Salomon’s Latest Trail-Running Innovation Rethinks the Super-Shoe Formula

So what, exactly, makes some shoes super? It’s a question runners love to ask, and most tend to agree:

In principle, a super shoe is one that optimizes an athletic endeavor. For the better part of the last decade — or at least since the Nike Vaporfly came out in 2017 — that premise has meant lightweight materials, responsive foams and a rigid plate (usually fashioned out of carbon fiber) to improve stability and propulsion while running.

Salomon’s new S/Lab Ultra Glide second-guesses that formula, charting its own path forward to meet the dynamic needs of long-distance trail running.

Salomon

Ride the wave

Many so-called “super shoes” cut corners on the outsole in an effort to save weight, whereas the S/Lab Ultra Glide turns the full-length sole into one of its headlining features.

Salomon calls it the RelieveSphere and its debut on the S/Lab Ultra Glide showcases over half a decade of biomechanical research at the company.

Salomon

True to the name, bulging spheres sit under nearly a dozen pressure points, resulting in a wavy pattern that diffuse pain and fatigue during, say, a 100-mile race like UTMB, Hardrock or Western States.

Meanwhile, 4mm chevron-shaped lugs cover a wide swatch of terrain, since runners are likely to encounter more than one set of conditions during races that span literal days.

Comfort is king

Moving up the shoe, the S/Lab Ultra Glide combines standard EnergyFoam (Salomon’s proprietary EVA blend) together with EnergyFoam+, made from Pebax and also present in the S/Lab Phantasm 2.

Salomon

But just as notable as which features can be found on the S/Lab Ultra Glide is the one that Salomon chose to leave out: a carbon-fiber plate, in effect putting all its eggs into the innovative outsole geometry.

What’s more, the shoe clocks in at a somewhat hefty 10.2 ounces (290 grams) for a US size 9, even with its streamlined mesh upper and QuickLace system.

Salomon

All in all, the S/Lab Ultra Glide shares little in common with the rest the pack, trading speed and efficiency for comfort and resiliency as its means to an optimal performance at the tail end of an ultra.

So does it actually qualify as a super shoe? Perhaps a better question to ask is whether or not you’ll care 90 miles into Western States.

The Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide is available now for $250.

Salomon

Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide

Salomon flips the script on traditional super-shoe design with the S/Lab Ultra Glide trail runner, forgoing a plate and lightweight outsole in favor of an innovative addition. The brand calls it the RelieveSphere and it’s bulging, wavy geometry alleviates underfoot pressure out on the trail.

• $250 at Salomon

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