The Salomon s/Lab Genesis was a late addition to the S/Lab line-up,
released in August of 2022, just in time for UTMB.
In fact, you may have noticed Matthieu Blanchard
wearing them who just happened to finish UTMB in 2nd place.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on these even earlier as a beta tester.
So I've managed to put on a fair number of miles
during training and I used them for the second half of UTMB this summer.
These shoes are unique in a number of ways though and, in fact
I'd argue have more differences than similarities compared to
other S/Lab models, particularly around fit.
So in this video, I'll talk about everything from how this shoe was developed
to my personal experience in terms of comfort and fit.
As usual, I'll then talk about my suggested use cases for the shoe.
And I'll provide a link below where you can learn more and buy them for yourselves.
But for those who are new to the channel, my name is Jeff Pelletier,
I'm a trail runner and filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada.
I am a sponsored Salomon athlete, so that into consideration when watching this video.
But I'm still going to be totally honest in my review, because as I always say,
if I don't like a product from Salomon, then I simply won't talk about it.
And there is definitely a lot to like about these shoes which retail for $200 US.
I have a unique insight into the development of these shoes because,
as I said off the top, I was actually involved in some of the late stage testing this past spring.
But the shoes had already undergone close to 2 years of development and iteration by that point.
In fact, I had a chance to meet with Marion, the S/Lab Product Line manager
who oversaw the development of the Genesis when
I was in Annecy this summer to learn more about this process.
What we do sometimes is we test some construction or to be reactive
we ask the factory in China to use, for example a midsole that we already have.
We asked to put, for example, Matrix and for this sample
we want also to test another quicklace system.
We receive it and say, "okay that is working, that is not working".
Or for example you see we tried something like this but it's not like the final one.
The pocket lace also was a little bit too small compared to that we have now,
that is going to be bigger.
Then when we receive this sample we say, "okay, it looks pretty good".
So we send it to the field to test it in real conditions,
and after we have some feedback.
So that is one shoe that we got back from a tester and we saw that you see it's not
possible to have this on the shoe. It was I think 500 km.
So we decided to ask the factory to do some changes to have
more durability and quality here on this piece.
You said it's about a two-year process?
Yeah, a two year process for developing the shoe,
because we need to test the shoe in real conditions.
And for this one it was even more, it was 800 km.
And sometimes people come back and we have a big issue.
So we ask the factory to change to do a new sample.
We then have to redo the 800 km (of testing).
So that's why it takes time, and sometimes we plan to launch the shoe, for example,
the beginning of 2022
and we have to postpone it because we need to validate some quality or durability issues.
We are not going to launch the shoe if we are not sure that it's durable
or if it does not fulfill all the requirements that we have.
So as you heard, the shoes went through a number of iterations, like all Salomon products do.
But these shoes took even longer than most because the testing period was also longer each time.
That's because the Genesis is designed to last up to 800 km,
much more than the 500 km or so that other models are designed for.
So every time they made a change they literally had to have someone run in the newest iteration
for up to 800 km to see how they'd perform.
And that speaks to the hole in the market that these shoes were designed to fill.
During the pandemic, there was a noticeable shift in behaviour with races having been put on hold.
Many runners who attempting longer, self-supported efforts and FKT's,
or perhaps doing multiday fastpacking adventures like the ones I enjoy.
So there was a need for a shoe that would still perform like a racing shoe,
but could handle the miles.
I think the designers at Salomon were surprised to see that many athletes like Mattieu
ended up enjoying the performance of the Genesis so much that they
wanted to use it for their races as well.
So let's talk about the features of the shoe.
This is a maximal cushioned shoe with a high level of foot protection
but neutral in terms of support.
The toe cap area is reinforced and you'll notice right away
that there is additional protection on the medial side of the shoe,
as well as on the outside here which also serves to increase the longevity of the shoe.
It's got a Matryx upper which I love,
it's super durable but still fairly breathable,
along with an integrated gaiter,
something I love that we've been seeing increasingly in Salomon's S/Lab line.
Of course they've got Salomon's usual quicklace system with the lace pocket.
The outsole is intended for mixed terrain.
The lugs are 4.5 mm, so it's equally at home in the mud as it is on hard packed terrain.
The midsole uses Salomon's Energy Foam which is lightweight and responsive.
The stack height is 30mm at the heel and 22 at the forefoot, giving you an 8mm drop.
When I first saw the design for these, I thought "oh no",
with all of this additional material on the upper these are going to be quite heavy.
But they only weigh 258 grams which isn't back at all,
so about the same as the Ultra Glide.
Part of the way they've managed to keep the weight down
is by using such lightweight and high quality materials in the upper and midsole,
like with all S/Lab models.
This is also what sets it at the higher of the price range,
but I think you definitely get what you pay for in this shoe.
When it comes to fit, this is where it really separates
itself from the rest of the S/Lab product line.
S/Lab models are generally known for their narrow fit.
They're unisex and generally fit more like a women's shoe would than a man's,
and for me that's absolutely perfect because I have a very narrow foot,
especially in the heel.
The S/Lab Genesis is much more generous in the toe box,
almost too much so for me.
But for anyone who found S/Lab models a little too narrow,
this could be just perfect for you.
They're also quite well cushioned and don't provide too much ground feel.
Again, I've always favoured a more minimal shoe
where I can really feel the rocks underfoot as I find this helps with proprioception.
But I do find that these shoes work great for running hard downhill on rocky terrain
where I could use a little more protection underfoot.
I talked about this in an episode of my Training Diaries,
where I was using them for a downhill workout while in Annecy.
A 30mm stack height is still quite high in my opinion, but 2mm less than the Ultra Glide,
but somehow the Genesis feels much more stable underfoot.
I've always been a size 12 and these fit true to size,
again with that additional room in the toe box that I mentioned.
As I said, this shoe was originally designed for longer distance, self-supported efforts.
But there's no reason you could use them for racing as well,
especially at the 100 plus mile distances where
you would benefit from additional cushioning and foot protection.
I had intended to run UTMB this summer in my S/Lab Pulsar Soft Grounds.
I'd used them for fastpacking the route a few weeks prior
and they worked really great for those days up to about 40 km,
but I found that by around the halfway
point of the race my feet were starting to hurt a little bit.
So I decided to switch to the S/Lab Genesis for the final 50 miles
and I was really glad I did.
In retrospect, I probably should just have just used them for the entire distance.
I'd say that these fill a void for a more maximal shoe in a runner's quiver
for someone like me who found the Ultra Glide to be a little too plush and unresponsive.
So far, I haven't met an S/Lab model that I didn't like,
but the Genesis will be what I wear when I want to give my feet a bit of a break
and for those longer efforts where the S/Lab Pulsar Softgrounds, my new favourites,
maybe aren't quite up to the task.
So let me know what you think if you've managed to get your hands on a pair.
Unfortunately, this shoe has suffered from the same supply chain challenges
we've seen with most products this year so it's been very difficult to get here in North America.
So keep an eye on inventory in the link in the description,
and I'll try to add more retailers to the list as the shoe becomes more widely available.
And check out my reviews about some of the other shoes in Salomon's line-up,
including the S/Lab Pulsar, S/Lab Pulsar Soft Ground,
and the Pulsar Trail Pro in the playlist right here.
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