Salomon Pulsar

The Salomon Pulsar is the everyday trail shoe the Annecy brand had been missing for years: a moderate stack height, a contained weight and agile handling that works both for easy runs and for picking up the pace on forest tracks and trails. It takes over from the discontinued Sense Ride and borrows its name from the S/LAB Pulsar racing line, but with a much more versatile approach and a lower price, so be careful not to confuse them. In Salomon's range it is lighter and closer to the ground than the Ultra Glide 4, with fewer overlays and more spark than the Genesis 2, and more mountain-specific than the Aero Glide 4 GRVL, which is designed for gravel paths.

The technical mesh upper with overlays at the toe and midfoot closes with the well-known and always welcome Quicklace™ system, the endoFit™ inner sleeve and the SensiFit™ frame, which hold the foot with Salomon's usual security. The heel and midfoot are snug, although the last is somewhat long, low and narrow in the forefoot: anyone with wide or high-volume feet should try it on first, bearing in mind that it may take a few miles of breaking in until the upper moulds to the foot. Once broken in, the fit is true to size and inspires a lot of confidence on descents.

The optiFOAM² midsole (the brand's eTPU foam, also known as Energy Foam Evo) is denser than in the Glide models: it cushions well without feeling soft, with a light, lively response that invites you to push on climbs and does not fade with the miles. With 29 mm of stack height at the heel and 23 mm at the forefoot (a 6 mm drop), it keeps good ground feel. It has no plate or rock plate, so it could fall a little short on very technical, rocky terrain. The All-Terrain contaGRIP® outsole with 4 mm lugs grips well in the dry and acceptably in the wet, sheds mud easily and does not get in the way when you have to run on tarmac. Ideal as a single shoe for mountain training at any pace, from your door to the trail, and even for the odd short race.