equipment | La Sportiva SOLUTION

_Summary | the godfather of rock – pure performance and aggression

La Sportiva | Solution | evaluation

The SOLUTION is my all time favourite for routes where I need to focus and go to my personal limit. I would definitely not recommend this shoe for beginners: too unfomfortable, too much tension, very aggressive heel design, relatively hard in comparison to the FUTURA. As with the FUTURA the SOLUTION is not extremely flexible regarding the lacing. the critical issue with this shoe is that it, at least for me is not a sock-like fit, especially the back of the shoe only sticks to the heel because of the massive tension across the shoe design and not because the heel snuggly encloses your heel.

Bottom line: either the shoe fits right away or you better stay away. If it does it is probably the best LaSportiva you can get.

_Features | The perfect weapon for when it’s the only thing you can count on

The most critical point, the fit, I already discussed. This shoe, unlike the FUTURA does not widen significantly. If you buy the shoe make sure it perfectly fits, everything else will not make you happy. Take special care with the heel and test in the shop if it slips if you apply significant pressure. This absolute key if the heel feels like there is a bit of air left and not fully closing your heel do not worry, if the heel does not slip, this is not an issue. You might be tempted to think that I see the heel of the SOLUTION as a weakness, but I don’t, it’s its biggest strength, if it fits as described.

The comfort is rated relatively low as compared to other shoes, even the Scarpa VELOCE, the SOLUTION is not a shoe you wear the whole day. You will need to get out immediately after the climb. Nothing for long routes at all. The velcro system is not unlike the one from the FUTURA, thus it has the same benefits, i.e. fast and easy fastening, and the same downsides, i.e. the velcro cannot be used to massively influence the fit of the shoe.

_Rock Terrain and Technique | Every hard route and this baby will be BFF

This shoe is like a great wine, complex but well worth the try. The critical issues in the previous category play into this one with a positive tune. The aggressive heel make the model a weapon in any situation and a completely safe companion in the most difficult terrain. This is not a shoe for plastic, it needs to run wild: little crimps, ledges, the smallest pebbles and shallowest pockets, it cannot get difficult enough for this one. Whether the razor sharp areas on Telendos or the soft sandstone in the Palatinate Forrest or the Elsass, or the more technical stuff in Tirol or Frankonia, this shoe works in all terrains. The harder rubber on the SOLUTION makes it a much better tool for jamming than the FUTURA. Particularly the rubber on top of the frontal foot helps in difficult situation. Although this is one of the major reasons for the inflexibility of the model and adds to the sometimes uncomfortable fit. But the upsides are worth it.

Material | mix of artificial leather with natural leather
Sole | Vibram Formel XS Grip (3,5 mm)
Price | ~121€
Shop | Bergfreunde | Sporthaus Schuster | Unlimited Outdoor | Vertical Extreme

_Additional resources

• SOLUTION test blog: http://kletterschuhtest.wordpress.com/dauertest/la-sportiva/la-sportiva-solution/
• SOLUTION test at alpinfieber: http://www.alpinfieber.net/la-sportiva-solution-die-hookmaschine-13358/
• More Tests at OutdoorGearlab