La Sportiva Skwama Vegan Climbing Shoes Review

If you care about top-level performance, a sensitive feel, and want to avoid animal products, the Skwama Vegan is a legit contender for your next climbing shoe. After months of testing indoors and out, I can tell you: the hype is real.

Just like the original Skwama, this vegan version hits that sweet spot between power and comfort, letting you toe in on brutal overhangs and still handle sketchy smears.

The fit is more forgiving than most aggressive shoes (especially after it breaks in), and I finally found a toe box that suits my medium/Greek-ish foot.

But, it’s not perfect: toe hooks could be even beefier, and if you need a super stiff edging machine, keep looking.

That said, the Skwama Vegan nails its goal—if your foot matches up with the last, and especially if you want cruelty-free gear, it’s one of the best out there.

When the Skwama Vegan was announced, I practically yelled to my partner across the gym. I mean, the regular Skwama is a classic; everyone and their neighbor seems to wear them at some point.

But I’d always felt a bit uneasy about leather, and plenty of my climbing friends are fully vegan.

I wanted to see if this animal-free version held up—so I committed to a few months of rough testing, indoor and out, to find out.

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

Here’s where things got interesting for me. I come from a limestone crag background, so tiny edges are my bread and butter—especially on sport routes. With the Skwama Vegan, edging felt natural on most holds, especially on overhanging or slightly vertical terrain.

The P3 rand (same tech as the leather Skwama) keeps the toe feeling stable and focused.

But, if you’re expecting the kind of dead-stiff platform you get from something like a TC Pro or Miura Lace, slow down. These are sensitive, and the forefoot flexes more than a true edging slipper.

On outdoor climbs like my pumpy limestone 7a circuit, the Skwama Vegan let me dial in on quarter-inch edges… as long as I focused on my footwork. What surprised me was how much feedback I got through the shoe—almost too much at first! I needed that ‘quiet feet’ mindset or I’d roll right off.

The first few sessions, my toes got tired from having to ‘work’ the shoe more, but after two weeks, my confidence grew. It made me more precise, but on dead vertical, techy faces, I did wish for a touch more support.

I always love how aggressive shoes handle smearing—some are awful, some actually shine. The Skwama Vegan is firmly in the ‘shine’ category. I spent a handful of gym sessions purposely toe-ing onto giant, glassy volumes, and was surprised at how easily I could trust these shoes to stick, even mid-dyno.

The split sole and soft midsole make the shoe flex over holds and volumes, so you get near-barefoot contact with the wall. On the most sandpaper-like home wall I’ve got, I could barely slide my foot even when deliberately rolling through my arch.

Outdoors on sandstone, a desperate high foot actually stuck during a sketchy last move on my summer project—probably the first time I didn’t panic when smearing at the top-out.

If you need to run laps on competition-style slabs or outdoor slabs that demand trust on nothing, the Skwama Vegan holds its own.

Real talk: the first few sessions felt pretty brutal. I sized half a size down from my EU 43 street, aiming for that snug, performance fit. To be honest, these shoes hugged my toes like a boa constrictor for about three gym days.

But here’s where synthetic uppers surprised me—in a good way. I’d always worried vegan shoes would never break in or stretch. While the Skwama Vegan didn’t get as soft as leather, it relaxed enough for my toes to flatten just a tiny bit, and the pain went from sharp to dull discomfort.

By my fifth session, I could finally keep a shoe on for an entire bouldering circuit without needing to immediately rip them off.

After a month, I even wore them on a slightly longer multipitch (not what they’re made for, but hey, I wanted to know), and was able to leave them on for two full pitches. If you have wide feet or really aggressive toe knuckles, you might need to go true to size for sanity, but these shoes do chill out after a week or so.

This is where the Skwama Vegan really killed it. I literally felt every bump, grain, or tiny ripple under my toes. For boulders with that ‘is-it-even-there?’ pebble, confidence shot up because I knew exactly what I was standing on.

There were moments, especially on thinner, insecure footholds at the gym, where I realized just how much feedback I was getting. On one particular comp-style course, I could adjust my toe placement on a giant hold, just by feeling the texture through the rubber.

The only downside: your toes do more work, especially in longer sessions. After a few marathon bouldering days, my feet were more worked than with a stiffer shoe. But honestly, the tradeoff is worth it for that level of precision.

The Skwama Vegan’s toe patch is sticky and covers much of the top—perfect for gym toe hooks. I tested this on a classic pink V5 in my local gym, where the crux was hanging off a giant volume with a mega toe hook. I managed the hook on my second go, and felt fully locked in (no sliding, no squish).

Heel hooking is similar—wide rubber patch, nice tension from the hook strap, and a slightly softer feel than some rock-hard heel cups.

I did notice that on weird, sharp edges outside (granite), the softer heel rubber meant I had to use more muscle to stay put. But for most competition-style or indoor holding, it was as secure as anything else I’ve used.

If your local gym has those monster volumes or you love roofs with wild hooks, this shoe is gold. If you depend on a super-hard, tiny heel for outdoors, just keep your expectations honest.

Biggest surprise: how close these felt to the original Skwama. I honestly worried they’d be stiffer, less sensitive, or just ‘off’ compared to the classic version. But my performance didn’t drop at all.

The most memorable session was barely sticking an outdoor slab crux—my partner and I high-fived because I finally trusted my foot enough to throw for the last hold, thanks to that skid-proof, sensitive sole. Breaking these in was honestly rough, but I learned (again) why patience pays off in finding the right climbing shoe.

I’m also surprised at how much my gym sessions improved when I knew exactly what my feet were doing—sensitivity makes better climbers over time, even though my toes sometimes felt roasted after two hours.

It took me years of busting my feet into too-narrow shoes before accepting my foot is basically Greek—the second toe is longest, and my forefoot runs wide. The Skwama Vegan’s toe box is, honestly, a relief. It’s rounded and spacious (relatively), especially for an aggressive shoe.

You’ll love them if you have:

• Greek or Egyptian toes (longer big or second toe)
• Medium-to-wide forefeet
• High-volume feet

It won’t be magic for narrow-heeled climbers—the heel fits but can feel a little roomy if you’ve got a super low-volume foot.

If you have a seriously narrow foot, the Skwama may bag out a bit unless you size down hard. But for most average-to-wide feet, it’s better than a lot of the tapered/lady’s-last shoes out there.

The Skwama Vegan fits best if your toes taper in length—so if your first or second toe is longest, you’ll likely find the shape comfortable. If your toes are all about the same length (square or boxy foot), the front of the shoe might feel a bit tight or crowded.

The rounded toe box works well for people whose feet narrow toward the toes, not those with wide, blocky shapes.

Best for medium to wide feet—a forgiving toe box and lots of volume, not pointy or narrow like some aggressive shoes.

Made in unisex sizing; available in a good range (women’s/men’s EU 34-46+). Works for any gender, just watch sizing—female climbers may need to size down about 1-1.5 EU compared to street.

With sport shoes, I’ve made every mistake: gone too small (couldn’t walk), too big (edge like a sock). My street shoe is EU 43 (about men’s US 10, women’s US 11.5)—I went 42.5 for a boulder fit.

Here’s my advice:

• If you’re used to tight leather shoes, go down half a size from street, max.
• If you’ve got a wide forefoot, true to street size for comfort—but not race-car tightness.
• If you climb mainly short, hard boulders, consider a half-size down unless you have bunions.

The Skwama Vegan stretches a little, but not much. Don’t expect slipper-level slack. I found my toe knuckles finally stopped screaming after 6 sessions.

If you’re ordering online, consider bracketing two sizes and returning what doesn’t fit.

I’ve logged about four months in these shoes—maybe 60 sessions, half outside, half bouldering indoors. The upper isn’t showing much wear at all, and the glue job looks super tidy.

I was nervous the split sole would fall apart in the heat (summer, sandstone), but it’s holding up well.

The Vibram XS Grip2 rubber is super sticky, but if you drag toes a ton (like me working those sketchy gym toe hooks), expect to see some rubber smoothing after 40+ sessions. Still, no holes, no flappy parts. The synthetic upper can feel slick if you get really sweaty, so I’d recommend thin socks if you tend to sweat buckets.

Look, these aren’t cheap. But: for the performance, fit, and vegan build, I think they’re worth it. You’re paying for serious R&D and a proven design with a new twist.

I’d totally recommend these to:

• Dedicated boulderers/gym climbers burning through shoes
• Sport climbers pushing into steeper grades
• Anyone who wants a high-end vegan option

If you buy shoes once a year and only climb slabs, maybe look for a stiffer (and cheaper) model. But if you’re working hard projects and want the best, the value checks out.

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

Probably not for:

• Slab specialists who want max support
• Narrow, ultra-low-volume feet and heels
• Traditional climbers doing huge multi-pitches
• People with square feet/very wide toes

The Skwama Vegan is for:

• Boulderers and sport climbers needing sensitivity and power
• Vegans or anyone seeking an animal-free shoe
• Medium-to-wide feet, Greek or Egyptian shape
• Anyone who trains a bunch indoors