Scarpa Force Women's Climbing Shoes Review

If you’re after maximum comfort and don’t want to spend sessions cradling aching feet, the Scarpa Force Women’s just might be your new gym bestie—or your gateway to long, chill days outside. It’s not the sharpest weapon for tiny edges, but it delivers honest performance for all-purpose climbing.

If you’re a new or intermediate climber, or just want something friendly and reliable for long sessions, this shoe nails it. I learned a lot about my own foot shape—and how badly I judged my sizing (oops!)—testing these. For comfort and easy progress, they’re a winner.

Okay, story time. When I launched ClimbingShoesFit, I’d already spent way too many hours in shoes that left my feet in tatters—or barely fit right, no matter how much I wanted to love them. I wanted to help real climbers skip the pain, confusion, and buyer’s remorse that comes with a bad shoe (I’ve been there—more than once).

Lately, I’d been helping some friends get started, and I kept hearing: “What’s a shoe you can wear all day, that won’t squash my toes, but still lets me actually climb?”

That’s why I picked up the Scarpa Force Women’s. It’s famous for comfort—but could it keep up with my own training, or would my slightly weirdly-shaped feet stuff things up again? Let’s find out.

For context, I usually wear an EU 43 (US Men’s 9.5-10, or US Women’s 11-11.5) street shoe, and I have a medium-to-wide forefoot with a Roman/Egyptian toe shape.

I’m super stubborn when it comes to dialing in the perfect fit.

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

Edging for me is one of the real tests of a shoe. I brought the Scarpa Force Women’s to my favorite local slab circuit—granite, not the sharpest edges but enough to feel if a shoe is flexy.

The Force Women’s has a medium-stiff midsole. That means it works fine on moderate edges—if you step smart, it’ll stay put. But as soon as I tried using it on smaller, more technical foot chips (especially on slightly overhanging problems), I could tell the softness and the rounded toe shape just weren’t as confidence-inspiring as some of Scarpa’s more aggressive lines.

One memorable route, “Little Legos”, had me dancing on quartz micro-crystals. My big toe felt supported, but I had to trust my footwork a lot more.

If you rely on pure shoe power for microedges, this isn’t your jam. But for learning good technique, it keeps you honest! If your climbs tend toward moderate faces, the Forces are reliable. Out of five, I’d say edging is a solid middle: not bad, not mind-blowing.

This is where the Scarpa Force Women’s totally shines. The Vibram XS Edge rubber might not be the absolute stickiest Scarpa offers, but the flat, forgiving sole and lower downturn let you really ‘feel’ the wall on slabs and runouts.

I took them on a warm-up circuit of super smooth sandstone—nothing but floating up with my foot flat and hoping the rubber would keep me there. No problem! The shoes let me use my whole foot, and that comfort kept me from unconsciously tensing up.

On volumes in the gym–big, sloping moves where you need trust in your smears—I felt way more stable than in some of my pointier, stiffer shoes. No hot spots, just all-day sticky performance. If you like slabs or smearing up big gym walls, the comfort and flatness make these a treat.

Here’s the thing: Scarpa Force Women’s isn’t just comfortable by climbing-shoe standards—it’s honestly comfy, period. First session? No horror. I tightened up the Velcro, climbed a full two-hour session, and my toes were fine. Practically zero break-in.

Usually, I dread day one in new shoes. With these, I almost forgot I was wearing new climbing shoes until I started trying gym problems that needed big toe hooks. After a week, they only softened a little. Even after longer, the padding and unlined suede kept the fit gentle. I wore socks on a multi-pitch for the first time in ages!

If you want a shoe you can wear from start to finish during a climbing day, on all but steep cave problems, you could do a lot worse. Just know: some extra room in the toebox is part of the comfort package. If you like your shoes arrow sharp, these are too friendly.

This isn’t a super-skinny, barefoot-feeling slipper by any means. The Force Women’s definitely puts comfort and support above hyper-sensitivity, but that can be good for learning good footwork.

If you’re new, this is what you want—you still know where your foot is, and the rubber is forgiving enough to send vibrations back on uneven granite. If you’re coming from high-performance, super-thin shoes, you’ll feel a bit detached at first.

For me, it struck a good balance—I could still feel insecure edges, but the plushness took the sting out of larger moves. Not an ideal gym comp shoe, but for all-round climbing? It gets the job done.

The Force Women’s is not a hook monster. The heel is mostly traditional: roundish, not deep, and a bit higher-volume. It’s secure for most—unless you’re doing super powerful heel moves on roofs.

I tried them on “Beneath the Volume” in the gym, which starts with a giant, swingy heel hook on a fiberglass elephant ear. The heel stayed put, even on the bigger version of my foot, but I could feel some wiggle if I cranked really hard.

Toe hooks require a bit of improvisation. With less rubber over the top, you’re relying on the fit—fine for easier-technique moves. If you love techy toe hooks (think indoor comp climbing), this isn’t your dream shoe.

But for the average gym session—when you heel hook over the lip or wedge your toe into a blurry gym volume—it’s totally serviceable.

My biggest surprise? How many times I reached for the Force Women’s even after break-in, especially on volume-heavy gym sessions or casual outdoor days.

One memorable session: teaching a new climber outside—I wore these the whole day, never once needed to take them off, and never got that numbed-out ‘climber’s limp.’

It also challenged my bias that ‘comfortable’ meant ‘bad at climbing.’ Sure, I didn’t send any sick V6 roofs, but my technique massively improved. For anyone learning or putting in mileage, that’s more valuable than being able to barely stand in your own shoes.

I learned to respect the comfort: my footwork got cleaner, and my post-session feet weren’t trashed.

This is where my obsession (and frustration) started years ago: finding shoes that match your foot and don’t wreck you.

The Scarpa Force Women’s feels built for:

• Medium and wider feet (there’s space up front, and the toebox isn’t pointy)
• Roman and Egyptian foot shapes (your big toe is the longest or almost the same as the next one)
• Higher-volume feet (there’s vertical space; not super flat)

People with low-volume, super narrow, or extremely thin feet may find these too baggy. The rounded toe box shape is most forgiving for average and wider toes. If you’re all about precision and you have a super pointy Greek foot, you might feel lost in all that room.

Best for medium and wide feet—the toe box offers plenty of room, and the shoe doesn’t pinch the sides. Folks with narrow feet may not get a secure fit.

Best for medium and wide feet—the toe box offers plenty of room, and the shoe doesn’t pinch the sides. Folks with narrow feet may not get a secure fit.

This is the women’s version: built for female foot anatomy—narrower heel, lower volume than the men’s, but still pretty roomy. Available in women’s sizes up to EU 42/43. Some men with low-volume feet may fit this version better than the men’s model.

Sizing these turned into a saga. My street shoe size is EU 43 (US Men’s 9.5-10 / US Women’s 11-11.5). I first tried 42.5—too roomy for technical climbing (thanks, wide fit!). Eventually, I sized down to 42.0 and finally to 41.5 for a slightly snug, close fit without pain.

• If you want the comfiest fit for all-day multipitch, go down just half a size from your street size
• If you want more performance (and can handle a touch of toe pressure), try a full size down
• Wide-footed? True to size or half-size down
• Narrow feet: you may struggle with dead space, even when you size way down

Break-in is kind; expect a little stretch but not a full size’s worth.

Scarpa’s reputation is deserved—the Force Women’s feels built to last. After several months of bouldering and leading (3x/week at least for 4 months), the rubber and upper show only normal scuffing. The stitching is flawless, the Velcro is grippy as ever, and the sole hasn’t delaminated.

The suede upper stretches a little, but doesn’t get floppy. I’ve banged these around on both plastic holds and gritty sandstone, and they keep going. The only noticeable “aging” is a small crease at the toebox, and some smoothing on the toe edge—nothing that impacts performance yet.

For the price, you get what’s promised: a comfy, long-wearing shoe that’ll do almost everything well (just not the gnarly stuff). If you’re a new or intermediate climber, the money isn’t wasted—these shoes last, don’t punish your feet, and let you focus on technique.

For dedicated boulderers needing a comp-level edge weapon, it’s not a bargain. But I’d recommend the Force Women’s to:

• Anyone moving up from rental shoes
• People who coach, teach, or climb all day
• Multi-pitch climbers who refuse to suffer
• Wide-footed climbers who hate ‘performance’ pain

For that niche, it’s a great value.

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

Don’t get these if you need precise, aggressive performance. Skip them if:

• You boulder hard and want extreme toe power
• You have super narrow, low-volume feet
• You climb much harder than V5/6b+ and expect to push harder grades
• You need laser-precise edging for razor-thin footholds
• You want a slipper-tight fit and tons of toe-hooking power

If you want maximum comfort and a forgiving fit, these are perfect. Especially good for:

• New climbers moving up from rentals
• Intermediate climbers tackling longer gym sessions and moderate outdoor climbing
• Coaches, guides, and anyone on their feet for hours
• People with wider, more ‘average’ feet shapes
• Multi-pitch and big wall climbers who hate suffering