Customer Reviews La Sportiva Tempesta GTX

I have to trump the previous reviewers by just saying that their personal experience is different from anyone else's. I suggest you try them out for a couple weeks before making an accurate assessment. REI is a good starting point, if they don't work out you can return them with no questions asked. My personal experience has been that they are the most comfortable and durable (strength to weight) pair of outdoor shoes I have ever had. I am an ultra-endurance athlete, bike packing, hiking, running.... And no I have no endorsement from LS. I've tried just about every trail shoe model in the market and these have far exceeded my expectations. I was inclined to write a review because it is well deserved, and there are so many factors to consider with investing in the type of shoe, like foot shape, arch, etc., good luck!

Overall I’m fairly disappointed with these. I’ll caveat by saying I also purchased a pair of Salomon Speedcross 4 so much of my review is based on head-to-head use in the same conditions - about 20 to 40 F temps and mixed snow, ice and slush. Comfort is OK but due to the relatively high collar they feel tighter than they actually are, so while on the move they adjust pretty well but when not moving they feel almost uncomfortably tight. By far the biggest negative is that the grip is extremely poor. In the Speedcross I’ve never felt my footing wasn’t secure, but the La Sportivas I slip and slide a lot. Bottom line, these will be relegated to above freezing, dry conditions for me which kind of defeats the purpose of buying a trail shoe that’s waterproof, particularly as these are more expensive than the Speedcross 4s.

I wish I would have ignored the sizing up comments. Now I had to return them and get my true size. I usually wear 10.5 in Nike, Salomon, etc. I ordered 11 in these and they were a bit too long, so I’m guessing the 10.5 will fit fine. I will say that just trying them on, they felt AMAZING. I never thought I would put a shoe on that felt better than my speedcross out of the box, but holy crap. Will update when the new size comes in.