Salomon - S/Lab Ultra

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

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

S/Lab Ultra glides 1.0 x 2 S/Lab Ultra glides 1.5 x 1

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.

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.

Salomon s lab ultra or recent equivalent are an excellent all round option. Rare on the shelves but you will find them online with some good prices periodically.

I am on my like fourth pair of Speedcross, so I like the shoe, but it doesn't have a wide fit, nor is it lightweight. If you wanted a Salomon I would look at the S/Lab Ultra, maybe in a half size up to get the width right? Really sweet shoe, light, stays snug.

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

It’s different for everyone. I tend to have multiple pairs and I rotate. They also serve different purposes. Trail/threadmill/regular/race I tend to stick with the ones that work for me, and often buy 3 spare pairs when I stumble on a series I like. Often I also look at older models. If they were top 3 years ago, believe me, they are still good. Not worth the big price difference between models. I currently have the Mizuno Wave Inspire and Saucony Endorphin speed and Saucony Kinvara series for most normal trainings. Saucony Endurance pro and Mizuno Wave shadow for races. For trails depending on terrain Salomon Speedcross, Thundercross, XA Pro 3d (goretex) and S/lab ultra. Regular daily’s I loved the Wave Inspire series till v17. Then they changed and don’t like them anymore. Also looking for a good successor but most likely I’ll use the Kinvara’s more. Don’t follow trends and marketing. Test and feel. And really get more than one pair and rotate. It’s better for your feet too. And surfing for older models bargains can really pay off, certainly if you take the ugly colors no one buys 🥸

I use Salomon Ultra, more than 900km with them and still going on. Ideas if I want to but now some: -salomon S/Lab Glide -XBionic X01 -adidas Terrex (not sure, but I’ve read quite good reviews) -norda 001A -maybe La Sportiva is good too. My winter boots are from them and 0 problems. Now, are they good also on running shoes? Idk