La Sportiva Mythos review: fit, sizing and what climbers say

The classic flat, unlined leather lace-up, now made mostly from recycled materials as the Mythos ECO. It molds to almost any foot and is a favourite for all-day trad, cracks and long moderate multi-pitch routes, and as a comfortable first outdoor shoe. It is not a shoe for steep sport, hard bouldering or the gym.

Beginner
Trad
Multi-pitch
Cracks
Slab
Outdoor
Beginners

Size down about one size from your street shoe

For a snug all-round fit, a street UK 9 (EU 43) is a UK 8 (EU 42) in the Mythos. Go half a size smaller for hard bouldering, or bigger for long days. It's a starting point: feet differ, so try them on if you can.

Your size in the Mythos

Your street shoe size

UK9

Aggressive

Tight, hard bouldering

UK7½EU 41

Recommended

Snug all-rounder

UK8EU 42

Relaxed

Long sessions

UK8½EU 42½

Comfort

Beginners, multi-pitch

UK9EU 43

Your size in all 292 shoes

How the Mythos fits

Medium widthMedium volume

Heel: Shallow, angled heel: fine for comfort, but hard to load on technical heel hooks.
Toe box: Flat, low-profile toe with lacing that runs right down to the toes; great in cracks, poor for toe hooks and tiny edges.
Suits: Almost any shape: the long Mythos lacing and soft unlined leather adapt to wide, narrow and swelling feet; a lower-volume women's version exists.

What climbers say

From independent reviews and buyers' feedback; each point is backed by at least two sources.

Strengths

All-day comfort once broken in; the leather molds into a sock-like fit
Adjustable lacing and soft leather fit a very wide range of feet
Excellent for moderate crack climbing and smearing on lower-angle rock

Watch out for

Out of its depth on steep terrain, small edges and in the gym
Very little toe rubber, so toe hooks are poor
Several owners say the ECO version's laces, leather and recycled rubber are less durable than the original Mythos

Stretch and break-in: Stretches a lot: the unlined leather loosens quickly, so most people go at least one size under street size, and any wiggle room at the start turns sloppy. Buyer reports on fit vary (some found it ran large, others small), so try it on if you can and buy it snug but not painful.

La Sportiva Mythos size chart

Your street size, then the size to get for each fit. From La Sportiva's size chart and how this model runs.

La Sportiva Mythos size chart
Street	Aggressive	Recommended	Relaxed	Comfort
UK 4EU 37	–	UK 3EU 35½	UK 3½EU 36	UK 4EU 37
UK 4½EU 37½	UK 3EU 35½	UK 3½EU 36	UK 4EU 37	UK 4½EU 37½
UK 5EU 38	UK 3½EU 36	UK 4EU 37	UK 4½EU 37½	UK 5EU 38
UK 5½EU 38½	UK 4EU 37	UK 4½EU 37½	UK 5EU 38	UK 5½EU 38½
UK 6EU 39½	UK 4½EU 37½	UK 5EU 38	UK 5½EU 38½	UK 6EU 39
UK 6½EU 40	UK 5EU 38	UK 5½EU 38½	UK 6EU 39	UK 6½EU 39½
UK 7EU 40½	UK 5½EU 38½	UK 6EU 39	UK 6½EU 39½	UK 7EU 40½
UK 7½EU 41½	UK 6EU 39	UK 6½EU 39½	UK 7EU 40½	UK 7½EU 41
UK 8EU 42	UK 6½EU 39½	UK 7EU 40½	UK 7½EU 41	UK 8EU 42
UK 8½EU 42½	UK 7EU 40½	UK 7½EU 41	UK 8EU 42	UK 8½EU 42½
UK 9EU 43	UK 7½EU 41	UK 8EU 42	UK 8½EU 42½	UK 9EU 43
UK 9½EU 44	UK 8EU 42	UK 8½EU 42½	UK 9EU 43	UK 9½EU 43½
UK 10EU 44½	UK 8½EU 42½	UK 9EU 43	UK 9½EU 43½	–
UK 10½EU 45	UK 9EU 43	UK 9½EU 43½	–	–
UK 11EU 45½	UK 9½EU 43½	–	–	–

– means past the end of the La Sportiva size chart we have.

Specs

Rubber: Vibram XS Edge, 4 mm
Closure: laces
Version: unisex
Made for: multi-pitch
Upper: ECO Idro-Perwanger biodegradable leather, metal-free tanning
Lining: Unlined
Weight: 233 g (per shoe, maker figure (size not stated))
Resoleable: Yes
Price: $179 (list price, 2026-10-08)
Released: 1991 (ECO version c. 2021-22)

La Sportiva product page

Same sizing: Mythos 30th

Compare with

Sources

Checked 8 October 2026 (Mythos ECO (current; replaced the standard Mythos c. 2021-22)). Gear Loop isn't affiliated with the maker and earns nothing from these links.

Estimates. Fit depends on foot shape and preference.