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This classic La Sportiva shoe has been upgraded to use eco-friendly materials. We're linking to that model above.
REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Great to wear for a long period of time
For narrow feet well
REASONS TO AVOID
Loses precision over time
Stretches a lot so hard to pick the right size
Hard to relace
The La Sportiva Mythos excel in certain applications or for certain sized feet, but these are not classified as an all-around climbing shoe because they aren't ideal for technical climbing. The Mythos are most at home on all-day multi-pitch moderate routes because they have a flat shape and are comfortable all day long. If you have long, narrow feet, no other shoes will fit you as well.
For a beginner or all-day shoe that costs less, the La Sportiva Tarantulace - Women's is a good option. If you want a shoe with better edging and more technical performance, check out the La Sportiva Miura - Women's, which earned our Editors' Choice Award or the Scarpa Techno X - Women's, which wins our Top Pick award for crack climbing and all-day routes.
Our Analysis and Test Results
A classic shoe that has been around for years, people either love the La Sportiva Mythos and only want to climb in this shoe, or hate the Mythos with a passion. A soft shoe with a flat last, they provide all-day comfort but lack in edging precision.
Performance Comparison
The Mythos have unusually long laces that wrap all the way around the heel and go all the way down to the toe. If you tuck the top laces under the laces going around the sides, it helps you cinch the laces even tighter for a better fit.
Credit: McKenzie Long
Comfort
How comfortable this shoe is largely depends on your foot shape. If you have a long, narrow feet these shoes fit wonderfully. The unique lacing system winds all the way around the heel so you can really cinch them down and make them tight where other shoes would feel loose.
With a padded tongue and soft leather, this is the most comfortable shoe to wear if you are going to wear it all day.
Sensitivity
The Mythos feel soft and flexible rather than stiff, which allows you to paste your foot to the wall, feel the features underneath, and get some grip.
Edging
Someone once compared climbing in Mythos to climbing in marshmallows. Our testers think this description isn't too far off the mark. Out of the box the shoes edge decently well and fit very comfortably, but over time they stretch a lot (so its hard to select the perfect size) and the edges on the shoe lose a lot of their precision. This does make them a comfortable shoe if you are going to wear them all day on a moderate multi-pitch routes, but they are not the greatest shoe for when you want to climb hard or you need precision on little edges.
These shoes have a lot of surface area covered by rubber, which gives them extra stick power in cracks. Also, the lack of any down-turn keeps them comfortable when foot-jamming. The flat shape and comfortable slipper feel makes these awesome crack climbing and multi-pitch route shoes.
Pockets
With a flat shape and no downturn, the Mythos don't propel your feet into pockets like an aggressive shoe such as the La Sportiva Solution - Women's would.
Ease of Use
As with any lace climbing shoe, we docked them a few ease of use points simply because they take longer to put on. But keep in mind that the laces allow for customizable tightness, which can allow for greater comfort and a better fit depending upon your foot shape.
If you happen to rip the laces in a crack (crack climbing can be quite wearing on shoes), these are quite an ordeal to re-lace. The laces wrap all the way around the heel and wind through a dizzying number of eyelets, making laces almost impossible to thread. To prevent the laces from ripping, one male tester covered the front eyelets (which are the most vulnerable) with duct tape and called them his Super Mythos. Though we don't necessarily recommend this, worth mentioning that with a lot of time at Indian Creek, the laces at the toes can bust before you need your first resole.
Best Applications
The Mythos are the ultimate alpine moderate shoe. This is the pair to pick if you are going to be wearing your shoes all day long and you won't necessarily be relying on technical footwork. With the exception of being expensive, the Mythos are also a great first shoe. They aren't downturned, so they are comfortable and easy to wear, and there is rubber that wraps all the way up the sides and all around the shoe for maximum gripping area.
Value
These shoes are on the expensive side, but through our tests we have found La Sportiva shoes usually last quite a while. The uppers are high enough quality to make it through a few resoles, which can help justify the cost.
Conclusion
We think this shoe is ideal for moderate all-day multi-pitch climbs and for people with exceptionally narrow feet who have a problem fitting climbing shoes. In these two applications, these shoes really shine. This is not the pair to use for overhanging pockets or tiny edges.
When purchasing these shoes, keep in mind that they are unlined leather, so they stretch a lot. You may want to go down a size than you normally wear in climbing shoes.
