Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX-TRAIL SHOE.

Gear Review: Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX   I am an adventure athlete and not a shoe designer or manufacturer.  Therefore, I will focus little on the technical design qualities and more on my practical experience with Salomon trail shoes.  Let me start by saying this is my third season training and racing in Salomon trail shoes.  I will focus specifically on the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX, as that is what I am wearing this year.  I have several positive comments to make on this shoe including: 

1. Excellent Pronation Control without Compromising Comfort:Due to my biomechanics I have a strong need for pronation control.  In the past I have worn just about every brand of trail runners, and could never obtain a shoe that gave me sufficient pronation control without greatly compromising comfort.  This shoe gives you all the support required of a trail shoe with the comfort level of a running shoe.
2. Protective Rubber Toe Cap:This has saved my big toe on many occasions.  I’ve kicked many tree roots and rocks along my trails and my toes just bounce back with zero resulting pain.
3. Durability:I regularly hose and/or wash my shoes in the washing machine.  We all know that sometimes this is the only way to rid of that swap water odour lingering in the closet.  This shoe holds up very well to these regularly washings.  I have never had any part of the interior or the exterior of the shoe rip.  Yes, that includes the inside of the heel cup!  After a full season still intact.
4. Quick Lace Fitting System:The lacing is awesome.  This system assists in quick transitions during adventure races.  The pocket in the tongue of the shoe holds the extra lace to prevent the annoyance of it bouncing off the top of your foot as you run.

I have one negative comment to make on this shoe as follows:

1. Quick Lace Fitting System:As I have mentioned above this quick lace fitting system is excellent.  However, should you break a lace or in my case have a hungry dog chew it off your shoe, it is difficult to repair.  I was unable to find anyone who could repair it.  I ended-up reverting to regular laces.  This did not seem to change the stability or comfort of the shoe.  However, obviously, I lost the convenience of the quick lace fitting system.

In summary I could only come up with one small negative about this shoe and that is the difficulty locating someone who could repair the quick lace fitting system.  However, unless you have a hungry dog like me, you shouldn’t have to deal with this concern.  Neither of my last two pairs of Salomon trail runners had any issues with the laces.  They never broke or frayed for the life of the shoe.I have loved every Salomon trail runner I have worn during the last three seasons.  I am forever grateful that the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX is apart of my adventure racing gear this season.  This line of shoes and specifically the XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX is a gift from God.  I love these shoes!