Salomon Ultra Glide 2.

The Gavler Review.

Salomon Ultra Glide 2 Review: Max Cushion for the Long Miles

The Salomon Ultra Glide 2 sits at number two on our Best Trail Running Shoes list with a 9.3, and it earns that spot by doing one thing extremely well: making 50K-plus efforts on smooth-to-rolling trail feel less punishing. Buy it if you're an ultra-distance runner whose races and training runs skew toward buffed-out dirt and fire road, where a tall, soft midsole and rocker geometry translate directly into fresher legs late in the day. Skip it if your terrain is technical — rocky, rooted, off-camber — where the lack of a rock plate and the moderate Contagrip MA outsole start to show their limits.

What it actually is

The Ultra Glide 2 is Salomon's answer to the Hoka Speedgoat and Mafate Speed segment: a max-cushion, mid-stack shoe built for runners who measure their efforts in hours rather than miles. A 6mm drop and a tall EnergyFoam midsole — Salomon's high-rebound compound — give it a rolling, rockered ride designed to eat up flat and rolling terrain without beating up your legs. Where the original Ultra Glide felt slightly clunky in transition, the v2 smooths that out with a more compliant forefoot and a refined rocker profile.

The upper moved to a breathable engineered mesh with welded overlays, replacing the original's plusher collar — a real weight savings, though it trades away some of the cradle-like heel hold that made the first Ultra Glide feel so secure. The Contagrip MA outsole underneath is the same all-terrain compound that's served Salomon's Sense Ride and Genesis lines well: confident on hardpack, adequate on wet rock, unremarkable in mud.

In use

Believe in the Run places the Ultra Glide 2 exactly where Salomon intended it: "A max-cushion trail shoe that finally fills Salomon's gap in the all-day-cushion segment — comparable to the Mafate Speed 4 and Speedgoat 5, with a smoother ride than the original Ultra Glide." That's a meaningful claim — the all-day-cushion category has largely been Hoka's territory, and Salomon closing that gap with a shoe this refined says something about how much work went into the v2 update.

The numbers back up the "punches below its weight" reputation. iRunFar measured it at roughly 9.7 ounces in a men's 9 — light for a shoe with a 32mm heel stack — and called it "one of the most comfortable shoes I tested this year" on smooth, rolling trail. Running Warehouse's take on the update is specific: "The updated rocker and more compliant forefoot solve the slightly-clunky feel of the original. Not technical, but on buffed-out dirt it rolls." That's the whole personality of the shoe in one sentence — this isn't a do-everything trail shoe, it's a smooth-trail specialist that does its one job better than almost anything else on the market.

Where it shines

• All-day comfort on rolling terrain. The tall EnergyFoam stack and rocker geometry are specifically engineered to reduce calf and quad fatigue over long efforts — exactly the problem ultra-distance runners are trying to solve.
• Lighter than its stack height suggests. At roughly 9.7 ounces, it's noticeably lighter in the hand than most max-cushion competitors carrying a similar 32mm heel stack.
• A genuinely improved v2. The smoother midstance transition and more compliant forefoot directly address the one real complaint about the original — this isn't a cosmetic refresh, it's a functional one.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

This is a smooth-trail specialist, and the honest reasons to look elsewhere are specific:

• No rock plate, and a moderate outsole. Outdoor Gear Lab is blunt: "If your races involve wet rock or sustained technical terrain, look elsewhere — the Contagrip MA outsole isn't the stickiest compound Salomon makes." This isn't a mountain shoe.
• The upper gave up some plushness for weight. The switch to engineered mesh with welded overlays saves grams but reduces the cradle-like heel hold reviewers praised on the original Ultra Glide.
• It's a specialist, not a generalist. Runners who favor a twitchier, lower-stack feel — or who need one shoe that handles everything from fire road to scramble — will be better served by the Salomon Sense Ride or a dedicated technical shoe.

How it compares

Two ranks up on the same list, the Hoka Speedgoat 7 is the generalist the Ultra Glide 2 isn't trying to be — a Vibram Megagrip outsole and secure lockdown upper that handle technical terrain the Ultra Glide 2 would rather avoid, at the cost of a slightly less plush all-day ride on smooth ground. One rank down, the Nike Ultrafly takes the max-cushion idea in a different direction entirely: a ZoomX midsole borrowed from Nike's road racers that trades the Ultra Glide 2's stability for genuine propulsion, at the cost of durability and confidence on off-camber terrain. If your priority is specifically comfort and consistency across long, smooth miles, the Ultra Glide 2 is the more grounded, dependable pick of the three.

The Gavler verdict

A 9.3, with expert consensus (91) and community rating (90) closely aligned — a sign that this shoe delivers close to exactly what it promises, without surprises in either direction. The Ultra Glide 2 isn't trying to be everything; it's trying to be the most comfortable shoe you can wear for 50K-plus on rolling trail, and by that measure it succeeds. Buy it for long, smooth-terrain efforts. If your trails get technical, look one rank up to the Speedgoat 7.

Common Questions

Is the Salomon Ultra Glide 2 worth $140?

For runners logging 50K-plus efforts on smooth-to-moderate trail, yes. It ranks second on Gavler's Best Trail Running Shoes list with a 9.3, and the tall EnergyFoam midsole and rocker geometry are specifically tuned to reduce fatigue over hours, not miles. If your races or training runs are heavy on technical, rocky terrain, the extra cushion doesn't buy you much — look at a shoe with a rock plate instead.

Is the Ultra Glide 2 good for technical trails?

Not its strength. Outdoor Gear Lab is direct about this: it's "best for smooth trails and long efforts," and if your races involve wet rock or sustained technical terrain, the Contagrip MA outsole isn't Salomon's stickiest compound. It's built for rolling and buffed-out terrain, not root-and-rock scrambling.

What changed between the original Ultra Glide and the Ultra Glide 2?

The v2 update smoothed out the transition through midstance and added a noticeably more compliant forefoot — reviewers at Believe in the Run specifically note it fixes the "slightly clunky" feel of the original. The upper also switched to a lighter engineered mesh with welded overlays, which saves weight but gives up some of the plush, cradle-like heel hold of the original design.

Salomon Ultra Glide 2 or Hoka Speedgoat 7 — which should I buy?

Buy the Ultra Glide 2 if your runs are mostly smooth-to-rolling trail and you're chasing all-day comfort over 50K-plus distances. Buy the Speedgoat 7 — our number one ranked trail shoe — if you want one shoe that handles genuinely technical terrain as confidently as flat fire road; its Vibram Megagrip outsole and secure lockdown upper are built for variable footing in a way the Ultra Glide 2 isn't trying to be.