It's been over a month since the Staff at ' Run 4 It ' in Aberdeen gave me these great new trail shoes from Salomon to test out. In that time I've been busy giving them many an outing from my front door to a range of different trails.
This is Salomon's latest ' road to trail' shoe following on from the XR Crossmax.
Straight out of the box they are an eye catching shoe, but these are not just about looks, they are purpose designed from the ground up to cope with all manner of terrain surfaces.
These running shoes are ideal for runners who may step out of their front door and hit the road to the nearest trail, combining enough cushioning for road surfaces, and, a ' close to the ground' feel and grippy enough sole to cope with the demands of trail running.
These shoes are also ideal for runners who are looking to start venturing into the trail running enviroment.
First Impressions
The XR Mission is a lightweight shoe. The upper is made from the same ripstop nylon found on most of the Salomon range. The 'toe box' area is roomy and comfortable, with the toes being protected by a tough TPU outer across the front of the shoe. The sensifit kevlar single pull lacing system makes for a quick, adjustable and secure fitting, along with the 'sensi-flex' upper keeping the foot stable in the shoe. Ideal for changes in terrain and surface.
The mid-sole of the XR Mission is a one piece moulded EVA made up with two composites which Salomon names as 'Light-Weight Muscle'. This provides very effective cushioning, giving a lot of comfort and responsiveness on harder surfaces, such as road or hard packed trail.
The outsole is extremely effective giving grip on a wide range of surfaces.
Salomon uses a directional Contagrip pattern, chevrons facing forward on the forefoot and backwards on the heel area. There is also a raised Contragrip HA carbon rubber section under the ball of the foot. This gives excellent traction and durability on road, and especially wet road surfaces.
The Runs
My first outing in the Salomon XR Missions was 12 miles along the old Deeside railway / Deeside Way from Drumoak to Duthie Park. I usually run the Deeside Way in road shoes so initially the Salomon XR Mission felt slightly harsher, less flexible, but after a few hundred metres I got into my rhythm and the miles slipped by effortlessly. For a 'hybrid' shoe there's good cushioning for harder surfaces. Wet and muddy patches on the trail were a breeze as the XR Missions gripped securely.
The next few outings were to Countesswells Woods, Rotten O'Gairn and Foggieton, where I ran constant hill reps along varying terrain, often very wet and muddy. Although not an out & out trail shoe like, for example, the Salomon Speedcross 3, the Salomon XR Mission coped extremely well with the varying terrain.
Next outing was to Lochnagar along with a few other Ultra runners. Having just recovered from a cold I opted for a 12 to 13 mile loop from Loch Muick car park, past the bothy, then up the staircase past Meikle Pap and onto to the clifftops, then to the summit. A short munch from my 'nosebag' then a long run down to Glas Alt Shiel past the waterfall and along the shores of Loch Muick to the car park. The Salomon XR Missions did a great job over the rocky terrain, the Contagrip HA on the sole giving plenty of traction on the rock, both uphill and downhill. Even though the shoe has plenty of cushioning I still got a good feel of the ground whilst running, giving a lot of confidence when moving fast. The outsole has a 'tendon' running along it from heel to forefoot, acting as an energy return system, flexing as energy is applied then quickly rebounding. You certainly feel a 'spring' over broken terrain as it flexes.
Latest outing has been to Dunnotar Castle, just south of Stonehaven, to the 'infamous' steps, apparently 272 of them, for some 'stair reps'. Great for building up the legs, stamina and endurance. And building up an appetite for a visit to a tea room later.
Again the Salomon XR Mission performed well with plenty of grip.
The Verdict
I am certainly impressed by the Salomon XR Mission trail shoe. It has been billed by many as a short to middle distance trail / road running shoe. So far my longest run in them has been 13 miles, very comfortable, no chaffing or blistering, so I'm going to push them further in the next coming months.
For someone looking for a multi-purpose shoe, parkland, trail runs, some road use, then the Salomon XR Mission is as good as it gets.
Up to now I've used road shoes for mainly road, and Salomon Speedcross for off road and Ultras, now with the Salomon XR Mission I have a trail shoe that sits between the two, and can perform well on and off road.
Happy running
I give the Salomon XR Mission...... 9/10
