Are LaSportiva’s vegan climbing shoes worth the hype?

The short answer: yes.

But let’s start from the beginning.

**Cover photo credit to my best friend Bailey White. This was taken in Red Rock Canyon

The Skwama is a high-performance La Sportiva climbing shoe that was released around 2015. Since then, the Skwama has been holding its own both inside the gym and out as a super-sensitive, aggressive, and versatile staple at comps and crags. My first year on my university’s climbing team, the two strongest climbers I knew (both women, by the way) were sporting the infamous blue, green, and purple Skwamas at every practice.

By the time my feet were tough enough to upgrade to aggressive shoes, Skwamas were still just about all anyone was talking about. As a life-long vegetarian and aspiring vegan at the time, though, I only ever bought leather secondhand, and I had my doubts that a pair of used Skwamas in my size would just be sitting around somewhere.

I drove myself to REI and dug around in their climbing shoe sale bucket, hoping for a serendipitous encounter. My wishes were granted: with some excavation, a pair of hardly-worn Skwamas emerged from the bottom of the barrel, marked down to 50% of their original price and miraculously in my size.

Me, on the tip-toes of my Skwamas in the Owens River Gorge

I wore those Skwamas within an inch of their life–right up until they had holes in both toes. I wore them to every team practice I went to, on every day of every climbing trip, and to every local gym. They lasted me one joyous year.

I began my quest for a new pair of shoes just before the Skwamas gave out. As a fully-fledged vegan at that point, I wasn’t happy wearing leather at all anymore, even secondhand. I’m sure some of you, vegan or not, share this feeling! Leather is icky.

Fully believing that leather is icky, though, makes it hard to find good climbing shoes. Almost all of the most popular models use leather in abundance.

To my (and many’s) immense fortune, a second option arrived on the market just in time: in late 2023, La Sportiva dropped vegan Skwamas.

Here’s what I’ve learned about them after almost a year of wear.

The Pros and Cons of Vegan Skwamas

As compared to original Skwamas

Pros:

Functionally the same shoe as the original Skwamas. They move the same, grip the same, and use the same sticky rubber. Taken right from La Sportiva’s website, the “only major difference” between the original Skwamas and the vegan Skwamas is that the latter feature a SkinLike™ insole instead of a leather one. Vegan Skwamas are designed to retain all of the high-performance qualities of the originals.

Much cuter than the originals. I suppose this one is a subjective claim, but I’ve gotten many more compliments on the visual aesthetics of my vegan Skwamas than I did on my originals. They’re more sleek, more low-profile, and match a lot more of my climbing clothes. Both the high-volume and low-volume models are mostly black, each with a monochrome pop of color.

No surprise extra-stretch. Even though animal leather is celebrated for breaking in faster and more easily than synthetic materials, it’s also all too common for leather shoes to break in “too much,” stretching beyond the desired fit. Even once fully broken in, Vegan Skwamas retain their shape and performance.

No flesh. Vegan Skwamas are made entirely without animal-derived products. That means you can rest easy knowing that nobody died for your sends.

Cons:

Reportedly longer break-in period than the originals. This didn’t bother me much since I’d already been wearing the originals for some time–and if you’re a Skwama-wearer, you know that the shoe breaks you in, not so much the other way around. Again, though, it’s worth noting that synthetic weaves are generally less stretchy than animal leather. Some wearers say that it took extra-long for their vegan Skwamas to soften up, especially in the heel.

People might not know they’re Skwamas (if that’s important to you). There certainly is a kind of kinship between Skwama-wearers, and not all of them know about the vegan model. If you care about your brands (and being recognized by them), this is something to consider.

The high volume accent color is just a little bit (very) bright…but still is a nicer shade than the originals, if a bit less subtle. Whether this data falls into the “pro” or “con” category is largely a matter of opinion.

Me, trying unduly hard on something easy in my Skwama originals (my friend Max Curie took this photo with his super cool camera)

As compared to other vegan shoes

Pros:

Very good shoes. They’re one of the higher-performing vegan models out there, and are some of best vegan shoes that are both sensitive and aggressive. The Evolv Shaman and the Evolv Shaman Pro are also excellent aggressive vegan shoes, but have much stiffer midsoles. Some of the only vegan models I’ve seen with comparable aggressiveness and sensitivity to Skwamas are the Madrock Drone and Madrock Drone 2, but these shoes are quite new to the scene and are still building a reputation.

Easier to find than Madrocks (and even some Evolv Shoes). These two brands offer many of the other vegan shoes that climbers recommend to me. However, I’ve also heard lengthy tales detailing the process of finding these shoes, not all of which have been fruitful journeys. When I lived in New Jersey, there was only one climbing gym within a many-hour drive that offered Madrocks for demos. My partner has also been on an extended voyage in pursuit of new Evolv Yosemite Bums, but they’re often out of stock or only offered in limited sizes in-store. Many gyms and local REI’s offer at least the original Skwamas, which allows you to try them on and find your size before purchasing online.

Me (right) in my vegan Skwamas and my partner Tomo (left) in his signature Yosemite Bums. Bailey snapped this sick shot

Reliable and tried-and-true. Skwamas have a reputation, vegan or not, and the vegan model is almost identical to the original. Countless strong, famous climbers entrust their feet to Skwamas, perhaps most notably Brooke Rabatou and Alex Honnold. I will add to this observation that the Evolv Shamans (vegan!) have a similarly superior reputation and are not to be passed up.

Cons:

Only confirmed vegan climbing shoe that La Sportiva sells. La Sportiva makes lots and lots of leather shoes. For comparison, almost all of Madrock’s shoes and a hefty sample of Evolvs are vegan, which is ethically comforting as a buyer.

Can exhibit wear and tear quickly. Skwamas are soft. Everyone knows it, and it’s considered one of their finest qualities. However, soft shoes wear down quite fast, and they don’t always resole to their original quality. Your rubber can, however, be conserved with extremely careful footwork. I’ve found that my vegan Skwamas are already outlasting my originals, the latter of which I purchased when I was just barely breaking into 5.11a.

Shipping costs. With exorbitant tarrifs striking at random in the modern economy, it can be expensive to acquire climbing shoes that aren’t made domestically, depending on the day. If you’re from the U.S., it may be cheaper to pursue a pair of Madrocks or Evolvs.

Conclusions

At the end of the day, your next climbing shoe purchase is about your own needs, your own preferences, and the construction of your own unique feet. No shoe is perfect for every climber. If you’re just looking for a place to start, though, it’s helpful to know that Vegan Skwamas come out on top in many categories, especially if you want a high-performance shoe.

In my experience, some of the most standout qualities of these shoes is their versatility on many kinds of rock (and plastic!), their sensitivity and aggressiveness on difficult, overhung pitches, and their stellar years-long reputation. Although there are some shoes that are comparable to Skwamas in each one of these categories, it is rare to find a shoe that rivals their quality in all three.

Good luck in your quest for excellent, cruelty-free shoes, and know that I am wishing you the best!