La Sportiva Tarantula
La Sportiva
La Sportiva's entry-level velcro shoe. FriXion RS rubber at 5mm, full midsole, flat profile. Designed for gym climbing and beginning outdoor use. Comfortable enough for long sessions while you build technique and foot strength.
Best For
Best for sport climbing and bouldering on slab and vertical terrain. Aimed at beginner to hobby climbers.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Comfortable for beginners
- Full midsole supports untrained feet
- Flat sole spreads load evenly across the foot
- Buckle down fast when it's your turn to climb
- Solid underfoot for standing on small footholds
Trade-offs
- Flat profile - no help on overhangs
- FriXion Black less sticky than Vibram
- Synthetic upper doesn't breathe well
Sizing & Fit
No stretch; synthetic holds its shape from day one. True-to-size for average feet.
Fit profile: medium width, standard forefoot volume, medium heel, suits egyptian, greek and roman toe shapes.
Expect roughly half a size of stretch; minimal break-in.
Stiffness
Measured stiffness: 0.65 on our 0-1 scale (0 = softest). Among flat shoes it sits between the Scarpa Reflex VS (0.60, softer) and the Scarpa Velocity (0.70, stiffer).
Specifications
| Brand | La Sportiva |
| Model | Tarantula |
| Closure | Velcro |
| Feel | Stiff-Moderate |
| Downturn | Flat |
| Asymmetry | None |
| Rubber | La Sportiva FriXion RS |
| Rubber Thickness | 5mm |
| Weight (pair) | 480g |
| Vegan | No |
| Kids | No |
Prices
| Retailer | Price |
|---|---|
| hardloop.de | 72.90 EUR |
| funktionelles.de | 76.00 EUR |
| barrabes.com | 77.27 EUR |
| deporvillage.com | 77.95 EUR |
| epictv.com | 78.91 EUR |
| rockrun.com | 83.30 EUR |
| bananafingers.co.uk | 84.11 EUR |
| outdoor-climbing.de | 84.50 EUR |
| alpinstore.com | 84.90 EUR |
| kletterbude.de | 84.95 EUR |
| + 8 more retailers | |
Cheapest current offer: 72.90 EUR at hardloop.de, 8% below the 79.00 EUR list price. 18 shops currently stock it (72.90 to 95.00 EUR).