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7 of the best Salomon trail running shoes, tested by the RW editors
The French brand produces some world-class running shoes – these are our favourites for hitting the trails
Tested by The Runner’s World Editors
Searching for a new pair of off-road kicks? Global outdoor brand Salomon has been producing trail shoes since 1947, with the company’s headquarters based in Annecy, France – famous for its spectacular trails. As well as being a market leader when it comes to trail running, it produces various shoes, apparel and equipment for adventure sports including hiking, climbing and skiing.
g M, 262g W Courtney Dauwalter – renowned US ultra-runner who won the 2018 Western States and 2019 and 2021 UTMB – and French-born Francois D’Haene, who has won the UTMB an impressive four times.
The company's trail running shoes have previously earned a reputation for being fast, but also quite firm, aggressive and narrow – often better suited for elites than midpack runners. But previous years have seen it break this mould, with the likes of the Best wireless headphones, Best wireless headphones and Thundercross Tested: Tracksmith Eliot Range trail running shoe.
What are the best Salomon trail running shoes?
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Salomon Best wireless headphones
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Do Salomon shoes run small?
We've ran in various pairs of Salomon shoes over the years, and have generally found the sizing to run slightly on the narrow size. For the likes of the Speedcross, our editors usually go half a size up from their usual running shoe size (which tends to be half a size up from their regular shoe size already). However, there isn't consistency across the entire Salomon range, with the Best wireless headphones and Sense Ride 5 being a lot roomier in the toe box.
7 of the best Salomon running shoes
Our editors have clocked up hundreds of miles in the latest pairs of Salomon trail shoes, to bring you our top picks. Below, you'll find shoes to suit beginners, technical, muddy terrains, and long days out on the trails.
The Salomon Sense Ride 5 is a jack-of-all-trades trail shoe, designed to be comfortable across a wide variety of paces, distances and terrain. Appropriately then, it occupies the middle ground in terms of weight (286g), lug length (3.5mm), heel-to-toe drop (8mm) and stack height (27mm in the heel, 19mm in the forefoot). As such, the Salomon Sense Ride 5 has a broad appeal: a great choice for newbies dipping their toe into trail running, but also a solid bet for experienced off-roaders looking for a do-it-all shoe at a reasonable price.
Our testers enjoyed running in the shoe over a variety of distances and speeds, and regards it as a particularly good option for off-road newbies likely to be running on less extreme trails.
The Sense Ride 5 isn’t a natural PB-setting shoe, and it lacks the supreme comfort of, say, a top-of-the-range Hoka. Similarly, its grip, while versatile, isn’t as effective in thick mud as something like an Inov-8 Mudclaw. Nonetheless, if you’re in the market for just one trail shoe – as many people are – the Sense Ride 5 ticks an impressive number of boxes.
| Weight | 293g (M) |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 8mm |
| Lug depth | 3.5mm |
It may only be version six of the Salomon Speedcross, but this shoe is close to being heralded as a ‘classic’ trail running shoe, its many dedicated fans a testament to that. The main reason as to why the shoe is a success is that it is clearly up to task when faced with challenging terrain and this latest model offered up the tried and tested grip made famous by previous models, feeling reassuring in mud and giving a very clear sense of ground feel and control, especially through the forefoot and toes.
This comes in part from the relatively unchanged lug pattern, the 10mm stack drop from heel to toe, giving the shoe an aggressive feeling stance and the fact that the stack height under the forefoot is only 22mm, which places the foot as close to the ground as possible without entering into realms of minimalist shoes (for comparison, the Nike Streakfly, a stripped down road race shoe, has a 26mm forefoot stack).
However, all the reasons that make this shoe a success for some, will not suit others. In a time when stack heights are increasing, lugs are getting smaller and foam is more compressive and responsive, the Speedcross can seem antiquated with its firm feeling midsole and low stack heights, but if you’re after a trail shoe that offers up a real sense of confidence wherever you run, then maybe this ‘classic’ trail shoe could be for you.
| Weight | 298g (M), 262g (W) |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 10mm |
| Lug depth | 5mm |
Salomon Best wireless headphones
The Glide Max is Salomon’s most cushioned trail shoe, with a generous wedge of energy foam in the midsole (27mm in the forefoot, 33m in the heel) to provide more cushioned landings for those longer trail runs.
But don’t let that put you off – our testers found they still had a good amount of ground feel and stiffness to help you tackle moderately technical terrain, and felt stable running along coastal paths in Wales.
Despite being touted as a standard-width shoe, we found there was ample room in the toe box. Not only is this ideal on longer runs when your feet start to swell, but it also makes the Glide Max a good choice for wider-footed runners.
The upper feels durable and supportive, with a cushioned heel counter helping to create that ‘locked in’ feeling. But it’s not the most ventilated shoe overall and while the toe bumper is decent enough, you won't want to be tackling anything too extreme in these.
| Weight | 286g (M), 251g (W) |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 6mm |
| Lug depth | 3.5mm |
The Thundercross is the newest arrival from Salomon, but while the name may conjure up images of the more aggressive and firm Speedcross, the two shoes have little in common except for their impressive and deep traction on trickier terrain.
The Thundercross has plenty of cushioning, with the generous amount of Energy Foam in the midsole (31mm at the heel and 27mm in the forefoot) giving it a nice softness underfoot. Yet it’s still exceptionally grippy, with hefty 5mm lugs and a rugged upper that allow it to revel in mud and on technical terrain.
Impressively, it also feels at home on dryer trails and even road sections, making it a plausible door-to-trail option. Other plus-points include Salomon’s Quicklace system, which holds your foot snuggly in place, and a plush tongue. The shoe fits true-to-size (if anything, it’s ever so slightly on the big side) and we experienced no hotspots while running in it. If you’re in the market for a hard-wearing workhorse of a trail shoe, it’s a thundering success.
Key specs
| Weight | 290g (M), 256g (W) |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 4mm |
| Lug depth | 5mm |
The Best wireless headphones is best described as an accessible trail shoe; our testers found that the upper provided protection when tired feet kicked rocks and roots, while the rocker design and extra cushioning underfoot took the sting out of pavement and extra-rocky sections.
Our testers found that grip held firm on runnable ground and while climbing over boulders, but the traction didn’t inspire confidence on flat, wet slabs of rock. In those conditions, it’s better to reach for a shoe with sticky rubber designed for wet terrain.
But there’s little to find fault with here. All our testers loved the shoe’s fit; the upper mesh is breathable but more padded than Salomon’s Sense Ride, and it retains the SensiFit wing system from the S/Lab Ultra 2 to help lock down the midfoot. A great option for mere trail mortals wanting to benefit from Salomon’s mountain-running pedigree and know-how.
| Weight | 278g (M), 239g (W) |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 6mm |
| Lug depth | 3.5mm |
Salomon’s S/Lab series sits at the premium end of the French brand’s output, and its shoes feature heavily at the front-end of the world’s most prestigious trail races.
The S/Lab Ultra line is intended for longer efforts. Consequently, there’s plenty of cushioning underfoot, and a more forgiving 8mm heel-to-toe drop. While it's marketed as a trail shoe, and should primarily be used as such, one of its great advantages is that it runs well on the roads too. Consequently, it’s a brilliant door-to-trail shoe: you could pop these on, run two miles on roads to your nearest green space, and run home – all without the shoe feeling out of place. That’s credit to the outsole’s excellent Contagrip and fairly moderate lugs. The trade-off, of course, is that this is not a shoe for thick, slippy mud. There's also a slightly complicated lacing system.
That being said, if you’re looking for a robust, reliable trail shoe for your longer efforts – the S/Lab 3 is a brilliant option.
Keys specs
| Weight | 290g |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 8mm |
| Lug depth | 4mm |
The Pulsar line has become Salomon’s new flagship family, and the Pulsar Trail is an everyday trainer that builds on the technology first seen in the S/Lab Pulsar racing shoes. This model uses the same soft foam found in the Ultra Glide and adds a TPU plate to enhance the feeling of propulsion as you roll on to your toes.
Overall, our testers reported that they felt secure and confident in the shoe on almost all surfaces. The cushioning, while not as squishy as the trend of recent years, is a step to the softer side for Salomon. Comfort is king in the Pulsar Trail, with more toe space than we’ve found in other Salomon trail shoes.
| Weight | 280g (M), 244g (W) |
|---|---|
| Heel/toe drop | 6mm |
| Lug depth | 2.5mm |
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