Salomon Pulsar Trail GTX

CATEGORY: Trail MEN’S: 285 g (10 oz.) DROP: 6 mm

STACK HEIGHT: 33 mm LUG DEPTH: 3.5 mm $190

The Pulsar Trail is a moderate-terrain performance training shoe with a three-pronged propulsion blade embedded in the midsole that, in combination with the responsive Energy Surge midsole foam and the shoe’s rocker, is designed for speed.

The brand’s QuickLace system is a nice feature, because it guarantees a good lockdown and your shoes will never come undone on the trail (though, as with any shoe, you may need to tighten them up a few kilometres into your run the first time you wear them). The shoe’s lug design (contoured at the front and sharply angled at the back) favours climbing. The Gore-Tex version of the shoe will aid your transition to winter’s cold, moderately snowy conditions (but see our notes on Gore-Tex shoes, above).

It should be noted also that the Pulsar Trail GTX is unusually light for a Gore-Tex shoe.