La Sportiva Genius Review
November 4, 2015
90 The Good
- Supportive yet sensitive
- High performance
- No Edge toe
The Bad
- Some dead space in heel
- Laces don’t add anything
The La Sportiva Genius takes a few days to break in and has a narrow last, with some dead space in the heel. The No Edge design of the Genius takes some getting used to, but once you’re comfortable with the egg-shaped toe, smearing, edging and using tiny pockets becomes really secure. This shoe is more suitable for sport climbing than bouldering, in part due to the laces.
Edging
Great for edging on steep and overhanging routes.
Smearing
Smearing performance is great, but not quite as good as the Sportiva Futura, which is slightly softer.Â
Pockets
The rounded No Edge toe sometimes works where nothing else will; of course, sometimes it doesn’t. In general, the Genius excels on pockets.Â
Heel/Toe Hooking
A swatch of rubber atop the foot gives the Genius exceptional toe-hooking abilities. The sensitivity and flex of the sole also help here. Heel hooking performance, however, left a bit to be desired, mostly due to the fact that my wide foot couldn’t get that suction-cup fit with this narrow last.  Â
Comfort
The Genius is more about performance than comfort, with its downturned toe. Still, for those with narrow feet, the Genius will meet that sweet spot of comfort and performance.Â
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