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SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4 REVIEW, BY MAYAYO.
SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4: THE PEOPLE’S ULTRA-TRAIL SHOE.
Our TRAIL RUNNING SHOES section brings you today the technical review of the fourth version of these long-distance cruisers, arriving barely a few months after the third.
They land with an RRP of €150 for 285 grams, stack heights of 35–41 mm, new Optifoam cushioning and the brand’s AT Contagrip outsole with 4 mm lugs. Here’s the analysis by Mayayo.
SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4.
Analysis by Mayayo.
The SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE saga was born to fill a very specific niche: Salomon’s popular ultra shoe. A maximalist mountain cruiser designed to rack up hours on autopilot, without demanding the precision or muscular toll of the brand’s more aggressive models. Its market role is clear: sensible maximalism for the everyday runner who wants protection, smooth transitions and a versatile outsole, prioritizing comfort and efficiency over “knife-edge” feel on technical ridges.
Salomon Ultra Glide: evolution in recent years.
If we look back at the figures we’ve published here since the line debuted in 2021, over the past three years the Salomon Ultra Glide 2 set the bar as a comfortable, mid-priced ultra-trail shoe: €150 for a 32/26 mm stack and 6 mm drop, with 3.5 mm lugs and an All-Terrain Contagrip outsole. After a two-year pause, the Salomon Ultra Glide 3 (2025) kept the same RRP (€150) and stated weight (278 g men’s), but increased stack height to 35 mm at the forefoot and 41 mm at the heel, while growing lug depth to 4 mm—more “flying carpet” and more margin when terrain gets tricky, without leaving the concept of a mileage-eating shoe.
Barely a year later, the Salomon Ultra Glide 4 (2026) shift isn’t about “more and more foam” as much as refining pressure distribution and foot fatigue through geometries borrowed from the S/LAB family—such as the idea of underfoot “reliefs.” Price stays at €150 and weight is now around 285 g (men’s), with a 41/35 mm geometry and 6 mm drop, keeping the same target use: long distance and mixed terrain, with an even clearer focus on high-mileage comfort. Below we revisit the video (in spanish) of the Ultra Glide 3 as it looked in stores—and which you can now find discounted.
SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4: TECHNICAL SPECS
- RRP: €150. A welcome decision—keeping the price is appreciated.
- Weight: 285 g (men), 255 g (women).
- Stack height: 35 mm forefoot / 41 mm heel. Pure maximalism.
- Drop: 6 mm. A moderately low wedge that requires some technical competence in ultras.
- Midsole: OptiFoam, new versus the previous Energy Foam.
- Lacing: Quicklace. Salomon’s classic cable system.
- Geometry: Rocker Reverse Camber—i.e., a rocker.
- Outsole: All-Terrain Contagrip. Versatile rubber for all kinds of surfaces.
- Lugs: 4 mm. Firm ground is its home turf, though it will cope in softer conditions.
- Versions: Men’s trail running shoes in five colorways , plus women’s versions. See both below.
SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4: HIGHLIGHTS.
Refined geometries.
The heart of the ULTRA GLIDE 4 isn’t just “more cushioning,” but better-distributed cushioning. The RelieveSphere geometry—visible in the outsole/midsole with its small domes and undulations—aims to disperse impact pressure so the foot takes less of a beating once the stopwatch passes the 90-minute mark and your technique starts negotiating clauses. I don’t see it as mere decoration: you’ll especially notice it on broken or rocky terrain, where comfort feels higher than with flatter platforms.
Balance between cushioning and stability.
I think Salomon has achieved a healthy balance between a soft yet stable ride. The midsole feels friendly but not gummy. Added support comes from a rounded heel and more supportive sidewalls, helping a tall shoe avoid becoming a runaway horse on uneven trails. In short, it lets you run tired without punishing you for it.
Versatile outsole, with a focus on firm ground.
The outsole targets real-world versatility. We already know the reliability of Contagrip All Terrain rubber, here with a stated 4 mm lug depth. It’s a coherent choice: enough bite for mixed terrain without turning the shoe into a clumsy excavator on hard-packed tracks. The aim is comfort for piling on the miles and dependable traction “almost everywhere,” without pretending to be a deep-mud specialist. Fans of ultras like Ehunmilak, Travesera and other boggy northern classics—die-hard lovers of chocolate mud—might want to look elsewhere.
A coherent ultra fit.
There’s reasonable room for feet to swell, with classic Salomon hold. Personally, it now feels a bit more forgiving and better suited to long hours. I’m still not a Quicklace fan, though: on very wet days I’ve had bad experiences with it loosening easily, forcing me to overtighten it again and again.
SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4: CONCLUSION.
I see the SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4 as a sensible buy when your real training looks more like a long novel than a tweet: two-hour runs, back-to-back weekends, ultras where the enemy isn’t kilometer 12 but kilometer 62. Its mission is to protect, spread impacts and keep you running “well” when you’re no longer running “pretty.” For me, that’s where the RelieveSphere-style geometry and high-mileage comfort focus justify its role as a tool to get you to the finish in one piece.
When does it make sense to buy it?
Especially if you’re coming from lower or firmer shoes and, with the years, your feet and calves are asking for a truce. Also if you run lots of mixed terrain—tracks, runnable trails and non-extreme mountain—because the All Terrain Contagrip outsole with medium lugs is designed precisely not to penalize you when the course changes script without warning. If your calendar is full of “long runs” rather than “ridge repeats,” the logic is there.
That said, a veteran knows every gift comes with an invoice. If your priority is surgical precision on very technical rock, or if you enjoy a firm, direct shoe for aggressive descents, there are more suitable options in more technical ranges. The ULTRA GLIDE 4 can handle moderately technical sections (as testers report), but its reason for being is letting you keep adding miles when terrain and fatigue start calling roll.
In short:
I see it as a very balanced training and runnable-ultra shoe: for volume days, for ultras with a flowing or mixed profile, and for runners who prefer to arrive at the finish with legs intact rather than arrive at the aid station with pride.
If your 2026 season has more hours than vertical epic or ridge-line adrenaline, this SALOMON ULTRA GLIDE 4 doesn’t promise magic—it promises continuity. And at certain sporting ages—believe me, I know what I’m talking about—that’s almost a superpower.
What will the Salomon Ultra Glide 5 be like?
I expect it to arrive in 2027, given the accelerated pace. And why not consider a few more small tweaks—but above all, keep that price point, which today is one of its strongest assets in terms of price–quality ratio, in a market where, as you can see below, rivals are asking for more—much more.
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