outdoors | IAN CORLESS

The Salomon S/LAB Ultra Dust isn’t just a rehash of the S/LAB Ultra Glide with a new colour way, no, this shoe is a purpose-built shoe designed specifically for desert ultra racing, developed on the feet of Mathieu Blanchard at Marathon des Sables in 2023.

The original incarnation used a different integral shoe, with feedback from Mathieu and others, it was decided a more cushioned shoe was required; step in the new Ultra Glide. The Ultra Dust not for everyone, and it’s not trying to appeal to everyone. This shoe is a specialist product, and like any anything that’s made for one task, it excels in that arena, but has trade-offs elsewhere.

Sizing is true to size. Due to the style of the shoe, you definitely do not want them too big. They need to fit correctly for good foot hold. For a Salomon shoe, the toe box is wider than most other Salomon shoes. Is it wide enough? Only you can answer this based on your own needs.

Photo by Ian Corless – From MDS The Legendary 2025

It may look like a mountaineering boot at first glance, but the S/Lab Ultra Dust has a stand alone Salomon shoe (Ultra Glide) fitted inside a bespoke gaiter, making an all in one shoe.

The integrated gaiter is the standout feature of the Ultra Dust. It’s integral into the design, forming a full ankle-wrap mesh sleeve that stretches snugly over the ankle and top of the shoe.

There’s one zipper, no velcro, no gaps, an elastic seal at the top can be pulled tight and that keeps out sand, just like a dry bag keeps out water.

There is also a superb toe bumper.

This isn’t your standard trail gaiter that slides around or traps heat. The mesh is thin, highly breathable, and stretchy, giving you ankle mobility without debris ingress. It works 100%, in countless test scenarios – Morocco, Namibia, Lanzarote, La Palma and even South Africa, this shoes gaiters performs perfectly with no debris entering the shoe.

The Ultra Dust has huge cushioning, energyFOAM+) : 35mm at the front and 41mm in the rear giving a middle of the ground 6mm drop. Despite the stack height, the shoe has great feel for the ground.

The cushioning is bouncy but not squidgy, they are surprisingly stable. In desert scenarios, the cushioning transitions superbly from soft-sand, hard/ stony ground and on technical sections they are extremely comfortable, however, here the stack height can produce less stability, it’s not horrendous, but worth noting.

The 6mm drop puts you in a slightly forward-leaning stance, perfect for driving through long, runnable flats and moderate inclines. It can help keep cadence high and your form efficient. By contrast, they are extremely comfortable to walk in. While zero-drop loyalists might not love it, this drop caters well to endurance racers who don’t want achilles/ calf strain late in a race. It’s a great middle ground. This higher drop provides a bit more heel support, especially helpful when fatigue sets in and your form deteriorates. That extra buffer can reduce calf strain in multi-day stage races.

This is where the Ultra Dust makes its biggest departure from typical trail shoes. Instead of deep, aggressive lugs, it uses low-profile 4mm, wide-surface lugs designed to float over sand rather than bite into mud or rocky terrain.

The Contagrip outsole (All Terrain Contagrip) has shallow lugs that are evenly distributed across the sole. They provide surface area rather than penetration. This minimises drag and helps prevent you from sinking into soft terrain. On packed trail, they still provide enough grip to stay stable, though this shoe isn’t made for slick rock or alpine conditions.

Durability is strong thanks to the full-length rubber coverage, but note that softer lug compounds wear faster on pavement or rocky trail. In desert conditions, though? This outsole will go the distance.

The Ultra Dust is unapologetically specialised with gaiter integration, a breathable upper, a sand-optimised outsole; everything is geared toward one thing, surviving and thriving in desert ultras with no sand ingress, comfort and blister free feet.

The upper is thin, synthetic mesh that breathes extremely well, doesn’t absorb moisture, and dries fast. You won’t find overlays or extra structure. It’s minimal to the core, saving weight and shedding heat. It’s a good looking shoe, for sure they stand out in white and red.

This shoe isn’t built for rocky single-track or alpine descents, however, it does perform in these scenarios. The Ultra Dust is built for wide-open flats, dunes, and heat-soaked multi-day endurance events. It’s the kind of shoe you pack for the Marathon des Sables or similar.

Salomon say, the upper is designed to keep out : dust, sand, snow and water. They do do that. As an example, I used the Ultra Dust at a very, very wet Transvulcania and they performed exceptionally. I am equally sure they will work well in snow.

When one considers that more events such as Marathon des Sables, the usual protocol has been to select a shoe, have velcro sewn on and then add a gaiter, the S7Lab Ultra Dust in price comparison fares very well. They are an expensive shoe, BUT, the cost of shoe, gaiter and sewing velcro on is almost the same. However, there is maybe one advantage of a shoe with velcro? If you tear the gaiter, you can cheaply replace it with a pair of new ones. Tear the gaiter on the S/Lab Ultra Dust and you have a problem….

Mine, after 5-months of abuse now have two small tears, they cause no issues currently, but maybe in the future they will? However, in experience, shoes for a race such as MDS ‘just’ need to last the event….

Features:

Contragrip outsole
energyFOAM+
Endofit
quickLACE

Elisabet Barnes using the S/Lab Ultra Dust MDS Legendary 2025 – Photo by Ian Corless

“Developed as a prototype for our athletes, the S/LAB Ultra Dust delivers comfort in extreme conditions no matter how fast you run. Dust, sand and everything else nature throws at your feet are kept out by the fully integrated gaiter with filtering properties. A lightweight, breathable and soft dream shoe for long distances.”

Final Thoughts: Who Should Buy This Shoe?

If you’re training for, or racing a desert ultra, the Salomon S/LAB Ultra Dust is a top-tier option, arguably the best in its class. A brilliant shoe that is finely tuned for a specific environment. If you are signing up for MDS or similar, this shoe should be top of the list for testing. They are comfortable, cushioned, have excellent grip, excellent protection and importantly, they keep out sand and debris. The Ultra Dust was clearly designed with direct input from elite ultra runners who know the pain of sand-filled shoes, melted midsoles, and overheating feet.

And a final nice touch? There is a place for NAME and BIB NUMBER on each shoe.

Website: S/Lab Ultra Dust HERE

Gemma Game using the S/Lab Ultra Dust MDS Legendary 2025 – Photo by Ian Corless

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Transvulcania Ultra has always been a brutal race. Spanning 73.06 kilometers across the volcanic backbone of La Palma, with 4,350 meters of ascent and 4,057 meters of descent, it’s a journey from ocean to sky and back to ocean again. But in 2025, nature raised the stakes. This year, Transvulcania wasn’t just hard – it was survival.

From the moment runners left the Fuencaliente lighthouse at sea level, the signs were there. Dark skies. Driving rain. And as the climb up the GR131 trail began, the weather only worsened. Wet volcanic gravel shifted underfoot. Winds battered the open and exposed sections. Every gain in elevation brought colder air, heavier rain, and stronger gusts.

The early sections of the race, usually warmed by morning sun, were instead cold, and treacherous. Visibility dropped. Temperatures plummeted. Waterproofs were soaked through. The race had barely begun, but it was already a war of attrition.

The route climbed steadily through pine forests and barren lava, snaking up toward the spine of the island. Normally breathtaking, the high sections offered little view, just fog, wind, and rain slapping sideways across the many exposed ridges. The climb, always demanding, turned into a freezing march, the only protection coming from the trees.

The temperature near Roque de los Muchachos, the island’s high point at 2,421 meters, hovered close to freezing. But it was the wind chill that changed everything. Gusts tore across the exposed ridge line, turning already cold air into biting, sub-zero blasts. Some runners were forced to stop and layer up; others pushed through shivering, teeth clenched. Many decided to call it quits.

Hypothermia wasn’t just possible, it was real. For many, this section became less about racing and more about making it through.

The long drop from the summit to Tazacorte Puerto – a descent of over 2,000 vertical meters is never easy. But in this weather, it became treacherous. Slick rocks and pine needles, water-logged switchbacks punished tired quads. Fatigue met fear. But a glimmer of better weather below the cloud gave runners hope.

Warmth arrived, the exhaustion of fighting the cold up high lingered with every step though, the reward of the finish line now spurred each and every runner to fight hard. From Tazacorte Puerto, the final climb, known as ‘The Wall,’ is short on paper but long for the legs and mind. Roughly 300 meters of vertical gain on steep switchbacks of rocky path. Normally a test of willpower, this year it became an act of survival. However, the removal of the rocky gorge at sea level – for safety reasons – did mean it was possible to cover more ground much quicker.

The streets of Los Llanos were lined with cheering locals offering the first real warmth of the day. Music cut through the chill and finally the best finish line in the world arrived, the medal this year feeling a little heavier but hard earned after the rain, wind, and freezing exposure of a mountain that showed no mercy.

What makes Transvulcania unique has always been its terrain and profile. Lava fields, pine forests, ridge lines, sun, and sea. But in 2025, the weather became the story. Torrential rain washed away comfort. The cold stripped away energy. And the wind exposed every weakness, both mental and physical.

The fastest still raced though. The elite still chased podiums. But deeper in the field, it was about finishing, about not quitting. About moving forward despite frozen hands, soaked shoes, and the urge to stop.

Transvulcania is about battling whatever the mountain throws at you, and this year, it threw everything.

Peter Frano and Anne-Lise Rousset were crowned as the winners of the ultra marathon. Frano made his move on the descent to Tazacorte Puerto passing Andreas Reiterer who would eventually finish 2nd ahead of Manu Anguita. The times were 6:55:36, 6:58:27 and 7:19:18 respectively.

After three previous attempts, 2016, 2017 and 2019, Anne-Lise Rousset finally took the top honours in 8:18:17, a long way off the CR of 8:02:49 set by Ruth Croft in 2024. Ekaterina Mityaeva and Martina Valmassoi battled for 2nd and 3rd and were separated by just 27-seconds at the line, 8:36:58 and 8:37:25.

In the men’s race, hot favourites Dakota Jones and Dmitry Mityaev did not make the start, notably, Andreu Simon Aymerich, Matt Daniels, David Sinclair and Jordi Gamito (amongst many others) DNF’d.

For the women, Ruth Croft who lead the race for almost half of the distance finally succumbed to the weather and withdrew, along with Azara Garcia and Elisa Desco.

Even through fogged lenses and stormy skies, La Palma’s raw beauty still showed through. Runners moved through wild volcanic terrain, past black rock and misty forests. They crossed an island shaped by fire and storm, and this year, they did it while the island roared. And those who crossed the line in Los Llanos? They didn’t just finish a race, they survived an ultra through one of the wildest tests the island has ever delivered.