Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 trail running shoes

The Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 is a trail running shoe designed for fast or competitive running. It’s lightweight and energetic, but tends to have a stiffer sole, which is often an advantage on the trail. It’s more suited to shorter to medium distances, as a hard, less flexible midsole can become uncomfortable over longer distances. Although the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 trail running shoe is intended for more difficult terrain, which is fair given the midfoot and the well-grippy midsole, the more flexible, stretchy upper gives less secure footing on more technical trails, but on easier terrain it feels great with this kind of footing. For all its many good qualities, the Pulsar Trail Pro 2 is very nicely made, which is a rarity in trail running shoes.

The upper of the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 trail running shoe fits the foot like a sock. The upper material, a stretchy mesh material at the bottom, continues with a knit sock-like section at the top that locks up nicely to keep debris out of the shoe. There is practically no separate tongue, this knitted material is in one piece with the overlay under the laces. The shoe has a quick lace that holds the foot well, the laces have a small pocket at the top of the tongue here too. The elastic upper is very comfortable and can hold the foot securely on less technical terrain, but on harder, more technical terrain this support is in short supply. As the midfoot is less laterally flexible, the foot support of the upper would be more important, and the Pulsar Trail 2 pro doesn’t give that much. The shoe has a quick lacing system that holds the foot well. The shoe is specifically wide at the toe, which favours those with wide feet, but those with narrower feet will find it less likely to hold their feet well (you might want to buy a half size smaller).

The midsole of the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 trail running shoe is made of a foam called Energy Foam, which is basically springy and soft. Since the midsole of the shoe also has a TPU plate (which is a thermoplastic stiffer plastic plate), this takes away a lot of the Energy Foam’s flexibility and makes the midsole stiff. The TPU sheet helps the midsole to return more energy, making the shoe faster, but it also makes the midsole stiffer. Salomon also uses reverse-camber midsole geometry here, which means the sole is curved front and back, so it’s more tidy to ‘rocker’ and roll over faster. This geometry tends to favour the front of the foot. The midsole is 33 mm thick at the rear and 27 mm thick at the front with a 6 mm drop, which provides a sufficient amount of cushioning and protection against sharp rocks and stones. Because the midsole is stiff due to the TPU plate, but tall (compared to other trail running shoes), the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 is not as stable, which is a disadvantage on more technical terrain.

The outsole of the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 trail running shoe is made with Salomon’s proprietary All Terrain Contagrip rubber, which has great traction.The sole has 3.5mm spikes that hold their own in wet conditions, with good grip. Since this is a fast shoe, good traction is a must, and this shoe has it. The outsole almost completely covers the midsole, giving the foot the protection it needs.

Over all, the Salomon Pulsar Trail Pro 2 trail running shoe is a fast, rather stiffer trail running shoe for more advanced runners. On harder, technical terrain, the grip is a bit lacking and it’s hard to get the speed of the shoe on those trails, so it’s more suited to easier, less technical terrain.