular street shoe (women’s EU 38, US 7.5–8) fits the Finale pretty much true-to-size, but: the leather stretches about a third of a size after a week.

• If you love a comfort fit (all-day, barely any pain), order your normal street size
• If you want more performance (edging, a little extra power on toes), drop half a size below street
• Lace them up till your toes just graze the end, but not crammed—a little space in the toe box is okay in this shoe
• Don’t size down aggressively—it’ll just feel sloppy when the leather stretches

I made the mistake of going extra tight (half size down); after the stretch, it felt a tad loose for techy boulders. I actually bought a second pair at street size, and that felt much better for my daily gym and sport climbing.

This is classic La Sportiva: the build just lasts. I’ve used my pair for five months now (three sessions a week, indoors and out), and the only visible wear is some fuzzing on the laces and light discoloring at the toe from sandstone.

The rubber (XS Edge) seems stubbornly thick—it’s not going bald after a few months, even with repeated top-rope lowers. The leather upper can get sweaty (hello, sock stink), but it dries out fast if I stick them by the window. Stitching and rands are all holding strong.

If you take care of them and keep the leather clean, these could easily last a full year or more, even if you’re a regular gym rat.

For the price, the Finale delivers way more than most entry-level shoes, and can actually follow you into moderate outdoor grades. If you’re just starting out, or you know you’ll be doing 3+ hour sessions, it’s a great investment.

If you’re obsessed with sending V7 roofs or desperately train comp-style heel/toe hooks, you’ll run into the shoe’s limits. But for day-to-day climbing, warm ups, multi-pitch, and mellow projecting, it’s hard to beat.

If I had to start over (and I did, more than once!), I’d pick these again as my first ‘real’ climbing shoe, no question.

As with anything one size doesn’t fit all. Here are my recommendations.

Not a great pick if:

• You only climb steep overhangs or train comp-style boulders
• You demand super-sensitive, thin-soled shoes
• Your feet are ultra-narrow and long
• You need the absolute highest performance heel/toe hooking
• You want shoes that never stretch (leather moves a bit)

The Finale Womens is perfect for:

• Beginners who want comfort and durability
• Intermediate climbers who climb mostly vertical or slab
• Anyone who wants a break from painfully tight shoes
• People with medium or wide feet—or if you hate pointy toe boxes
• Multi-pitch or all-day climbers