Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide Review

Upper

Erik: "I really enjoyed the overall fit of this shoe. While I didn’t get a chance to go on a 2+ hour run in the shoe, I had no issues with rubbing or hot spots. I’m looking forward to taking the Ultra Glide out for some epic journeys in the near future."

Connor: "The upper is a little more substantial than what you may expect from an S/Lab shoe, but it provides plenty of support for ultramarathons while minimizing weight where possible. I found the shoe offered a comfortable initial step-in. The buttery soft upper and stretchy gusseted tongue made for a seamless fit. The toe box is decently spacious to allow your toes to move around, but I did find the shoe ran just a hair long. I personally would not go down a half size but felt it was worth noting. I have never been a huge fan of the Quicklace system as I can never find quite as good of a lockdown as I do with standard laces. Surprisingly, the application in the Ultra Glide was dialed in and kept my foot locked in place while allowing for some micro adjustments mid-run."

Midsole

Erik: "'Soft' and 'cushy' are the first words that come to mind when taking these shoes out for a spin. Then the real technology of the shoe kicks in. The midsole and outsole are designed to provide support and relief for long distances. This isn’t the best shoe for moving fast over the terrain (although it does a nice job when picking up the pace). Instead, it is designed for maximum comfort over a variety of terrain. Rocky, smooth, wet, and hilly conditions all were handled nicely."

Connor: "The midsole cushioning is one of the key features that makes the S-Lab Ultra Glide shine. The setup combines two pieces of Energy Foam that surround an Energy Foam+ core. This delivers a really balanced trail performance with plenty of underfoot protection. The material does feel a little softer than traditional trail shoes, but this doesn’t take away from the performance or provide a mushy or unstable experience. The Energy Foam provides a very stable ride on the trails, especially considering how high the stack height is. I’m always a little worried with ultra-high stack shoes on technical terrain, but this shoe just bounces over any surface like a monster truck. It’s also worth noting this shoe has the addition of an Energy Foam+ sockliner for a little extra premium bounce. Paired together with high sidewalls that allow your feet to sit within the shoe like a bathtub, this shoe is built to go far and run efficiently over any trail."

Outsole

Erik: "The Contragrip outsole coupled with the new relieveSPHERE contouring provides a unique experience. The construction provides relief on key hotspots that were targeted by the Salomon design team after extensive testing. Again, I didn’t get a chance to go far enough in the shoes to receive the full benefit but went far enough to get the general idea of the technology."

Connor: "Salomon is really onto something special with the outsole of this shoe. The brand is known for their Contragrip rubber which is used year after year. It has reliably sticky traction along with fantastic durability. What makes this shoe in particular stand out is the unique geometries and relieveSPHERE tech. This paired with aggressive 4mm lugs offers amazing grip on pretty much any type of terrain. The shoe gripped tough trails and loose rocks but felt just as good on smooth fire roads and even some road crossings. I was really surprised at how good the traction was on nearly every surface. Salomon’s new relieveSPHERE is different and I haven’t seen anything else that compares currently on the market. The design works together really well with the lugs and rubber to provide an optimal trail running system!"

Comparable Models

Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide vs. HOKA Tecton X

Erik: "Both of these trail racing shoes have a good balance of comfort and speed. The big difference is the Tecton X has a carbon plate to aid in propulsion while the Ultra Glide does not. They both have superior foams, with the Ultra Glide having a little more pop than the other. If speed over long distances is a big consideration for you and you feel a carbon plate is needed, then maybe the Ultra Glide isn’t a choice for you. But if max comfort is the goal, the Ultra Glide is the right choice."

Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide vs. HOKA Mafate Speed vs. The North Face Altamesa 500

Connor: "I find the Salomon S-Lab Ultra Glide to be really unique. While it's different from several other trail shoes on the market, I can compare it to other shoes in the highly cushioned trail category like the Hoka Mafate Speed and North Face Altamesa 500. The Mafate Speed offers a similarly fast and nimble feel while still having lots of stack underfoot. Both offer unrelenting grip and a slightly performance-oriented upper. The Altamesa has a nearly identical weight with a few mm less stack. Both offer a smooth ride that just feels effortless for long miles on the trail."