La Sportiva is somewhat of a household name in Colorado and in many other states across the Mountain West. The Italian Dolomite-born brand is known far and wide for its technical climbing, mountaineering, trail running and hiking shoes, technical alpine clothing, packs, and even ski mountaineering hardware. And now it’s coming to Colorado.
Founded in 1928 by Narciso Delladio in Italy, La Sportiva got its start in boots. And people still know it for performance footwear today. Boots like the G-Tech, Trango, and Nepal Cube Mountaineering boots, as well as offerings on the climbing shoe market, like the Skwama and the Katana.
Now though, you don’t have to travel all the way to the Dolomites, or even to a retailer like REI to browse or try on La Sportiva’s wares. On January 2, 2024, the brand opened its first retail location in the U.S. and North America in downtown Boulder, Colo.
La Sportiva’s First US Store: Open for Business
If you take one look at the number of trails within a mile of the new store or consider the classic trad routes up the Flatirons, the location is a no-brainer.
“We are not just opening a store here. We are creating a hub for the outdoor community,” said Jonathan Lantz, President of La Sportiva North America. “Boulder is renowned for its amazing access to climbing, trail running, and backcountry skiing. This store is designed to be a gathering place for mountain athletes.”
Judging by its clientele and event roster already, the store may already be that.
For context, La Sportiva has never had a retail store in North America. But it has had a presence in Boulder long before this year. Since the ’90s, Boulder has been its non-Italian, North American distributor and employee hub. The new retail location is across town, in its own brand-new space. It’s located on the 2100 block of Broadway and Spruce. We visited the store this week, just after its soft opening.
What’s in Store
“We are super excited for this new space, and the feedback we’ve already gotten at this location,” store Manager Jeremy Hendricks told us. Notable for the Boulder store and U.S. consumers: you’ll start to see new gear previously only sold across the pond. Products like La Sportiva’s Alpine Tech line, and more of its ski poles, boots, packs, and skimo equipment will now be available here.
Other gear you’ll find at the retail store: softshell pants, hooded fleeces like the Bristen, BOA-dial-equipped touring boots, and the Supercouloir 1000 down jacket and Supercouloir GTX Pro kits. Also, trail runners, the latest trail running vests, socks, and several walls of footwear will be available.
The category of climbing footwear and goods is hard to ignore given the amount of space dedicated to these items in-store. And there’s plenty of apparel, too.
But maybe the coolest feature of the store? The Boulder “Bivacco,” or a bivouac. It’s a traditional trekker’s shelter you’ll find scattered across the Dolomites. In Boulder, though, the Bivacco is home to La Sportiva’s wide selection of mountaineering boots.
La Sportiva Goes Global
La Sportiva has 13 locations. Most are in Italy and Spain, as well as one store each in France, Germany, and Greece. The Boulder location marks a huge milestone for the brand’s retail presence outside of Europe, specifically for North American consumers. La Sportiva’s factory store is still located in the northern Italian Alps, in Ziano di Fiemme.
The La Sportiva Boulder store joins the ranks of brands like Arc’teryx, Black Diamond, Stio, Patagonia, Fjallraven, Norrona, Cotopaxi, Helly Hansen, and more, all concentrated around Boulder’s city center.
“Boulder has a rich history in the outdoor space, and its populace shares our views on the importance of environmental responsibility. We believe this is the perfect location for us to connect with our customers,” said Lorenzo Delladio, president and CEO of La Sportiva.
The La Sportiva Boulder store is now open; call ahead or visit La Sportiva’s website for exact hours.
