Salomon S-lab Sense Ultra

As a staunch minimalist runner I've always trained and raced in the Salomon Slab Sense range. With it's no compromise, stripped back, uber-lightweight race sensibility they've suited my needs perfectly.  However I'm not naive to the fact that this doesn't suit everyone, or indeed every occasion. This is where the Sense Ultra steps in...

Straight out the box you're confronted with a sleek shoe, that looks fresh with its reverse of the Salomon Softground colour scheme: stealth black across the upper with a typically vivid Salomon red heel. The Salomon logo now proudly emblazoned to the rear of the shoe. Despite the increased cushioning (which I'll get to shortly) these still look an incredibly fast and stylish shoe.

The upper benefits from 6 generations of evolution across the Slab range. Vented for breathability and drainage when wet, yet features plastic overlays for strength and to prevent splitting in weak areas. The toe rand is more than substantial enough to tackle any significant bumps on rocky mountain terrain. The ever popular sensifit technology is present and correct, fitting the foot snug and locking it down with the quicklace technology. Once on it genuinely feels like its part of the foot allowing the runner to concentrate on the important business of movement without any slippage.

I was pleasantly surprised the grip on the sole fits nicely somewhere in between the standard Sense and the Sense Softground. Sizeable lugs that cut and grip into all terrain, yet not too intrusive that they effect the ride on much harder ground, putting these shoes conveniently as a proficient all-rounder. In that 'sense' (no pun intended) Salomon have filled that, sometimes difficult gap in the range, where very mixed terrain needs a shoe without excessive compromise.

Finally onto to the difficult (for me) topic of cushioning. I'm a self confessed minimalist snob that favours as light and unobtrusive a shoe as possible. The Sense Ultra though has upped the heel drop from 4mm to 8mm and the stack height is up from 18mm/14mm to 26mm/18mm. I feared this would effectively take this shoe out of my optimal comfort zone. However I was pleasantly surprised once they were on. Yes, I'd be lying if I said I couldn't tell they had some extra cush underneath, but it wasn't as intrusive as I'd expected. The locked down nature of the upper meant my foot felt secure inside the shoe retaining much of the agility of the standard Sense. 

My subsequent test runs were equally a surprise. Putting the Ultra's through their paces on rugged and technical terrain they performed well, striking a balance somewhere between great protection yet still retaining some ground feel. They felt responsive and very easy on the legs. As a forefoot runner, I can only comment on how they complemented my running style. But all the same, despite losing a little in the way of proprioception, they still felt competent even on technical terrain. After a couple of test runs I was so enamoured with the shoes I decided last minute to race in them over a 53 mile ultra at the Highland Fling. A big test in that it features a diverse range of terrain, ranging from fast smooth trails, mountainous ascents, muddy and rocky descents along with incredibly technical loch side trails. And despite some trepidation they performed admirably, protecting my feet throughout. What I may have lost marginally in my speed on technical descents I believe I gained later on in the race with fresher legs and feet. As an added bonus, with over 60-70 miles on the shoes the soles are showing no signs of wear meaning durability appears to be on par with the usual Salomon excellence.


As an all round shoe for training, or even more so for racing longer races, the Slab Sense Ultra are a big win for Salomon. It handily plugs a gap in the range and makes the stripped back race ready Slab Sense more accessible to the average runner.