Introducing the brand new for 2024 La Sportiva Mandala. A new addition to the exciting No Edge Range of shoes from La Sportiva. Head over to www.volume1climbing.shop for more information and to buy!
Does the mandala have that black plastic lining around the ankle that is also on the skwamas? I find this really uncomfortable. Also how secure does the heel feel? Thanks
It does have the same black lining as the Skwamas. The new Futura's don't though so would be worth checking those out as has a more padded foot entrance! Heel feels ok when sized correctly, find that going up at least 0.5 size, drops the foot deeper in to the heel. Obviously with being a new shoe it is unknown how much they will stretch out but I imagine it will be similar to the Skwama.
Thanks for the video :) So which of the 4 new shoes (mantra, mandala, genius, futura) is best suited for which style of climbing (indoors/outdoors, bouldering/sport climbing, overhang/slab/steep stuff)?
Not entirely sure how no edge technology works. Does it still spread the weight sort of evenly similar to other La Sportiva toe boxes? I'd assume it does that even better since you're saying that it conforms even better to the nooks and crannies?
I guess one way to think about it is that you are effectively smearing on every hold. The rubber then distributes itself into all the available space so you get maximum rubber contact with the hold.
Same toe width as genius, never tried the skwama however the genius is pretty wide, and has the PD85 last same as Skwama, Theory, and Testarossa, and now the Mandala
Not too sure what to recommend as I wear the same size in both theory and Skwama but went up 0.5 - 1 size in the mandalas. But based off your comments would probably recommended the 43.
I have Futuras myself, but I've always wanted Futuras with a little more toe hook rubber, is this what they are? I wear 40.5 EU in Futuras for tight fit, what size would you recommend? 😶😶
They are a bit stiffer than the futuras but not by an amount that is a complete game changer. I don't know how they compare to the old Futura in regard to sizing but compared to the new model then we would recommend going up 0.5!
The new Mandala has more toe hook rubber than the Futura. Did seem a little strange as the Futura looked more geared towards bouldering. Anyway both worked well on indoor lead routes with small holds and I've used the Mandala outdoors and they really stick like glue to small holds
They feel similar to the skwama in many ways. The biggest difference is that they appear to sit slightly lower on the foot under the ankle than the skwama. But similar width toebox based on feel but with a slightly narrower heel.
Whilst they share some aesthetics with the theory they are very different. Mainly around the stiffness. The Theory is super soft with no midsole where as the Mandala is closer in stiffness to the Skwama. The Mandala looks to fit in the range in a similar place as the Skwama as an allrounder, but aimed at mid to high end bouldering and sport climbing but with the no edge technology. If you want a bit softer then there is the Futura or if you want really soft then there is the Mantra in the No Edge family.
