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climbing shoe
La Sportiva

Mandala

Category
Climbing shoe
Type
Slipper
Key specs
Vibram XS Grip 2, 3 mm, No-Edge
Material
Microfiber / recycled elastic
Weight
240 g

What climbers keep saying · from 13 reviews

comfortable4durable3painful2sensitive2great heel hooks1precise edging1

Mandalas are comparable to Solutions for stiffness with a Theory-like heel and more sensitivity; better suited to real rock.

positivesensitive

With wide Egyptian feet and a shallow heel, the Mandala fits much better than most others.

positive

Owns both: the Mandala, downsized 2.5 sizes, is definitely stiffer than their VSR LV.

positive

Their Mandalas last much longer than all their other shoes, indoors and out.

positivedurable

Their new Mandalas are amazing: super comfy, and the No Edge was a game changer with suddenly no bad footholds.

positivecomfortable

Their most recent pair is the Mandala, chosen partly for the extra rubber where they wore through.

positive

Has the Mandala: much stiffer than the Zenist, though maybe not properly broken in yet.

mixed

Highly recommends the Mandala: the heel is nice and snug without much downsizing.

positive

The Mandala's heel fit was insanely good, but they never took to the No-Edge and it hurt their big toe until they gave up.

negative

The Mandala took over as their main outdoor bouldering shoe: No Edge makes it more sensitive on tiny holds than Dragos despite being stiffer, and the narrow, stiff heel doesn't bag out.

positivesensitive

With big heels, the Mandala fit as well as Instincts, though it was the first shoe where they had to break in the heel.

positive

Calls the Mandala their favourite shoe: feels like socks but still supportive, can be comfortably downsized, and sinks well into small chips.

positivecomfortable

Has new Mandalas; stiffer than their Skwamas and better for edging, suiting a wide forefoot and narrow heel.

positiveprecise edging

Currently climbing in Mandalas and doesn't find them too soft compared to their Instinct VSR.

positive

Mandala is the best fit they've found for narrowness and depth of heel.

positivegreat heel hooks

Mandala more comfortable out of the box than their Futura, but the upper stiffens on long sessions.

mixed

Hated Mandalas at first; now their favourite shoe of all time and they last forever.

positivedurable