Kailas Fuga EX330 Review: A Deeply Cushioned Trail Shoe Built for Mountain Work

Introduction

The Kailas Fuga EX330 has been on test for a couple of months now, covering roughly 70 miles across a big mix of challenging terrain, including some stunning mountain trails and a brutal 30k mountain race with 2,000m of elevation. The short version: it may well be the best Kailas trail shoe produced to date.

The EX330 has genuine mountain pedigree. Its name references the iconic Tor des Geants, a 330km mountain race with 24,000m of elevation gain, and the shoe was developed with input from a Kailas pro team runner who has won that race four times. That racing DNA shows through in the performance, and it earned a combined score of 25 out of 30 across price, comfort and performance, and durability.

Key Specs at a Glance

The EX330 retails in the UK for around £150. A UK 9.5 pair came in at 321g, which is a reasonable weight for a deeply cushioned trail option. The midsole offers a 39mm stack at the heel and 34mm under the forefoot, giving a 5mm heel offset. It is currently available in five colorways for men and four for women.

Those figures stack up well against competing deeply cushioned trail shoes, and the £150 price point feels fair for this level of performance and versatility, especially given how quickly running shoe prices have been climbing elsewhere. It earns a well-priced 8 out of 10 on that front.

Upper and Fit

Up top, Kailas uses its XD multi-dimensional mesh, designed to save weight and improve breathability while claiming a 40% boost in durability. Structural overlays run from the heel down through the midfoot around the lace eyelets and wrap around the toe box, adding structure to the build.

Protection at the front is covered by a substantial toe bumper using Kailas’s anti-impact technology, which should offer good upfront protection on rocky trails. The tongue is gusseted inside the upper with moderate padding for comfort across the instep, and a small pocket on the tongue lets you stow the laces once pulled tight.

Rather than standard laces, the EX330 uses a two-section quick lace system with two adjustment toggles, one at the top and one further down, similar in spirit to Salomon’s speed lace setup. That dual-toggle arrangement allows real personalization of fit. The ankle collar and heel cup are well structured and well padded, and a four-point gaiter attachment system secures gaiters very effectively.

Midsole and Outsole

The midsole is a deep stack of supercritical foam, paired with a 4mm thick supercritical foam insole inside the shoe for extra plushness close to the foot. Kailas has also worked in an aggressive rocker geometry to promote an efficient running motion.

The standout, though, is the outsole. Vibram’s super sticky Megagrip Litebase rubber delivers excellent grip on wet, rocky, and challenging trails and does a lot to build confidence in difficult conditions. The lug design mixes 4mm and 6mm lugs: slightly shallower lugs in the central zone with the deeper 6mm lugs around the side stability zones.

That layout has delivered consistent grip and traction on every surface tested, and it is arguably one of the best outsole designs found on any trail shoe to date. It is a big part of why the EX330 scored a very consistent, super versatile 9 out of 10 for comfort and performance.

How They Perform on the Trail

Comfort over distance is where the deeper supercritical foam stack makes the biggest difference. The shoes felt noticeably more comfortable over long efforts than earlier Kailas models, with higher levels of energy return and solid underfoot protection on sharp, rocky trails. Despite the deep cushioning, they still feel well connected and stable on technical ground.

The upper needed no break-in period at all and felt comfortable straight out of the box. During a six-hour mountain race there was no rubbing, no irritation, and no blisters, and the fit worked well straight away. The cushioned insoles add another welcome layer of plushness underfoot.

Durability: First Impressions

With around 70 miles logged, mostly on challenging, rocky, mountainous trails, early durability signs are good. The upper is holding up well with no overlay peeling and no stress at the flex point, and the midsole still feels cushioned and bouncy.

The outsole shows very little wear, which is encouraging given Megagrip rubber can be on the softer side. There are only the early signs of wear on the outside edge of the heel, which is normal wear for this tester. It scores a provisional 8 out of 10 for durability, with more miles still to come.

Buying Advice

Anyone who has enjoyed Kailas’s previous trail models, such as the EX2 or the EX Boa, should find the EX330 outperforms them in every way. For direct comparisons, some Salomon shoes come close, particularly the original S/LAB Genesis, though the EX330 carries a deeper stack of cushioning and feels more comfortable over distance, with similar fit and overall character.

This is a shoe that can handle almost anything: short fast races, long tough training runs, and even super challenging mountain ultras. It also looks like a strong all-year-round trail option for changeable UK weather, and the futuristic styling and range of colorways should suit most tastes.

Conclusion

The Kailas Fuga EX330 combines a deep supercritical foam midsole, a genuinely excellent Vibram Megagrip outsole with a clever mixed-lug layout, and a comfortable, no-break-in upper into one deeply versatile package. Scoring 25 out of 30 overall, it is arguably the best trail shoe Kailas has produced so far, and for around £150 it represents strong value for runners who want one shoe to cover everything from fast races to full mountain ultras.