La Sportiva introduced the Mantra climbing slipper in 1999, and its No-Edge outsole was groundbreaking. The outsole under the big toe continued around the inside edge of the shoe to become the rand. This eliminated the distinct edge that was thought to be necessary to utilize tiny features. No-Edge was said to increase the contact area, sensitivity, and precision as it conformed better to the foothold.
In our last review of the second version of the Mantra, we agreed with these claims. We proclaimed, “It’s a light, streamlined, extremely flexible, and versatile rock shoe that may be one of the best indoor/bouldering slippers to hit the market this year.”
Two years later, La Sportiva has again updated its premier indoor slipper, mostly with a tighter heel and updated appearance.
I tested the new La Sportiva Mantra at least twice a week while climbing my home training boards and occasionally at local rock gyms. During my solid and intense training month, I almost didn’t wear any other climbing shoes.
In short: The updated 2024 La Sportiva Mantra is a logical extension of the 20+ year-old Mantra lineage. It’s among the most sensitive, pliable, and minimalist climbing shoes and performs wonderfully on steep training boards and gym boulders. The sensitivity is almost unmatched, and the Mantra conforms to both the foot and foothold without coercion. For maximum efforts at maximum angles, the La Sportiva Mantra is a top choice.
Shopping for climbing shoes? Check out our guide to the best climbing shoes.
Pros
- Super sensitive
- Super pliable
- Comfortable for a high-performance fit
- Excellent toe hooking
Cons
- Heel or shoe can be too voluminous for narrower heels
- Minimal construction could mean low durability
La Sportiva Mantra Spec Sheet
The Mantra has the construction you would expect from a slipper aimed at higher V-grades.
The slip-lasted Mantra combines a microfiber upper with a Vibram XS Grip2 outsole with a variable thickness of only 1-2mm. Although there is no midsole, there is a leather insole. Like many slippers, there is no closure system. Recycled elastic provides tension to the upper.
The last is highly asymmetrical, as is the downturn. But without a midsole and with its unlined and soft upper, I didn’t put much consideration into the amount of out-of-the-box downturn.
The Mantra has La Sportiva’s P3 randing system. The rand originates from under the toes, crisscrosses under the arch, and wraps around the heel, theoretically applying tension to the entire length of the foot.
This construction predicates that the La Sportiva Mantra leans as far as possible on the sensitivity side of the sensitive versus rigid scale of rock shoes. It’s not at all designed for edging or vertical terrain. La Sportiva aims the shoe squarely at indoor training and competition climbing on steeper surfaces.
Mantra Fit
The fit of a rock shoe has more influence on performance than anything else. The updated Mantra improved one of the prior version’s fit shortcomings, but it’s still not for everyone.
My primary complaint about the 2022 Mantra was the overly voluminous heel. For someone with a classic duck foot (narrow heel, wide forefoot, but thin vertically), this attribute made heel hooking with the outgoing Mantra difficult. On smaller features, it was almost impossible for me. The updated version does have a tighter heel, but it still produced some bagginess on the sides under the slingshot rand.
The rest of the Mantra fit me well. The width and total volume of the rest of the slipper didn’t quite have the “second skin” feel, but they were close. The upper remained flat against my foot, only wrinkling slightly if I pulled my toes up. The shoe hugged my arch well, even when curling my toes and forefoot.
Since the La Sportiva Mantra is a slipper with no laces or straps, it is crucial that you obtain the correct fit. The shoe did have a minimal break-in period, but the length didn’t change much, if at all. The microfiber upper did conform a bit to the protuberances of my forefoot. But it wasn’t nearly as much as my natural leather climbing shoes.
For a rock shoe with a tight, high-performance fit, the La Sportiva Mantra was among the most comfortable in my arsenal. The thinness and softness of the materials did contribute, but the shoe’s shape was also a significant factor.
I could leave them on for over an hour, climbing at my limit and landing hard the entire time. It was a rare shoe where my toes and my heel had continual tension, but it was never painful.
I found the sizing accurate compared to other La Sportiva shoes.
Pumping Plastic With the La Sportiva Mantra
La Sportiva meant for the Mantra to crush indoor climbing, and in that realm, it certainly did.
Extreme Sensitivity and the No-Edge System
The shoe’s minimalistic build (only weighing a verified 13.8 ounces per pair, size 42) promised extreme sensitivity and flexibility. The La Sportiva Mantra delivered big in both.
The thin outsole and lack of midsole, combined with the No-Edge design, gave me incredible feedback from the tiniest footholds. I could feel the limits of adhesion on the notorious Moonboard starter footholds. I’ve only felt this as well one other time, with the Scarpa Furia Air.
The lack of a distinct edge also provided a benefit that isn’t obvious. On regular climbing shoes with a separate outsole and rand, anytime I transition from the flat underside of the outsole to the edge of the outsole, it produces a break in adhesion. Sometimes, this is all it takes to fail on the move. The round profile of the No-Edge system allowed me to roll my foot when required without this break in contact area due to a sharp corner.
I found this especially true when making a move at the limit of my total body extension. Extending my foot and getting my heels way up to increase my reach didn’t cause a break in traction when I pushed the inside edge of my foot down for that last millimeter.
The shoe’s rounded edge smoothly transitioned in position and maintained grip as long as I consistently placed pressure. Then, the same mechanics allowed me to keep my body tension intact and establish myself in the new position.
This benefit of No-Edge was also apparent when jumping off flat surfaces like volumes. Jumping sometimes involves me rolling my foot to the inside. The lack of an edge meant consistency in traction for the duration I was in contact with the volume. The same could be said for turning a standard foot placement on a hold into a drop knee.
The extreme pliability of the shoe aided these moves as well. None of my energy was spent making the shoe bend or twist how I desired.
Flexibility of the La Sportiva Mantra
The La Sportiva Mantra’s minimalist construction also made the shoe extremely flexible and pliable. There was almost zero resistance to contorting my foot. Again, the Scarpa Furia Air is the only other rock shoe that I felt was even remotely as pliable.
This attribute and the shoe’s low weight gave it an “athletic” feel. This was especially true at my limit when I really needed the shoe to obey orders. Nothing fought my intended foot actions or hindered my applying pressure to the contact patch. It was like the shoe responded via telepathy to my mental commands.
This flexibility and moderately generous rubber toe patch made for excellent toe hooking and scumming. I could deliberately use my toes and toe knuckles to grab holds and volumes to pull my hips in or up or keep my body in the plane of the wall when extended.
The extreme pliability also worked in the opposite direction. I could smear the actual wall, board, or the surface of a volume with more traction and feedback than with other shoes. I felt the bottom of the ends of my toes and the ball of my foot push into the surface with maximum pressure.
What the La Sportiva Mantra Can’t Do
La Sportiva didn’t point the Mantra anywhere but indoor climbing. It wasn’t trying to build a shoe that did more than one thing.
This shoe, with its minimalist build and No-Edge feature, is meant to climb plastic on steep angles. As such, it didn’t edge well on smaller features. It was fine for most of the holds on the Moonboard at 40 degrees, but I wouldn’t define that as “edging” outside of describing foot technique. I wouldn’t pack the Mantra if supporting body weight on anything remotely classified as a small edge was in the cards.
However, what worked on minuscule features was “smedging.” This involves smearing the edge of the shoe on a small feature instead of purely edging to get the same result.
The bagginess around my heel also made it difficult to utilize smaller features for heel hooks. This was particularly true of my narrow heel. But the structure around the heel of the Mantra is on the spare side.
The lower rand, outsole, and slingshot rand form the heel’s structure (similar to many La Sportiva climbing shoes). I prefer an actual rubber heel cup, but I know plenty of climbers who have no issues with La Sportiva heels.
Finally, the minimal build and high sensitivity made sharp features used for toe hooking and heel hooking painful under high tension.
Conclusions on the 2024 La Sportiva Mantra
Simply put, if the La Sportiva Mantra fits you well, it’s one of the top shoes for indoor training and climbing.
The sensitivity and flexibility are chart-topping. The No-Edge worked amazingly well for movements common to harder gym climbing and bouldering. The toe hooking was excellent. The only ding for me was the heel hooking due to a loose fit, but that is particular only to those with narrow heels.
My only concern is durability. But all minimalist gym shoes rouse the same worries. The thin outsole, pliable and soft upper, and relative lack of structure all point to a climbing shoe that may not last as long as an “outdoor” rock shoe. But that comes with the territory of being so soft and sensitive.
One good thing is that the No-Edge doesn’t degrade in performance nearly as much as a traditionally constructed climbing shoe due to outsole wear and subsequent loss of the sharp edge.
At an MSRP of $169, it’s also a relatively good deal for a high-performance shoe.
