La Sportiva Katana Lace
La Sportiva
The Katana Lace is a firm, moderately downturned lace shoe from La Sportiva for sport climbing and trad and multi-pitch. Typically sized 1.5 EU sizes below street size. Of 51 user reports, 48 rate the forefoot perfect and 40 rate the toes perfect. In stock at 36 shops from 108.50 EUR.
A do-everything lace shoe with XS Edge rubber and full midsole with P3 System. The lacing runs the length of the foot for precise fit - great for long trad days, multi-pitch, and outdoor sport. Suede upper is durable and moulds to your foot shape.
Best For
Best for sport climbing and trad multipitch on slab, vertical and overhang terrain. Aimed at hobby to advanced climbers.
Among the 469 adult climbing shoes we track, the Katana Lace ranks in the top 4% for support, the top 5% for edging and the top 46% for crack climbing.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Katana Lace strengths
- Full-length lacing for precise fit
- P3 System maintains shoe shape
- Versatile - works on most rock types
- Not too aggressive, not too flat - just right for most climbing
- XS Edge sole stands on the smallest edges
Katana Lace trade-offs
- Slower to put on than velcro
- Heavy for bouldering
- Takes time to break in suede
How the Katana Lace fits
Typically sized 1.5 EU sizes below street size.
Leather will stretch roughly 0.5 EU.
Fit profile: medium width, standard forefoot volume, medium heel, suits egyptian, roman and greek toe shapes.
Expect roughly half a size of stretch; moderate break-in.
How it fit climbers with your foot shape: fit reports from feet like yours.
Katana Lace fit reports
Based on fit feedback from 51 owners who measured their feet with the climbing-gear.com foot scanner and rated this shoe at the toes, forefoot and heel (tight, perfect or loose).
Typical downsize: -1.5 EU from street size (n=51).
- Fits best for: egyptian toe shape, greek toe shape, roman toe shape, long toes, medium toe length, short toes, no hallux valgus, mild hallux valgus, narrow forefoot, medium forefoot width, wide forefoot, low instep, medium instep height, high instep, medium heel width, wide heel, shallow heel, medium heel depth, deep heel
- Toes: 78% perfect (n=51) - 40 perfect, 9 tight, 2 loose. Fits well for egyptian toe shape, greek toe shape, roman toe shape…
- Forefoot: 94% perfect (n=51) - 48 perfect, 2 tight, 1 loose. Fits well for narrow forefoot, medium forefoot width, wide forefoot…
- Heel: 73% perfect (n=51) - 37 perfect, 0 tight, 14 loose. Fits well for medium heel width, wide heel, shallow heel…
Stiffness
Measured stiffness: 0.67 on our 0-1 scale (0 = softest). Among moderately downturned shoes it sits between the Scarpa Quantix SF (0.58, softer) and the Evolv Geshido (0.70, stiffer).
Katana Lace specifications
| Brand | La Sportiva |
| Model | Katana Lace |
| Closure | Lace |
| Downturn | Moderate |
| Asymmetry | Moderate |
| Toe Patch | Medium |
| Heel Rubber | Partial |
| Ankle Protection | None |
| Midsole | Full |
| Midsole Stiffness | Medium hard |
| Rand | Tensioned |
| Upper Material | Leather |
| Weight (pair) | 500 g (17.6 oz) |
| Break-in | Moderate |
| Rubber | Vibram XS Edge |
| Rubber Thickness | 4mm |
| Rubber Hardness | Hard |
| Durability | Moderate, High |
| Vegan | No |
| Resoleable | Yes |
| Kids | No |
What the Katana Lace costs
Prices checked 15 Oct 2026 across 36 shops that currently stock it (108.50 to 180.00 EUR). Cheapest current offer: 108.50 EUR at hardloop.de, 32% below the 159.00 EUR list price.
| Retailer | Price |
|---|---|
| hardloop.de | 108.50 EUR |
| veronaverticale.it | 111.48 EUR |
| engelhorn.de | 126.55 EUR |
| funktionelles.de | 130.47 EUR |
| outdoortrends.de | 134.76 EUR |
| deporvillage.com | 134.95 EUR |
| bergfreunde.de | 135.96 EUR |
| campobase.net | 139.90 EUR |
| outdoor-climbing.de | 139.95 EUR |
| sport-conrad.com | 139.95 EUR |
| + 26 more shops | |
Prices by size
Cheapest in-stock price per EU size and how many shops list that size, from the EU pool. Updated daily.
| EU size | From | Shops |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 142.95 EUR | 1 |
| 34 | 135.96 EUR | 8 |
| 34.5 | 134.95 EUR | 9 |
| 35 | 135.96 EUR | 11 |
| 35.5 | 135.96 EUR | 11 |
| 36 | 135.96 EUR | 15 |
| 36.5 | 139.90 EUR | 14 |
| 37 | 139.90 EUR | 16 |
| 37.5 | 134.95 EUR | 17 |
| 38 | 108.50 EUR | 21 |
| 38.5 | 108.50 EUR | 26 |
| 39 | 108.50 EUR | 27 |
| 39.5 | 111.48 EUR | 24 |
| 40 | 111.48 EUR | 33 |
| 40.5 | 108.50 EUR | 33 |
| 41 | 134.76 EUR | 33 |
| 41.5 | 126.55 EUR | 32 |
| 42 | 111.48 EUR | 31 |
| 42.5 | 111.48 EUR | 29 |
| 43 | 139.90 EUR | 30 |
| 43.5 | 111.48 EUR | 28 |
| 44 | 108.50 EUR | 32 |
| 44.5 | 111.48 EUR | 26 |
| 45 | 111.48 EUR | 24 |
| 45.5 | 126.55 EUR | 17 |
| 46 | 126.55 EUR | 14 |
Similar Climbing Shoes
- La Sportiva Katana Lace Women's
- Andrea Boldrini Tiger Evo
- Five Ten NIAD Lace
- Andrea Boldrini Tiger
- Scarpa Vapor
- Butora Sierra
Prices, stock and owner fit data on this page update daily. You are welcome to cite these figures if you name climbing-gear.com and link to this page - see our data terms.