Racing shoes
Product 2020
Woman, Man

La Sportiva VK BOA

The La Sportiva is designed for the vertical kilometer. A pure competition shoe we also think they can be used for training on track to encourage forefoot running, with their 4mm drop, not much cushioning but an excellent sole that protects well.

 

Obviously the La Sportiva VK Boa are very light. At 180g in size 42 .5 you barely feel they’re even there. But the sensations are not just due to their light weight because even with such a minimalist upper and not much material a shoe can give good foothold, precision and grip (cf the Salomon S/Lab Sense 8 SG. Of course, regarding foot protection, durability and torsional rigidity, the La Sportiva VK Boa is lacking. But we were pleasantly surprised by their foot envelopment and ability to be a support for the feet despite their slipper-like structure.

 

The very flexible upper ensures an envelopment that is precise and comfortable and the Boa system (L6 disc) provides an astonishing adjustment: excellent pressure distribution, absence of pressure points and precise foothold. The straps on the instep we’ve already seen on New Balance, on the 1500 Boa, the Hierro Foam Boa. The integration of the Boa system on the VK is without doubt one of the most successful: efficiency, aesthetics, and coherence. Even more than the shoes that are flexible overall, there is very little material to use to spread the pression (and attach the Boa).

The adjustment system is without doubt faultless: precise, easy and fast.

 

That said, putting on the shoes is a lot more difficult, a lot of wiggling required. The little straps in front and behind are useless because they are too small to grab. But – once you have your foot inside they feel like slippers!

 

La Sportiva VK Boa provide an excellent grip going straight up a steep slope combined with great forefoot proprioception. The shoes are flexible, reactive, precise and give you good foot strike that adapts to the terrain. We assumed that this type of specialized product would forget about the rear, but this isn’t the case. Even if the lugs are less powerful under the heel this product is well-designed overall. These shoes give you the grace to go fast. One of the biggest surprises of this La Sportiva VK Boa, is despite the sole being thin the forefoot protection has a plate that limits the impacts from stones underfoot, and there’s also an ultra-light stone guard that works well.

Some testers, depending on their morphology, noticed a fold at the big toe flexion point.

 

 

This product is specialized, focused on vertical kilometer has all the qualities necessary to be performant. Very light, minimalist the La Sportiva VK Boa is not an extreme product. You still retain foothold and pleasure on non-technical paths.

"This product is specialized, focused on vertical kilometer has all the qualities necessary to be performant. Very light, minimalist the La Sportiva VK Boa is not an extreme product. You still retain foothold and pleasure on non-technical paths."

Rating

  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • Foothold
    7
  • Cushioning
    7
  • Grip
    8
  • Foot strike
    8
  • Stone guard
    8

Price : 155

Weight

180
4 mm

Base width

S

TYPE OF FEET

Pronator Universal Supinator

Overall Rating

7.60

LONG TERM TEST

We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:

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