La Sportiva Skwama Vegan Womens Climbing Shoes Review

If you crave sensitivity, love powerful toe and heel hooks, and want a vegan shoe that doesn’t compromise on performance, the Skwama Vegan Womens is a killer choice.

It has the same aggressive shape and slipper feel as the classic Skwama, but with an updated vegan upper. I love how well these shoes perform on overhanging boulders and steep sport climbs—especially when I want to feel every hold.

They aren’t the most supportive for long edging routes, but their comfort surprised me once broken in. Just mind the fit: they’re best for medium to narrow feet and those with more tapered toes.

or climbers after a soft, versatile, and ethical shoe, this one’s a winner—but check your sizing carefully and be ready for a (worthwhile) break-in period.

IThis review is all about the La Sportiva Skwama Vegan Womens. I used to climb in standard Skwamas (and loved those overall), but when I made the switch to a mostly plant-based lifestyle, I wanted a performance shoe that lined up with those values.

Finding a vegan shoe that wasn’t a compromise felt almost impossible. So when La Sportiva dropped the Skwama Vegan, I knew I had to test it—hard.

I’ve put these through everything since then: cave boulders, sketchy sandstone heel hooks, sweaty gym circuits, and nail-biting sport onsights. Here’s the true story of what I discovered—both the game-changers and the deal-breakers.

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

I’ll be honest, if you’re looking for a razor-sharp edging shoe, the Skwama Vegan Womens might not be your best bet.

During a session at my local crag—a classic vertical wall with tiny limestone nubbins—I really had to focus on placing my toes just right. These shoes are soft and sensitive, which is awesome for steep climbing, but on super thin edges, your feet do a lot of the work. I found myself pressing harder through my toes and sometimes my foot would flex around the hold.

However, on big outdoor overhangs, the Skwama’s flexibility actually gave me LESS of that numb, foot-cramp feeling I get from stiffer shoes. The trade-off is a loss in edging power, but more trust in what’s under your foot.

So, for easier edges or ‘smear-edges’ indoors, I managed fine. Just be ready to rely on foot strength, not the shoe, if you’re tackling thin, technical slabs.

Smearing (pressing your foot onto blank rock or volumes) is where the Skwama Vegan absolutely shines.

On a rainy day, I hit the gym for some comp-style boulders. You know the kind: big fiberglass volumes and barely any drip for your foot. The Skwama’s soft sole and sticky, grippy rubber let me stand confidently even when it felt like my toes were surfing on glass.

Out on real rock, I tried them on some sandstone slopers. I loved the way I could feel where my foot was on the smear, giving me confidence to trust my movement.

If your style is slabby, comp-style, or weird and balance-y, these shoes could seriously up your game.

I’m all about real talk, so here it is: my first few sessions in the Skwama Vegan Womens were a mix of excitement and a little regret.

Right out of the box, the fit was tight—almost painfully so. My toes were curled, and I could only keep them on for one or two boulders at a time. I sized snug because the synthetic upper does stretch, but not a TON. After three or four gym days, the shoe softened up. The upper molded to my foot, and the pain subsided.

Now? They feel like a second skin. I don’t dread slipping them on for an hour-long session, and I’m not ripping them off in pain between every burn.

That said, if you’re not used to aggressive shoes, this break-in might test your patience. But once settled in, they’re among the most comfortable aggressive shoes I’ve worn—worth the temporary discomfort.

Sensitivity is the Skwama Vegan’s magic trick.

On my home wall (a bunch of wooden edges and sketchy jugs), I can literally feel the little ripples and textures under my toes. This makes precise footwork feel almost intuitive.

I love this for both bouldering and steep sport, because I never get that clunky, disconnected feeling like in a super-stiff edging shoe.

The trade? Sometimes I wish for a little more protection on sharp, outdoor granite, where I can feel every crystal. But for the vast majority of moves—especially crappy gym footholds or weird outdoor smears—I love the feedback these shoes give.

Here’s where these shoes are weapons.

I’ll never forget a circuit at my home gym: a deep roof boulder that required a wild bicycle move (toehooking up left, heelhooking right) on glossy yellow volumes.

The toe patch rubber on the Skwama Vegan stuck easily—no sliding, no drama. Cycling between toehooks and blocking toe scums felt super secure.

For heel hooks, there’s that big, semi-stiff ‘flap’ at the back (La Sportiva calls it S-Heel), which totally locks your foot in. I’ve pulled on jugs, volumes, sharp holds, and never felt slippage or discomfort. The heel design is snug and stays put even when twisting hard.

If toe and heel hooks are part of your climbing DNA, these won’t let you down—indoors or outdoors.

There were a few moments that really surprised me with the Skwama Vegan Womens.

The biggest? How quickly they went from ‘ouch, get these off me’ to ‘I never want to climb in anything else.’ Midway through my first week, I almost consigned them to the closet. But after the break-in, I found myself purposely saving them for my hardest projects—including a burly gym roof problem that needed wild toe hooks.

I swear, that pink and teal toe patch felt like a secret weapon.

I also love telling climbers at the gym ‘these are vegan’ when they ask. It feels like a small win to have both performance and values on your feet.

Shoe fit is my obsession, and with the Skwama Vegan Womens, there are a few things to know:

• Low to medium volume — if you have chunky/wide feet, these will feel cramped
• Tapered toe box — works best for ‘Egyptian’ (longest big toe) or ‘Greek’ (second toe longest), not the best for square toes
• Slightly downturned/curled — good for aggressive climbing, but not super comfortable to walk in
• Heel cup is fairly snug, especially after break-in
• Synthetic upper stretches less than leather, but will give maybe half a size over time

Bottom line: If your foot is narrow-to-medium width and your toes taper, you’ll likely be thrilled. Wider feet or square-toe folks? Consider something roomier.

The Skwama Vegan Womens fits best if your toes taper in length—like when your big toe is longest, or your second toe sticks out a bit more than the others. If your toes are all about the same length (more square or blocky), the pointed toe box can feel tight or cramped.

These shoes are great for climbers with more curved or sloping toe shapes who like a snug fit up front.

Best for narrower and medium width feet—if your toes splay out or you have a wide forefoot, the tapered shape will feel cramped.

This model is made for women’s feet, which means a lower volume fit and slightly narrower shape than the men’s version. Women’s sizing ranges from EU 34–42 (US 4–10).

Sizing climbing shoes is a whole project in itself. My street shoe size is EU 38 (women, which is about US 7.5), and I originally tried the Skwama Vegan Womens in 37.5 and 38.

Here’s what I learned:

• The shoe fits tight out of the box but does stretch a little—so go close to street size, half size down if you want super performance.
• If you want all-day comfort for long sessions or routes, go for your regular street size.
• I settled on 37.5, and after break-in, they fit like a glove—still toe-curled but manageable.
• Try them in the shop if you can, or buy from a place with easy returns—fit is really foot shape dependent.

If in doubt, don’t size down aggressively like you would with a leather shoe.

I’ve climbed in these for about five months, 2-3 times per week.

The synthetic upper has held up really well—no random stitching blowouts or delamination, even with the abuse of sweaty gym sessions.

The Vibram XS Grip2 rubber is awesomely sticky but is a little softer than some other rubbers, so I’ve seen moderate wear on the toes. Nothing out of the ordinary for a performance shoe, though. The S-Heel and toe patch have both survived dedicated hooking sessions with no tears.

Overall, build quality is what you’d expect from La Sportiva—excellent, precise, and vegan materials that don’t feel like a downgrade.

Let’s be real—these aren’t ‘budget’ shoes. The Skwama Vegan Womens sits at the upper end of the price range, but for the performance and features, I think it’s fair.

If you’re only gym climbing low grades a couple days a month, you could definitely get by with a simpler, cheaper shoe. But if you’re serious about bouldering, want an aggressive fit, or need a vegan option that doesn’t compromise, these are 100% worth it.

I wouldn’t buy them as a first shoe, but for anyone pushing into harder grades or wanting to invest in performance, I recommend them.

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

If you climb vertical, techy slabs all day and need maximum edging support, these won’t be your favorite.

• Wide feet or square-toed climbers (toe box will be too narrow)
• Beginners looking for comfort above all else
• Anyone who climbs primarily long multi-pitch, vertical terrain (too soft)

Strong boulderers and steep sport climbers who want tons of rubber for toe and heel hooks, need a vegan construction, and have a low to medium volume foot.

• Boulderers working steep overhangs or comp-style problems
• Sensitive, aggressive shoe seekers
• Anyone who values vegan gear
• Feet with tapering toes (Egyptian, Greek)