Very well crafted design but much too narrow for a standard D foot.

High-quality design and materials, but why so much heel?? The Sense 7 is made for speed and 4mm drop is perfect for that... that should be a solid benchmark in the line. yet Salomon does it backwards and gives their long distance shoe MORE drop... it should have less, as anyone who runs both fast as well as slow can tell you. Great if it works for D’haine, but within a shoe lineup, it doesn’t make sense. Give this shoe 2mm drop and it would be a perfect complement to the multiple Sense 7s I’ve purchased recently. I really do need something for long slow distance, but 8mm drop is totally in the wrong direction!!!

Compared to most of the other Salomon running shoes I really like the cushion and the responsiveness. I wore it for the first 50 miles of the Bighorn 100. It handled all the wet, mud and slop extremely well. On some of the steep descents I could feel the laces digging into the top of my feet, which was just mostly a bit annoying. This was the first pair of Salomon shoes I have ever had that gave me blisters. I was a bit surprised by this considering how well they seemed to have matched my feet. By the end of the first 50 miles I had a quarter sized blister on my heel that I could not seem to get fixed regardless of sock changes, etc. Anyway, I want to love the shoe but I just can't. They also seem to make a weird clicking sound when I walk. I think this is from the plastic over lay on top of the shoe. I am hoping with more break in this will go away. The shoe seems very well built and its been going strong for 100 pretty tough miles so far...

There are really a few things about the s lab sense ultra that stand out from other trail shoes out there. Firstly, the energy save insert really bounces on the trail while being responsive and well cushioned. Having a midsole that wont break down before the upper and outsole is awesome, as I usually am retiring trail shoes early due to abuse on technical downhills. After about 100 miles I havent noticed any wear and tear out of the ordinary. Secondly, the dialed in fit is incredible. The sense ultra moves with your foot while also providing flexibility, something that I have found missing in other stiffer Salomon shoes. Despite being a bit narrow through the midfoot, these shoes offer a pretty spacious toe box that still feels aggressive and performance oriented. Sizing felt pretty spot on, but I have heard that some people do need to size down (I am a slightly narrow 11 and the sense ultra fit perfectly). I am stoked to wear these in a few ultramarathons this summer!

Love the update on this model. One thing that stands out is the puncture protection. I do not feel sharp rocks like i used to on the older models. Sizing seems to run a half size larger than the previous models. The lacing system takes a minute to get used to but its seems to hold tight.

As a Salomon employee, we were extremely excited to launch this shoe. The S/LAB Ultra was designed with athlete Francois D'Haene. It blends long-distance comfort, precise fit, and grip with a graphic treatment that expresses the different stages of an Ultra.
Checkout the video for more details!