The Best Women’s Climbing Shoes of 2024

The Women’s Katana Lace from La Sportiva ($219) is one of the best all-around, high-performing shoes on the market. The Katana has been a beloved shoe by many for years, and La Sportiva just came out with an updated version in 2022 with slight improvements to key elements of the shoe.

The Katana is a mildly downturned, stiff shoe known for its precise edging and pocket performance while also being soft enough to smear on small granite footholds and twist into cracks. The updated version has a reconstructed heel cup, with a thinner strip of rubber that hugs the Achilles, as well as rubber on the sides of the heel for better sensitivity and performance, making this a great shoe for bouldering as well. 

This shoe might not be the best for beginner climbers, however, as it has a very high price tag, and has performance qualities that are better suited for the intermediate to advanced climber. The Katana Lace performs exceptionally on all but steeper terrain, where you would want a more aggressively downturned shoe to better pull on holds. 

For more info, check out our full review of the Women’s Katana Lace.

An entry-level shoe seen on beginners and intermediate climbers alike, the La Sportiva Finale ($130) is not only an amazing bang for your buck but an extremely well-made shoe for all-day climbing from gym to crag. Designed with comfort in mind, the soft, unlined leather upper does a good job molding to the contours of your foot. Introductory climbers don’t require the vice-like fit of super downturned, high-performance shoes, and the Finales are made to be comfortable and perform well on a variety of terrain, from edges to pockets and cracks. 

Tensioned rands and a slightly downturned shape make this shoe worlds better than the floppy rental shoes you get at your local climbing gym, and 5mm Vibram XS EDGE rubber allows you to toe into small footholds with a decent amount of support underfoot. Because the rubber is so stiff, it’s not the most sensitive shoe. But having that support means your feet won’t get tired after a long day of climbing, and the rubber will last longer than the thinner stuff found on more expensive shoes. 

Our lead tester, Miya Tsudome, once climbed quite frequently in the Finale s, taking them from the granite cracks and slabs of Yosemite Valley, to the big holds and edges of the Owens River Gorge, to the vertical sandstone cracks of Indian Creek. She climbed some of her first 5.11 granite crack climbs in these shoes, attesting to their capabilities beyond just the beginner level.

She did notice that over time the soft leather upper started to get worn down, especially in the area around the pinky toe, which is frequently twisted into cracks. If you plan on primarily crack climbing, we recommend the La Sportiva TC Pro for its higher rand and better crack climbing capabilities, though its price point is much higher. 

Another thing worth mentioning is that as modern climbing gyms move away from old-school hard edging and crimping and into more volume and big hold climbing, a more sensitive shoe like the La Sportiva Solution is going to be a better choice if you are primarily a gym climber. 

Overall, the Finale is a great, stiff, beginner shoe that could last you well into your intermediate years of climbing, and only gets better with time as La Sportiva updates it with more eco-friendly production means, giving it high points in our book.

There are a lot of great things we could say about the SCARPA Instinct VS ($209). First, they are the most comfortable aggressive shoes right out of the box one of our testers has ever climbed in. A very low-profile shoe, the Instincts feel a lot less bulky than some of the other La Sportiva models we’ve tested. And with a slightly wider toebox than the general La Sportiva design, these could be a great fit for those who don’t have the narrowest of feet.

Made with XS Grip 2 rubber, which strikes a good balance between stiffness and sensitivity, the Instincts are fantastic for toeing into limestone pockets and edging into small footholds. And where the Instincts really shine is in their heel cup — the SCARPA design sports much less rubber than La Sportiva shoes, fitting snugly around your heel so you can really feel the rock underneath and power through on those important moves.

Rubber completely encases the front toebox, allowing you to pull into toe hooks with confidence. These features combined make this our top pick for a bouldering and sport-climbing shoe where the terrain is steep and precision is paramount. 

Because of the downturn shape, we don’t recommend the Instincts for slabby terrain. They also seem to fit the best when they are sized tightly, so that all the air is sucked out of the shoe for a slipper-like fit, making them not a top contender for multipitch or trad climbing. But for those who spend a lot of time pulling hard on small rocks or sport climbing on gently overhanging to steep terrain, these shoes are superb performers. 

Ready to start climbing? The SCARPA Force V ($169) is a solid beginner option that will grow with you.

It’s an awesome all-around shoe with great padding and support, quality rubber, and a roomier toebox. Plus, foot entry and exit are easy with large pull tabs, a soft tongue, and easy Velcro straps.

“The moderate profile and flex of the midsole provide enough support for endurance or longer days of climbing but not for routes that are too extreme,” said one tester.

This is another shoe with a flat last that makes climbing all day a comfortable affair, but it’s not the best option for steeper climbing.

The La Sportiva TC Pro ($219) has been the trad climber’s shoe of choice for over a decade now, and that hasn’t changed. Though not a women’s specific model, we have to give a nod to this versatile shoe that seems to fit a lot of the climbing population.

An updated model released in 2021 makes great improvements to the tried-and-true classic. It has a continuous rand that is less prone to delamination, a wider tongue that is less prone to rolling, as well as a small plastic shoelace protector on the inside of the shoe to help resist abrasion from cracks.

This stiff shoe is made with 4 mm of Vibram XS Edge rubber, which lets you stand on the tiniest dime edges on vertical terrain. Its flat sole allows for all-day comfort on long routes and in cracks. Being so stiff, it has a tendency to feel “clunky” on your feet, especially if you are used to wearing softer, more sensitive shoes like many of the other models in our lineup.

You won’t be able to “feel” footholds underneath your toes as much as with the Skwama, per se, but the stiffness is what makes the TC Pro so reliable at standing on tiny edges. This is also another expensive shoe, and beginners might want to start off with a more versatile, less pricey shoe to take them from the gym to the crag.

The SCARPA Vapor S ($199) is SCARPA’s version of a high-performance climbing slipper and the newest addition to the Vapor family. Slippers are all the rage these days, as their sensitivity and Cinderella-like fit allow you to do everything from toeing into granite cracks to smearing on comp-style volumes. 

Our lead tester, Miya, has always been partial to the fit of SCARPA climbing shoes, and the Vapor S is no different. The inside material of this synthetic shoe is unbelievably soft against your skin, and the fit is so snug that you can hear the air being sucked out of the shoe as you pull the heel on. The heels on SCARPA shoes are low-volume compared to those from La Sportiva and, therefore, more sensitive, giving shoes like the Vapor S excellent heel hooking capabilities. The shoe is fastened by a Velcro strap that can be customized in three different ways for slightly different fits. 

3.5mm Vibram XS Grip rubber, plus a 1.0mm Talon midsole make this a very soft and sensitive shoe, as most slippers tend to be. We tested the Vapor S on small edges on slightly overhanging rock in Pine Creek Canyon, in Bishop, California, and on granite cracks and slabs of Tioga Cliff in Lee Vining Canyon, California. 

We appreciated the sensitivity of this shoe, and it excelled when twisting its asymmetrical profile into granite cracks. However, it is a much softer shoe than we expected, and this was noticeable on slabs where there was a lack of support under the midsole for gripping tiny edges and smearing for long pitches. We would not recommend this shoe for vertical edging, which requires more stiffness and support, but it is a good choice for climbing on bigger edges, smearing on volumes in the gym, and for use in cracks. 

In the end, we still prefer the La Sportiva Skwama as our slipper of choice, due to its slightly more supportive performance, precision of the forefoot, and amazing versatility on all different rock types. But the Vapor S is still a great choice, as it has an overall better heel and a more comfortable, close-to-skin fit. 

The La Sportiva Solution ($199) is drastically downturned in the toebox, provides excellent support for high arches, and has a narrow heel cup, making it a great choice for those with slim feet. The Fast Lacing System, which is an integrated single-strap Velcro attachment, allows for quick closure. Though our testers found the straps to be a tad long for super-narrow feet.

“I love the support and hug that these shoes give my feet on vertical climbs. In contrast, I might not choose these shoes for a long, multipitch day or lower-angle routes,” said one tester. However, Solution aficionados know that a worn-in pair of Solutions can be an effective tool on just about any angle of rock and pointy toe can even gain a little extra purchase in thin finger crack. While not the most comfortable of applications, we’ve had plenty of success in these while climbing difficult single-pitch trad lines.

The Solutions shine in the arenas of bouldering and steep sport climbing, as their downturned nature makes toeing in on small footholds much easier than with a flatter shoe. The heel cup allows you to employ heel hooks for powerful bouldering moves, and the rubber on top of the shoe allows for purchase on those finicky toe hooks.

Because of their aggressive nature, these shoes are not our pick for multipitch routes or all-day comfort. But if you want a high-performance shoe for those hard boulders or your latest overhung sport climbing project, look no further.

The La Sportiva Women’s Skwama ($199) pairs the sensitivity and flexibility of a slipper with the downturned action of a much more aggressive shoe. “These excellent shoes are high performers on boulders and sport routes, and work just as well in cracks with their low-profile build,” one of our testers said.

Their sensitivity makes these shoes shine, as they flex and press on the smallest footholds in overhung terrain. Their patented S-heel construction ensures secure heel hooking action, and their Velcro enclosures allow for easy on-and-off at the boulders or crag. We loved these shoes on all types of rock and terrain, from overhanging granite crags to sandstone cracks and boulders, to pocketed limestone.

While these shoes excel at climbing pockets, toeing into finger cracks, and smearing on granite slabs, they fall short when real vertical edging comes into play. The softness that makes these slippers so comfortable and shine in other ways doesn’t make for the best shoe for serious face climbing — you’d want to opt for a stiffer shoe with better edging capabilities if that’s your primary type of climbing.

With that said, the Skwama is so good at every other style of climbing, which makes it our runner-up for best overall women’s climbing shoe.

“This is a great all-around shoe for experienced climbers that need a step up from a beginner shoe, and the breathability is excellent,” said one tester who climbed in 80-degree F weather while avoiding sweat-soaked feet.

The heel cup of the SCARPA Vapor V ($199) is comfortable, and the upper is very supportive. And we like that the rubber is sensitive and high quality, allowing for precise footwork when needed.

“The edging and precision were tricky for small pockets because of the toebox shape, but the flexibility is amazing,” added the tester.

This is a great step up from the flatter-profiled shoes at the beginning of this review, as the Vapor V is moderately downturned but not aggressively so. This allows for more versatility on varying rock types and terrain. They may not win a specific category, but they’re some of the best climbing shoes out there.

The La Sportiva Women’s Miura VS ($199) are pocket-climbing, vertical-edging machines. “The stiffness of this shoe allows for precision on technical granite face climbs in California, to the long limestone sport routes of Mexico,” said one of our testers.

Built for pushing on micro edges and small pockets, your confidence on thin routes will surely improve with the Miura VS.

The downturned shape of this shoe makes it excel in steep climbing as well. This is a highly asymmetrical model, which combined with its downturn, provides tension throughout the shoe and places the toebox directly over your big toe for top-notch pulling and pushing power.

“These shoes are workhorses for vertical faces as well as steep boulders and routes,” said our lead tester.

Sizing can be a little trick, as stiff shoes tend to be less forgiving and take longer to break in. One of our testers prefers to size these a half size up from her normal size. This makes the Muiras just comfy enough for crack climbing and long days on the big granite, while still being able to take advantage of their edging power.

Due to the flat last and nonaggressive character, one tester — who used this shoe on 5.9- to 5.11-rated multipitch granite in Yosemite, South Lake Tahoe, and Colorado’s Taylor Canyon — had this to say: “The Momentum is not my go-to gym shoe, but it’s a great cragging shoe and is good for beginner climbers.”

It also comes with a price tag that’s hard to beat, making it a great budget pick for someone just getting into the sport.

The Black Diamond Momentum ($100) gets a thumbs-up for breathability. Its synthetic knit upper provides great airflow. And the shoe’s ability to flex and mold to the foot makes for a comfortable fit. Its flat profile makes it great for all-day climbing, as more downturned shoes tend to be uncomfortable for long periods.

One drawback: The rubber isn’t all-time quality, so it slips at times, especially on indoor holds. But the tester said it works best outside.