Salomon Trail Running Shoes for 2024: Five Models Worth a Look

Introduction

After a quieter stretch, Salomon’s trail running lineup for 2024 is one of its most interesting in years. The range stretches from an accessible do-it-all trail shoe at a friendly price to a family of S/LAB racing and ultra-distance models developed alongside elite athletes. Here is what each shoe is built for, what it costs, and which runner it fits best.

Salomon Thundercross: The Do-It-All Trail Shoe

The Thundercross launched this season and has quietly become one of Salomon’s sleeper hits, with one of its trail testers putting a couple hundred miles on it early in the year. The design brief was simple: merge the comfort of the Ultra Glide with the grip of the Speedcross. The result is a cushy, dynamic shoe with serious traction, priced at $140.

Salomon recommends it for trail runners who want one shoe for very rugged terrain, and testers found it ran well even on technical ground. The fit runs slightly wider than you might expect from the brand, but it remains very recognizably Salomon everywhere else.

S/LAB Pulse: The Racing Evolution

Arriving in spring/summer 2024, the new S/LAB Pulse is the evolution of the well-known Pulse line, developed with Salomon’s athletes for the Golden Trail Series. The old hard-ground and soft-ground split is gone: this is now a single shoe with a new outsole designed to grip equally well on dry and wet terrain.

Stability gets a boost too, with a chassis carried over from the Speedcross improving the forefoot area, paired with Energy Foam that Salomon describes as soft yet precise on technical terrain. The stack stays low to the ground, roughly 20mm at the heel and 16mm at the forefoot with a 4mm drop, and the shoe gains a rocker shape the older S/LAB racing shoes did not have. Priced at $200, it is aimed at runners racing short, up-and-down technical courses, the kind of racing where Salomon’s elite athletes wore it in the Golden Trail series.

S/LAB Genesis: The UTMB Proven All-Rounder

The S/LAB Genesis already has a serious resume: it won UTMB on the feet of Kilian Jornet, and he also finished second at the 2022 UTMB race in it. For 2024 it returns in a new colorway, and the broader Genesis range expands around it.

What sets the Genesis lineup apart is the Active Chassis, a stability technology designed to provide support only when the ankle starts to twist or the foot begins to collapse, otherwise letting the cushioning of the Energy Foam do its thing. It is built for long, technical mountain racing.

S/LAB Genesis GTX: Winter and Bad-Weather Version

Falling/ winter 2024 brings the Gore-Tex version of the Genesis. It keeps the same bottom unit but changes the last to make the fit a bit more comfortable, since Salomon notes that most people buying a Gore-Tex shoe come from general outdoor use. The upper swaps the Matrix material for a more protective option against the elements. It is priced at $180.

If your running extends into wet, cold, or shoulder-season conditions, this is the Genesis variant built for that reality.

S/LAB Genesis Spine: Built for Long Winter Ultras

The most unusual Genesis model is the Spine, developed not with a pro runner but with rock singer Dave Pen, who has run the UK’s Spine race, a brutal winter trail event where snow, wet ground, and long distance are the norm.

The brief called for a very cushioned shoe for long distances that is also grippy on snow and wet terrain, and more protective than the normal range. Salomon recommends it for trail runners taking on long-distance or adventure runs in harsh conditions. It is priced at $200.

Overall Buying Advice

If you want one versatile shoe at a reasonable price, the Thundercross at $140 is the easiest entry point into this lineup. If you race short technical courses, the S/LAB Pulse and the Genesis line are built for exactly that, with the Active Chassis providing stability support on the Genesis models. For wet and winter conditions, the GTX version adds protection, and the Spine targets long-distance runners facing genuinely rough conditions. The standard Genesis also offers roughly 20 grams more weight than the lighter S/LAB construction, but with extra heel padding for comfort.

Conclusion

Salomon’s 2024 trail range covers nearly every type of trail runner, from rugged everyday training to elite mountain racing and winter ultras. Matching the shoe to your terrain and distance is the main decision, and with prices spanning $140 to $200, there is a clear ladder from accessible to race-ready.