Salomon XA Alpine Pro ($160)
Update: Full Review HERE
Estimated Weight: 10.9 oz / 309 g (men's US 9)
Sample Weight: 10.6 oz /300 g (men's US 8.5)
Stack Height: 24mm heel / 18 mm forefoot, 6 mm drop
$160. Available now.
The XA Alpine Pro is designed for technical mountain running. It features:
- a Contragrip TA outsole with a front of outsole climbing zone under the first and second met heads along with a wide wrap up outsole rubber toe bumper.
- a very secure upper with medial side reinforcements and a roomy (for Salomon) toe box.
- a firm but very well cushioned and extremely stable rear of shoe, Correction: Salomon catalog was incorrect there is no embedded Carbon Edging Chassi
with an embedded rear Carbon Edging Chassis, and unusually for Salomon trail shoes, a more flexible front of shoe with no ProFeel film rock plate.
Watch our video initial video review below with shoe details, comparisons to other Salomon models and results of a 13 mile hike almost 100% on rocks of all shapes and sizes in New Hampshire's White Mountains followed by a very satisfying and surprisingly fast trail run on more mellow single tracks with a road finish.
XA Alpine Pro Initial Video Review (9:18)
Full written review to follow after more testing in New Hampshire and by Jeff Valliere on the steeps above Boulder.
Read reviewers' full run bios here.
The product reviewed was provided at no cost. The opinions herein are the authors'.
Comments and Questions Welcome Below!
Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes
Women's HERE (men's coming soon)
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10 comments:
I can't wait to get mine into the mountains!! However, I'd love to see some additional colorways in the near future! You stated in the video that the XA Elevate (The greatest mountain shoe ever made to date!) is not in the 2020 catalog. There IS an XA Elevate 2 that has been released to European markets, I have some en-route now. No one I have spoken with from Salomon has been able to confirm when or even if the XA Elevate 2 will be available in the United States. Have you heard no talk of the XA Elevate 2?? Perhaps you can do some digging! In the meantime, as the existing global supply of the first iteration dwindles, I continue to amass what surely must already be the world's largest consumer collection of unopened XA Elevate's. -Brandon
Hi,
As I am a big fan of the XA Elevate, I was intringued, googled for an XA Elevate 2 and found some info on Salomon french webpage.
Even if it looks quite similar to the old model (same lug pattern but with the front mesh going further back), the description says it has a more generous fit, better upper resistance and improved ride for running.
Can't wait for RTR initial impressions !
Hi Anonymous,
Will inquire with Salomon. The XA Elevate 2 may indeed be a current European only release. For example the ME:sh shoes were not released in the US with their manufacturing cells required locally. Not finding sign of it in US. A great trail runner!
Hi Basil,
We'd love to review the XA Elevate 2 but if it doesn't release in the US unlikely we will be able to get a pair.
But...if you and or Anonymous wanted to review and compare to v1 for RoadTrailRun we would certainly welcome your thoughts! A big percentage of our readers are in Europe.
Sam, Editor
How’s the fit compare to other Salomon?
Hi Chris,
Watch the video for comparison to XA Elevate. The toe box is more rounded up front, less pointy than other Salomon such as XA Elevate, S/Lab Sense, Sense Ride 2 and somewhat similar to Ultra Pro if memory serves as I don't have those with me. The toe bumper is quite high and has soft sides and that very extensive climbing front. The fit is remarkably comfortable front to back yet very secure. Best fitting Salomon or I am thinking trail shoe just about ever for me. I had to go half size up in XA Elevate with its stiffer lower toe bumper sides but not so here. True to size for me.
Sam, Editor
For those of you wondering if the XA Elevate is a EU only release, I found the Gortex version available on MEC (Canadian store).
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6002-048/XA-Elevate-2-GTX-Trail-Running-Shoes
The past few years I've been a big fan of the XA Elevate (several pairs) and Speedgoat 2.
As a long-time Salomon aficionado I've been eagerly awaiting the X Alpine Pro since I heard it announced last year. Looking forward to the full review :)
There's one shoe that unexpectedly impressed me recently: the Scarpa Spin Ultra. The stats seem very similar to the X Alpine Pro. The Spin Ultra is probably my current favorite (I actually like it better than both XA Elevates and Speedgoats). Any chance of a full Spin Ultra review?
I'd also love to see a comparison between the X Alpine Pro vs. Spin Ultra vs. Tecnica Origin. (RTR's Tecnica Origin review has me really tempted...)
Out of interest has anyone at RTR tried / reviewed the VJ Sports trail shoes? I've struggled with the toe box when I've used Salomons in the past and I recently tried out some Hoka Speedgoat 3s which were also too tight in my normal UK 10 and whilst I use Inov8 XClaws and XTalons on muddier terrain I haven't found a pair of Inov8s I like on harder ground or for longer distances. I've seen some excellent reviews of the VJ XTRM and Maxx but would be interested in seeing them reviewed by the RTR crew.
Hi Unknown,
Hadn't heard of VJ but looking at their site see they have some neat options and seem commendably light. We will try to reach out to their US distributor. We have begun testing the EVO Speedgoat and its toe box while not "wider" is commendably soft and compliant with no overlays, quite a bit easier fitting up front than the regular Speedgoat. We will have a review soon.
Sam, Editor
Sam, Editor
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Thanks for the tip on the VJ shoes, excellent! Review up now at: https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2019/09/vj-shoes-maxx-review-best-grip-on-planet.html
Currently reviewing the Arc Teryx Norvan VT 2, which is a direct competitor to the X Alpine Pro, very similar in stats, feel and purpose.
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