La Sportiva Skwama

I just bought a pair of Skwamas and climbed in them for the first time tonight. The rubber around the ankle was absolutely digging into my ankles... honestly pretty brutal.

Has anyone had an issue with this? Does this soften up over time or am I beat? 

It softens up over time but it does suck for a while. It’s probably my only complaint about the shoe. I love the skwama otherwise 

The skwama is easily the best shoe I’ve ever used and it’s surprisingly versatile as a sport or trad shoe as well

Porter Archibald wrote:

The skwama is easily the best shoe I’ve ever used and it’s surprisingly versatile as a sport or trad shoe as well

I love the skwama but I would never call it a trad shoe. I prefer much stiffer shoes for that. I suffered through a couple crack climbs with it. It was at that point I decided to get a dedicated crack shoe.

It does stretch out a bit over time and moulds to your foot just like other shoes.

I had this issue, I roughed it up with a metal file if I remember correctly.  The fabric is appears to be similar to hypalon which is very durable, so don't worry about over doing it.  Skwamas also go pretty high up on the ankle bones as well which doesn't help.

Yup, same experience here. It does wear over time. 

I had to tape one of mine because it was unbearable. Seems to go away after time though once it loosens up/stretches. 

Yes same here. Sportivas quality sucks! Switch to Scarpa and you’ll never have another issue. I seriously don’t know why so many people wear sportivas. There like the worst climbing shoe available 

Eddie Purcell wrote:

Yes same here. Sportivas quality sucks! Switch to Scarpa and you’ll never have another issue. I seriously don’t know why so many people wear sportivas. There like the worst climbing shoe available 

Why do you say that? Sure they might not be the most durable shoes on the market but I think there’s a reason the biggest names in climbing wear la sportiva. Personally, they fit my foot well and I’m comfortable with the sizing.

Porter Archibald wrote:

Why do you say that? Sure they might not be the most durable shoes on the market but I think there’s a reason the biggest names in climbing wear la sportiva. Personally, they fit my foot well and I’m comfortable with the sizing.

I agree. It's all about fit. I've tried other brands on and there's no doubt that I have a LS foot.

Porter Archibald wrote:

Why do you say that? Sure they might not be the most durable shoes on the market but I think there’s a reason the biggest names in climbing wear la sportiva. Personally, they fit my foot well and I’m comfortable with the sizing.

I say that because their quality control is lacking. You’ll get one pair that fits good and another that has a piece of rubber diggin into your ankle like we are all talking about. Glue failing. Stitching that fails. And honestly if you have a wider foot. Nothing they make fits good. Scarpa all the way for me. They fit good. The quality is there. The materials seem to be better all around. Rubber is stickier. Just my experience. But to each their own 

Eddie Purcell wrote:

But to each their own 

Indeed, I can’t bear to have my foot in a pair of Miuras for more than an hour or so, but some have them as an all day shoe. I like the skwama because it fits my wide foot though.