Salomon - S/Lab Ultra

I have the S/lab ultra 2 and the speed cross. I don't wear either of them for longer than 50k runs though because my feet get sore with the lack of cushion. The thundercross has been recommended, but I haven't tried it.

Maine/White Mtn runner here. my experience: • wide foot/low stack/general purpose sticky lugs: Norda 002 • narrow foot/low stack/minimal lugs for rocky: salomon s/lab ultra 2,3 • medial width/high stack/fat lugs for mud/long days: merrell agility peak • narrow for mud: salomon s/lab pulsar sg, or any shoe with “cross” in the name by salomon

I trail run in the northeast and venture out west for desert runs 2-3 times a year. I have a pretty wide quiver of shoes at this point, but based on your query for stability and your experience with Salomon's I cannot recommend them enough for trail running. The fact you have a narrow foot makes you an ideal candidate for the last they use too. If stability is your goal, I would go with the SLab ultra as they are not an incredibly high stack, to which is owed the biggest risk of rolling an ankle. They also have a very breathable and very fast drying matrix upper which is awesome in desert climates.

salomon s/lab ultra 1,2,3 low stack and breathable durable matrix upper

salomon s/lab ultra 1,2,3 low stack and breathable durable matrix upper

I go against this and claim the only shoe that held up well beyond 600km are for me the Salomon SLAB Ultra 1 and the Saucony Xodus Ultra 1. Both retired around 800k. Beyond that you get a great shoe for hiking, at best

Just picked up S/Lab Ultra and loving them after Speedcross (narrow), Challenger (clunky and sluggish) and Lone Peaks (lovely but flimsy)

Salomon s lab ultra 2. Yah gotta break them in but once you do they’re money

Yes I have a bit more "stable" impressions with my S/lab ultra FDF indeed. But I should probably try the ultra 3 that seem even more so. Any model in particular you would recommend?

One is the Ultra Glide with two different midsole foams and the sphere tech and one is a Shoe they initially named S/lab Ultra FDH with a fiberglass plate and a pretty dense Eva midsole foam that Francoise d‘haene helped create. This is Version 2 and they seemed to have upgraded the grip, deeper lugs and the fit from version 1 which was much needed because the first one had abysmal wet grip…Don’t ask how I know…Overall even if they improved grip not a shoe worth it’s pricetag if you ask me. Not sure what they changed in the Ultra Glide 1.5 but I’m sure hey must have fixed something..Probably the baggy upper or that last sphere under the big toe? I think there seems to be more than one thing that needed fixing with this shoe lol.

Everyday road/faster workouts: New Balance FC Rebel v5. Love. Light, snappy, great feel that’s not too cushy but still plush. Mixed road/trail/non tech: Hoka Challenger. Honestly this shoe is so good. Great blend of plush and support while still feeling light enough. Stable and reliable, assuming trail Isn’t very technical. Long trail/more techy: Salomon Ultra FdH. I’d like to give a shoutout for this shoe. I think its price takes it out of the conversation a bit, esp since it’s not really a “super shoe” eg. Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra (see below). The combo of the foam, the plate, the fit and the grip are really superior IME. If it were 20% less money it would give a lot of shoes some competition. But then again there are lots of shoes I’ve never even tried. Terrex ASU-fast, runnable trail and race day. Love this shoe but have realized I didn’t size down enough. But even a bit big it’s impressive and fun as hell. Haven’t run loner than 14 miles in them but with 100 or so miles in them I can say I agree with most reviews: they are awesome but are not not the most stable. And the upper at the ankle may not work for all. Lots of shoes I’d love to try out there!

I have both shoes , put about 50 miles in the Salomon’s and probably about 75 in the PPs. Salomon’s are on the shelf now , I struggled with technical trail confidence due to the stack height and they are also less grippy than the PPs. Like any La Sportiva, the PP are a narrow shoe but have been perfect for me so far , wore them out of the box on a 50k in Texas and they were great.

I love my Peregrine 13. Good support, good traction on most trails, even when muddy, and barely feel small rocks. My summit unknown and s/Lab Ultra are great for shorter distance as they are light, but also have less support. The Unknown has the best grip I've ever had, but they also seem to be discontinued 😔. The s/lab are stiff and drain really well. These three are also the only trail shoes I've ever had, so take that for what it's worth. My only regret is getting the peregrine goretex version. Completely unnecessary and puts more stress on my toe nails. Live and learn.

S/lab Ultra is midsole is pretty dull and firm, while the PP is bouncy and soft.

I've tried a few S Lab shoes that didn't work for me due to my wide feet. There might be some hope here with Brooks!

SLab was too narrow in the midfoot for me, it has quite a high arch. The Genesis is still a wonderful show in its own right, very capable, but the SLab feels a little more premium and slightly bouncier in the midsole.

I wore Salomon S/Lab and my partner wore Hoka Speedgoat 5. All shoes have their own pros and cons, so if you have a fav trail running shoes, it’s best to stick with that one. We were comfortable in our shoes. Even on the trails where you inevitably get wet, it was refreshing to have the shoes soak up the cold, streaming water while we hiked to cool down. They dried quickly.

Rocks : Topo or anything with this great vibram soles Mud : saucony peregrine or Salomon s-lab

New S/labs size down. I’m my actual street shoe size in those, a US 6, when I’m a 6.5 in every other Salomon model. I was fine with my usual 38 in the PP.

I don't have these problems and I'm super happy with narrow Salomon SLAB but my wife loves Altra just because they are like duck feet (my joking about this), and she says they are best fitting shoes ever. So for wide feet, I would definitely say go and try Altra.

Have both and they are quite different. Genesis is less cushioned, I would say better for technical terrain and faster pace. It wraps foot veeeery nicely. S/lab is softer, good for long runs. Additional gaiter is cool

I use Solomon trail runners, non-waterproof because my feet overheat easily in the summer. They've seen the presis in the summer without issues, and have decent grip.

I just ordered a pair from my local running store, only commenting to suggest you try them on first. I'm a 12 in Salomons and a 12 to 12.5 in Hokas, and I had to size up to a 13 in the 001s.

The best ones are the ones that fit!! I have wide toes and wore Solomon trail runners for a long time. I switched to Merrell Moab hikers a couple of years ago. Both are 13 Wide (EEE).

The downside of trail runners to me (Solomans) was I would sometimes get foot bruises on sharp rocky ground. I switched to hiking shoes (Merrell's) and I feel it's a better compromise between trail runners and boots. Pretty light and more comfortable.

My Solomans had a rock plate (thank you for pointing out my omission), but I feel a big difference with my Murrell Moab's. To each there own, I know trail runners are the favorite, the Moab works better for me (I have dainty feet, I guess).

What do you want to do? I love my Solomon trail runners but if I'm sliding down shale I'll take the Keens all day long. Both are good brands in my experience.

Over the years I’ve worn trail runners from Merrill and Salomon, or standard running shoes from Nike and NB. A comfortable fit was the main criteria. Even on wet ground I’d rather have fast drying sneakers than boots.

I like Oboz boots. I also like my Solomon trail runners. I've done massive days in both, totally depends what you are more comfortable in. I do personally find benefit in some ankle protection and waterproofness. Some folks poopoo that... but I bet they have wet feet.

Salomon trail runners. They’re my goat shoes - the only thing they don’t get a grip on is wet wood.

Absolutely, did all of the ABC trek in trail runners (Hoka, Salomon). You really appreciate the lightness of them.

I love my Salomon trail runners. I prefer them to my hiking boots and exclusively use them for hiking.

I'm a fan of Solomon hiking shoes (or really their trail runners) with Gore Tex and micro spikes! The spikes stay in my pack most of the year, just in case I go further than planned or I got unexpected conditions. A must have for me.

Current Salomon trail runners have to thick of a sole and cant feel rock well beneath them but I do agree that ideally trail runner style would be cool. maybe the ones I have just dont work well for this specific use case.