Salomon S/Lab Genesis 2 Review

• optiFOAM2 superfoam puck in the forefoot is light yet responsive on ascents and flat surfaces
• Revamped Active Chassis, a lateral guidance midsole technology, provides stability and adaptability for supportive confidence
• Redesigned lug shapes give more bite for climbs, downhills, and quick direction changes

The S/Lab Genesis 2 kept us feeling confident and agile, without carbon plates or overly thick slabs of superfoam. It excels at providing a more natural, connective, and controlled ride on tricky terrain. It might not be the FASTEST super shoe on flatter, more runnable trails, but it’s still plenty smooth and comfortable.

One of the big upgrades is that it has a superfoam puck in the forefoot, which we liked knowing was there, but it didn’t feel as pronounced—not like many of the crazy-bouncy plated SUPER shoes in our “Race Ultra” category. That doesn’t mean the puck doesn’t make a difference over the long haul, though. At 264 grams, it’s at the lower end of most of the full-stacked, plated super shoes in this category, and it feels lighter and way more agile than that. 

The Matryx upper is durable and provides the needed support without feeling bulky or overbuilt. We enjoyed lacing these up and feeling the shoe blend into the foot. The outsole and optiFoam midsole combine to give a balanced feel and excellent control when flying over the terrain.

The Contagrip outsole feels grippy and well-designed, with lugs under the toe tips for hiking up steep stuff and tearing it up on tricky descents. On the whole, the lugs are a bit bigger, broader, and more aggressively shaped. The midfoot base seems broader than before, which is good for stability, especially combined with the redesigned Chassis.

Overall, the purpose of this shoe is to provide the lightest, most durable package needed for traveling over the trickiest of trails, with quick-footed confidence and steady trust. Needless to say, mission accomplished.

While this is meant to be a long-distance trail shoe, the upper design did not meet our expectations for peak plushness for ultra racing. That said, there is a good balance of the upper being durable and flexible enough to provide the support needed on fast-paced runs over technical terrain.

Comfort-specific gripes aside, the wrap that the upper provides is great. From the thin-but-effective padding inside the ankle collar to the thick padding of the integrated tongue, which prevents lacebite, we felt secure throughout. The Matryx Micro upper gave us a phenomenal socklike fit; however, Loucas noted that this material setup made his feet feel warmer than he preferred.

Underfoot, the comfort is spot-on—nicely balanced in height and in density. On the first few steps, the overall feel was slightly on the firmer side, but the foam itself is nicely on the softer side of that balanced middle range. As alluded to in the performance section, it feels surprisingly smooth and comfortable on flatter terrain and brief road sections. Meanwhile, on rougher terrain, its robust density feels plenty protective from harsh rocks, especially with the thin layer of Profeel Film to filter out the pokes.

Harsh rocks could feel surprisingly jarring when landing directly on the red-colored part of the midfoot outsole, or maybe directly under the red-colored lateral chassis piece, but this experience was very rare. We’d feel plenty comfortable up to the 50K range, but ultimately we would want just a hint more forefoot stack to go 100K and beyond, especially if the event is on steep terrain with a lot of sharp rocks.

In short, the fit of the S/Lab Genesis 2 is near perfect. These are ideally true-to-length, with a performance-oriented fit and slight toe taper that wasn’t uncomfortable. While Loucas has found previous Salomon shoe models to feel too tapered at the toe tips for his taste, he was very happy to report that the fit of these shoes worked well for him.

Even for those of us with narrower feet, we had great lockdown at our metatarsal heads, midfoot, and heel. The surprisingly well-padded tongue adds to the security. We had no hotspots or discomfort when wearing these shoes for a variety of trail runs.

Overall, the fit is still likely best-suited for average feet, but we believe it has enough room and flex to accommodate broader or higher-volume feet within reason, unlike some previous Salomon shoes.

"They have practically the same base widths, with the La Sportiva being slightly broader in the forefoot and a little taller under the heel. This makes it feel like “more shoe” underfoot, although these two come in at the same weight. The La Sportiva is a little more tapered on my big toe and has a FULL internal bootie, but I’d rather have open breathability. The foam in the La Sportiva feels a little more lively and substantial in that insulating/protective way, and the Salomon is a bit more of a ‘scalpel.'" -Loucas

"The Cascadia Elite is a more versatile (terrain and distance) shoe and has a carbon plate to help with stability and propulsion. It handles off-trail terrain pretty well but can feel a little unbalanced if it gets too rocky. So if you are leaning towards speed over the long run and the terrain isn’t totally technical and rocky, the Cascadia Elite wins out. If you are looking for more durability and nimbleness, the S/Lab Genesis 2 is the leader." -Erik

"Now THIS is a contrast, as the Cascadia Elite stands out. This is a FULLY stacked, carbon-plated, SUPER shoe. It’s a bit too tall off the ground for my ideal preferences, but it sure does feel ‘super.’ The Brooks has good internal height and feels voluminous, but I can get great lockdown, and I think the midfoot width might be narrower than it initially seems. This isn’t a scalpel, but more like a cross of a tank and a rocket ship. I still prefer the toe-tip fit of the Salomon, but the Brooks has undeniable bounce." -Loucas

"We have a couple of pretty close models with the Agravic TT and the S/Lab Genesis 2. I would call the Agravic TT a 'chunkier' version of the same type of shoe as the S/Lab Genesis 2. While both handle the rough and tumble off-road terrain pretty well, the Salomon shoe does it with a little more style. Lighter and nimbler I’d give it the nod to the S/Lab Genesis 2 if you want to eat up the terrain a little quicker." -Erik

"Now here’s the tank of this group. Often, I use ‘tank’ for a shoe that can steamroll terrain, and take a beating while keeping you protected. Here, my use of ‘tank’ is aimed mostly at the 300 gram weight. It’s also a firm ride rather than impact-absorbing. I’m really liking the Agravic SL, but the Agravic TT is a bit of a miss for me and my expectations. On the good side, the TT does feel steady and trustworthy. It also has the most noticeable heel-to-toe roller curvature of this group, but I’m pretty neutral on that aspect." -Loucas