Shoe search: Skwama but with a better heel....

Does it exist?

I love my Skwamas for sport climbing and bouldering but the Achilles heel of the shoe is... well... the heel.  If I'm going for a more aggressive heel hook, I feel like my foot is going to slip right out of the shoe.  I've heard others who have the same complaint so I know I'm not alone.  My question is:  has anyone found a shoe they like that's similar to the Skwama but with a lower volume heel?

Try the Scarpa Instinct women’s or VSR.

Gina Schaefer wrote:

Does it exist?

I love my Skwamas for sport climbing and bouldering but the Achilles heel of the shoe is... well... the heel.  If I'm going for a more aggressive heel hook, I feel like my foot is going to slip right out of the shoe.  I've heard others who have the same complaint so I know I'm not alone.  My question is:  has anyone found a shoe they like that's similar to the Skwama but with a lower volume heel?

Drago LV, but the toe isn't much like the Skwama, it's much more comfortable, and better built.

Gina Schaefer wrote:

Does it exist?

I love my Skwamas for sport climbing and bouldering but the Achilles heel of the shoe is... well... the heel.  If I'm going for a more aggressive heel hook, I feel like my foot is going to slip right out of the shoe.  I've heard others who have the same complaint so I know I'm not alone.  My question is:  has anyone found a shoe they like that's similar to the Skwama but with a lower volume heel?

How about the sportiva Genius ?  Watch the sizing it's the only la sportiva shoe I've personally upsized (normally 36.5 or 37 so 37.5 in the genius)..A perfect fit best heel hooking shoe I own.Only doubt about its performance imo is the toe box sometimes doesn't seem very secure on narrow small  pockets for the feet.A pointier  shoe would give me more confidence for this.I have medium volume feet but narrow heels.

I like the Scarpa Veloce. Very soft and comfortable. I haven't tried the Skwamas but I have heard that the heel of the Veloces is better than that of the Skwamas.

I will also second the Genius. I used to not bother lacing up the geniuses, because the fit was so good for me I could heel hook even without lacing them up. That was a fairly aggressive/tight fit however.

Heel fit is so finicky and individual. For some people the Skwama heel is the best ever, for others it is junk. Same with any other shoe. It really depends on your foot and preferences. Hard to make recommendations. 

Fortunately, there are a whole bunch of shoes that have a similar niche and performance profile to the Skwama. So there's lots of options out there. Just need to find a store (or visit multiple stores) with a bunch of shoes in stock and try on everything.

The best stocked shoe selection I've seen in CA is Eastside Sports in Bishop. Maybe plan a spring climbing trip to Bishop, and on a rest day go try on every shoe they have. And if you find a fit,make sure to actually buy the shoe there! 

I also like the Skwama toe but the heel doesn't work for me.

You might try Tenaya. Oasi for a narrower fit, Mastia for a wider fit. The toe stiffness/sensitivity feels similar to Skwama. I like their heels a lot. For some of us, Tenaya works really well.

Instinct VSR has a great heel, but the toe is stiffer (closer to Solution than Skwama).

Drago also has a great heel, but I find the forefoot really narrow and low volume and doesn't fit me as well. (I had wished they'd release a Drago HV ... instead they released a Drago LV that's even lower volume.)

I found the Veloce very very soft, and for me it seemed like it couldn't edge at all. Seemed like a wider fit version of the 5.10 VXi or Unparallel Leopard. Could be really good comfy shoe for steep/volumes/indoor, but since it can't edge as well I don't think the toe is a good replacement for the Skwama imo.

JCM wrote:

Heel fit is so finicky and individual. For some people the Skwama heel is the best ever, for others it is junk. Same with any other shoe. It really depends on your foot and preferences. Hard to make recommendations. 

Fortunately, there are a whole bunch of shoes that have a similar niche and performance profile to the Skwama. So there's lots of options out there. Just need to find a store (or visit multiple stores) with a bunch of shoes in stock and try on everything.

The best stocked shoe selection I've seen in CA is Eastside Sports in Bishop. Maybe plan a spring climbing trip to Bishop, and on a rest day go try on every shoe they have. And if you find a fit,make sure to actually buy the shoe there! 

Yeah, there's not even an REI near me so I struggle with having to do research, buy online, return, etc... I really love the performance of the Skwama though so I'm not just looking for another shoe that might fit better, but one that is also similar to the Skwama.  I would be thrilled if they just released a lower volume version of it.  I will definitely keep Eastside in mind next time I get a chance to get up to Bishop.  Thanks!

Gina Schaefer wrote:

I would be thrilled if they just released a lower volume version of it.

Have you given the women's version of the Skwama a shot? Generally the women's lineup just means lower volume. 

Brandon Gonzalez wrote:

Have you given the women's version of the Skwama a shot? Generally the women's lineup just means lower volume. 

I am a woman... so yes.  That is the version I have lol.

I would check out evolv or boreal high end, I don't personally have a huge amount of experience with either of them (don't like how they climb) but your experience may differ and they both have that super wide forefoot that skwarmas have, much wider than any scarpa shoe I've tried and I've tried most of them.

Gina Schaefer wrote:

I am a woman... so yes.  That is the version I have lol.

Maybe give Mad Rock a try? They make a HV and LV version of each shoe, and tends to have narrow heals.

Another brand with narrow heal but a bit difficult to find in the States is Ocun.