Skwama status?

Is the Skwama due for an update? The womens are particularly hard to find right now. Sportiva, Olinud, banana fingers, etc. are all out of stock on the majority of sizes. Mens are a bit easier to find. Backcountry seems to be the exception and has plenty.

I’m wondering if an update is coming or if it’s just where things are in the manufacturing cycle. I’m hoping for an update with a decent color change to the women’s style. 

The Skwama vegan is only a year or so old, so it seems unlikely to me that they’d do a total redesign at this point. Like, it wouldn’t make much sense to revamp one but not the other, and I can’t imagine them redoing the vegan so soon after it came out.

Maybe there’s a color refresh coming—the men’s is available in two different color schemes (though maybe not in the US? I’ve only seen the yellow and red one here), so it’s plausible. Even that I doubt though, as I’ve seen the 2024 LaSpo catalog and it just shows the one standard color of the women’s.

Personally, I really like the current women’s color scheme, but I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Have you tried the vegan? I love it. Looooooove it. It stays tight. It doesn’t stretch out and clap out like the leather. 

Slim Pickens wrote:

The Skwama vegan is only a year or so old, so it seems unlikely to me that they’d do a total redesign at this point. Like, it wouldn’t make much sense to revamp one but not the other, and I can’t imagine them redoing the vegan so soon after it came out.

Maybe there’s a color refresh coming—the men’s is available in two different color schemes (though maybe not in the US? I’ve only seen the yellow and red one here), so it’s plausible. Even that I doubt though, as I’ve seen the 2024 LaSpo catalog and it just shows the one standard color of the women’s.

Personally, I really like the current women’s color scheme, but I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Have you tried the vegan? I love it. Looooooove it. It stays tight. It doesn’t stretch out and clap out like the leather. 

I haven’t tried the vegan, do you wear the same size? Not that baby blue is an improvement in color…

All I want is for companies to make women’s  stuff in decent colors and pants with pockets. If I didn’t have a tiny heel I’d just wear the men’s. 

I do wear the same size in the vegan as what I've previously worn in the leather version. I think if I were to return to the leather for any reason, I might go a half size down. So, I dunno. Kind of depends on how you approach shoe fitting.

I have no real insider knowledge, but I have heard over the years that early spring can be a hard time to find some La Spo stuff because end of winter they reorganize and retool the factories to produce new spring models like the new Ondra shoe and Mandala. They can get behind on production and stores tend to not get everything they want this time of year. I feel like if they were really planning a Skwama refresh, they would have released it along with the new spring models, or waited until later in the year.

One other thing is that Olinud, Banana Fingers, and the Sportiva site are all european whereas backcountry is US based, maybe there is some EU supply chain issue but who knows.

Sam Ehmann wrote:

I have no real insider knowledge, but I have heard over the years that early spring can be a hard time to find some La Spo stuff because end of winter they reorganize and retool the factories to produce new spring models like the new Ondra shoe and Mandala. They can get behind on production and stores tend to not get everything they want this time of year. I feel like if they were really planning a Skwama refresh, they would have released it along with the new spring models, or waited until later in the year.

One other thing is that Olinud, Banana Fingers, and the Sportiva site are all european whereas backcountry is US based, maybe there is some EU supply chain issue but who knows.

Thanks I appreciate the thoughts. I guess I was hoping the answer would be a color refresh. Good point on the European market vs US. 

I had emailed La Sportiva about this and got a response basically saying they shifted production to focus on the new models but should be getting replenished sizes in May or June. 

I climb in skwama's v5-v6, I have to say the main reason I went for them instead of solutions was fit. I found the heel and toe box fit my foot much better . I have a friend who climbs the same grade range as me In solution comps and has nothing but positive feed back for the shoe. I'd say try on both and go with whichever feels better for you !

lundy guatv wrote:

I climb in skwama's v5-v6, I have to say the main reason I went for them instead of solutions was fit. I found the heel and toe box fit my foot much better . I have a friend who climbs the same grade range as me In solution comps and has nothing but positive feed back for the shoe. I'd say try on both and go with whichever feels better for you !

I’m a long time skwama person. No changing now!

climbing00 wrote:

I had emailed La Sportiva about this and got a response basically saying they shifted production to focus on the new models but should be getting replenished sizes in May or June. 

Hey my guess was right on the money! That does not happen every day haha.