First test : brand-new XT S-Lab 2

There it is! The very first pair of the brand-new XT S-Lab 2, which will be in the shops this summer! And the Gripmaster is lucky three times. First, because I have the great honour to test them. Second, because it has been warm and sunny for a few days, and I can therefore run on a dry forest trail in spring temperatures. And third, because the shoes even have good grip on snow, since obviously, above 1200m, it’s not quite that warm or dry anymore.

It’s a remarkable sensation even when just putting on the new XT S-Lab 2: this is not a shoe, this is a piece of clothing for the feet! The angular applications, which are normally found on Salomon trail shoes and which hold the foot in place, are simply missing! Instead, there are like lines of sticky tape, much like the seams on a softshell jacket, to do the same job.

I think back one year, when I was in the south of France with other Salomon team runners from the whole world, for a prototype test week. Back then, they showed us five pairs of a strange looking shoe. Only those five pairs existed. And now, here it is, the final, ready-for-sale XT S-Lab 2. It is meant to be the successor of the great S-Lab 08, and that is not an easy heritage… the idea behind these models is to offer to mountain runners a shoe that is lighter than the flagship shoe XT Wings and to very competitive long distance trailrunners a shoe that has a houseshoe comfort for long distances.

One thing is for sure – these things fit my feet like two socks! They feel very light and very comfortable! There is no doubt, this will be the new secret weapon for uphills!
Because it has less protections all around to save weight, the shoe is certainly not destined at wild downhill surfing in rocks and stones. That, the normal XT Wings, can do a lot better, for sure. But whenever weight is the main concern, the new S-lab is the shoe of choice.
In fast trails and on forest surface, it’s sensational. The very small triangular profile blocks are only at a loss for traction in deep, soft mud. On dry or humid surfaces, the soles stick to the ground like you would never expect from looking at them.
The cushioning is pretty much comparable to that of the predecessor. How well the shoe breathes, can only be established, when the temperatures rise, but the the upper material has resisted surprisingly well to wet snow.

Conclusion for today – the shoe is a real blast, and I can’t wait for the snow to melt, so I can throw some real trails at the new S-Lab. Until that’s the case, I won’t answer the phone anymore, just in case someone from Salomon calls to ask me to give the shoe back…they can forget about that!

2 Responses to “First test : brand-new XT S-Lab 2”

1. Gitarre says:

   February 25, 2009 at 10:05 am

   Hi Gripmaster, der Schuh sieht im Lift bestimmt auch gut aus, meinst Du ich könnte in solch einem Gelände damit klarkommen. Vor einer Woche hab ich Toxic auf Malle getroffen. Grüße auch an Batman.

2. gripmaster says:

   March 2, 2009 at 10:42 pm

   Hey Gitarre!
   Im Lift….das wäre ein Sakrileg! Der Schuh gehört in überhaupt kein mechanisches Transportmittel! Wenn schon in ein Gebäude, dann wäre er noch sehr gut geeignet, im Treppenhaus hoch zu rennen. Im Lift bestünde obendrein noch die Gefahr, dass die extrem griffige Profilsohle den empfindlichen Marmor-imitat-boden beschädigt… ich muss von derlei Experimenten also leider abraten…