TRAIL TECH

The shake-up we've seen in the design and technical make-up of road shoes has had a direct influence on the latest crop of trail shoes.

- Ryan Scott

Here are 13 of this season's top choices for wherever you are on the scale, from trail newbie to podium glory - and one Kilian Jornet adventure shoe, for the most hardcore of conditions.

Salomon Genesis

PRICE: R3 499
WEIGHT: 235g (M),

As always with Salomon's development process, this shoe started with an S/Lab model.

The S/Lab Genesis was a surprise release in 2022 - this shoe, the non-S/Lab Genesis, carries some of that S/Lab trickle-down philosophy through into a trail trainer.

Specifically, it keeps the thicker protective toe cap and durable Matryx knit upper.

Matryx has come a long way since the early versions of the material we knew in the Hoka EVO Speedgoat and EVO Mafate shoes. Though still stiff, it's far more comfortable than it was; yet still abrasion-resistant on technical trails. It's also a fantastic material if you have to deal with water crossings, as it doesn't absorb much water into its fibres, and the knit allows moisture to escape the shoe.

This Genesis is a more durable trainer than its race-day-oriented predecessor. The firmer midsole doesn't compress as much over time, so it maintains a more constant on-the-run feel as you stack up the kilometres. And it feels very stable on technical terrain and around tight turns; your foot sits down in a scooped-out boat of midsole foam, preventing the tippy feeling that you sometimes find in shoes with thicker stack heights.

The new Genesis also gets a similar set of 'bumpers' along the sides of the shoe, for added protection against rock strikes.

Saucony Xodus Ultra 4

AVAILABLE: June