La Sportiva

Boulder X Approach Shoe - Men's

Great grip for scrambling, mid longevity

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

44.0

Height:

5' 10"

Weight:

175

I'm a route setter and use these shoes just about every day. I used them to do approaches to the crag on various different rock types and terrain. On slabby terrain, they feel almost as good as my climbing shoes. The sole does wear out a bit quickly but honestly pretty happy with it considering I abused these for half a year. If you are not planning on climbing in the every other day, they will probably last plenty long enough.

Love them

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

11

Love it. I am a 5.11 climber and feel comfortable climbing 5.10’s in these. Super comfortable and stable to hike in too.

Top Echelon Hiking/Approach Shoe

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

46.5

This type of shoe that's nearly perfect for my feet and use is seemingly dying out. La Sportiva Boulder X, Scarpa Zen Pro and Scarpa Mescalito (in leather) are all "beefy" approach shoes. Comfortable with abundance of support. They all lace to the toe making them functionally "moldable" to the imperfect foot. I am not a climber. It's too bad this genre of shoe is disappearing. La Sportiva let me know in an email that it's not sure of the Boulder X's fate. "While we do not know the full future for the Boulder X, we are not going to be offering the Boulder X starting in Spring 2026. We are going to receive a couple more shipments, but there are many products that La Sportiva needs to review due to the current economic situation. The shoe is not discontinued at this time, but we do not have any production planned for a while". I am 71 and hate to hoard, but I did order a second pair to sit in the closet for future use. I am also a bit of a cheapskate, so the job at hand is to live long enough to wear out both pairs!

Tough Time

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

46.5

Height:

5' 11"

Weight:

197

I’m having a tough time with this purchase. I’ve worn several La Sportiva shoes/boots over the years but these shoes don’t seem to be built to the same quality standards or to fit humans. Bought my normal size 12 and had to exchange them for a full size larger. But this 12 1/2+ size really doesn’t feel much bigger and they are still too narrow. I’m thinking these replacements were also returned, since they came from across the country, the tag was missing, and there was a sewing flaw on the edge of the tongue exposing the batting. Additionally, the laces are way too short to tie easily. On the plus side, they feel sturdy and thick soled enough for good protection. I won’t return these since they don’t have a larger size, I can get longer laces, and I’m hopeful they will break in. This may be the last.

Love this shoe

Great comfortable shoe! Sticky and way more than an approach shoe! I have fat hands, and I use this shoe for crack climbing in Indian Creek because it’s so comfortable. Also an amazing shoe for long alpine routes!

Why doesn't La Sportiva publish country of origin info for all its various models of shoes? It's almost like they're embarrassed to admit where their shoes are produced. It's infuriating to visit a manufacture's website and be met with zero transparency regarding who it is that's actually making the products the company is profiting from. The absence of this crucial info is an immediate deal breaker for me and when I encounter this information embargo I immediately move on. If the company in question doesn't have enough respect for me or its workers to divulge the country of manufacture I'm not going to give them a dime. Oh, and 99 times out of 100 that that this info is missing it means that the product(s) in question are made in an Asian sweatshop. No thanks. I'll stick to companies that produce in countries that are covered by environmental and labor laws at least as protective as those in my own country (and hopefully even more so). What a turn off!

Fantastic shoe!

Solid as can be. A must have for rugged approach terrain.

Comfy and durable

I have worn many pairs of this shoe over many years. It continues to be a comfortable shoe for easy climbing, scrambling, and hanging out. I will definitely continue to wear it in the future.

Perfect approach shoes

Best shoes I’ve ever owned. I’ve had them for 3 years and have walked to many crags and they are still going strong.

Why are they still orange

The shoes are great! BUT for the love of all that’s good in the world please change the colour. I daily these shoes and nobody wants to wear an orange shoe everyday.