La Sportiva Tarantula
La Sportiva
The Tarantula is a firm, flat-lasted velcro shoe from La Sportiva for sport climbing and bouldering. Typically sized 1 EU size below street size. 34 of 72 user reports find the toes loose; 38 of 73 user reports find the heel loose. In stock at 53 shops from 65.99 EUR.
La Sportiva's entry-level velcro shoe. FriXion Black rubber at 4mm, 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.
Among the 469 adult climbing shoes we track, the Tarantula ranks in the top 23% for comfort, the top 27% for support and the top 33% for crack climbing.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Tarantula 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
Tarantula trade-offs
- Flat profile - no help on overhangs
- FriXion Black less sticky than Vibram
- Climbs cracks poorly - the straps get in the way
How the Tarantula fits
Typically sized 1 EU size below street size.
The leather upper stretches about half a size.
Fit profile: wide width, standard forefoot volume, medium heel, suits egyptian, greek and roman toe shapes.
Expect roughly half a size of stretch; minimal break-in.
How it fit climbers with your foot shape: fit reports from feet like yours.
Tarantula fit reports
Based on fit feedback from 73 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: -1.0 EU from street size (n=73).
- Runs loose for: egyptian toe shape, roman toe shape, long toes, medium toe length, short toes, no hallux valgus, mild hallux valgus, narrow forefoot, medium forefoot width, medium instep height, high instep
- Toes: 33% perfect (n=72) - 24 perfect, 14 tight, 34 loose. Mixed signals across foot types.
- Forefoot: 65% perfect (n=72) - 47 perfect, 5 tight, 20 loose. Mixed signals across foot types.
- Heel: 45% perfect (n=73) - 33 perfect, 2 tight, 38 loose. Mixed signals across foot types.
Stiffness
Measured stiffness: 0.59 on our 0-1 scale (0 = softest). Among flat shoes it sits between the Ocun Striker QC (0.52, softer) and the Red Chili Spirit (0.63, stiffer).
Tarantula specifications
| Brand | La Sportiva |
| Model | Tarantula |
| Closure | Velcro |
| Downturn | Flat |
| Asymmetry | Slight |
| Toe Patch | None |
| Heel Rubber | Partial |
| Ankle Protection | None |
| Midsole | Full |
| Midsole Stiffness | Medium hard |
| Rand | Relaxed |
| Upper Material | Leather |
| Weight (pair) | 480 g (16.9 oz) |
| Break-in | Minimal |
| Rubber | La Sportiva FriXion Black |
| Rubber Thickness | 4mm |
| Rubber Hardness | Medium |
| Durability | High |
| Vegan | No |
| Resoleable | Yes |
| Kids | No |
What the Tarantula costs
Prices checked 15 Oct 2026 across 53 shops that currently stock it (65.99 to 100.00 EUR). Cheapest current offer: 65.99 EUR at sportscheck.com, 16% below the 79.00 EUR list price.
| Retailer | Price |
|---|---|
| sportscheck.com | 65.99 EUR |
| foerg.de | 66.49 EUR |
| hardloop.de | 68.00 EUR |
| veronaverticale.it | 70.08 EUR |
| naturzeit.com | 71.22 EUR |
| engelhorn.de | 71.25 EUR |
| outdoortrends.de | 72.89 EUR |
| bever.nl | 72.90 EUR |
| sport-conrad.com | 72.95 EUR |
| sportfits.de | 73.85 EUR |
| + 43 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 | 79.76 EUR | 2 |
| 33.5 | 79.76 EUR | 2 |
| 34 | 72.90 EUR | 15 |
| 34.5 | 74.90 EUR | 15 |
| 35 | 74.90 EUR | 16 |
| 35.5 | 74.90 EUR | 18 |
| 36 | 74.90 EUR | 23 |
| 36.5 | 74.90 EUR | 23 |
| 37 | 65.99 EUR | 34 |
| 37.5 | 72.90 EUR | 32 |
| 38 | 72.90 EUR | 33 |
| 38.5 | 72.90 EUR | 35 |
| 39 | 71.25 EUR | 39 |
| 39.5 | 70.08 EUR | 39 |
| 40 | 71.25 EUR | 42 |
| 40.5 | 71.22 EUR | 42 |
| 41 | 70.08 EUR | 42 |
| 41.5 | 71.22 EUR | 44 |
| 42 | 71.25 EUR | 44 |
| 42.5 | 70.08 EUR | 46 |
| 43 | 71.22 EUR | 45 |
| 43.5 | 71.22 EUR | 44 |
| 44 | 71.22 EUR | 45 |
| 44.5 | 71.22 EUR | 42 |
| 45 | 71.22 EUR | 45 |
| 45.5 | 65.99 EUR | 41 |
| 46 | 65.99 EUR | 43 |
| 46.5 | 66.49 EUR | 35 |
| 47 | 71.22 EUR | 35 |
| 47.5 | 72.95 EUR | 27 |
| 48 | 72.95 EUR | 26 |
| 48.5 | 78.85 EUR | 14 |
| 49 | 78.85 EUR | 15 |
| 49.5 | 79.95 EUR | 10 |
| 50 | 75.96 EUR | 7 |
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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.