A quintessential design that has remained unchanged for a number of years now, the Salomon Speedcross 3 is a popular high-performance shoe. The massive arrow-shaped lugs on its Contagrip sole offer traction rivaled by no other shoe. Salomon improves on an already excellent lightweight off-road all-rounder. This latest version of the Speedcross hasn’t embraced the recent trend towards reduced heel to toe drop and forefoot running, and sticks with what it has done very well for several years.

Upper: The upper has plenty of padding around the heel and ankle to give a comfortable snug fit, and there is a good protection in the toe box to help prevent any errant stones and rocks from ruining your day. There is also pretty solid protection around the whole shoe just above the sole to help keep the worst of the mud out, but despite this the shoe drains well. Up top Salomon uses their well-known Kevlar quicklace system which works well and is ideal for quick transitions in shorter races, especially with frozen hands. One tug and the shoe is on, and there is a handy pocket in the tongue to tuck away the lace and lace-lock neatly.

Outsole: An already simple and effective outsole design was slightly improved for the Speedcross 3. Salomon updated its Mud and Snow Contragrip design using the same chevron lug pattern, pointing forward on the forefoot and toe and pointing backward on the heel area, but used slightly larger lugs with a bit more spacing between them. Well-spaced but substantial lugs both in the heel and forefoot offer great traction on all off-road terrain and the lugs shed mud easily. It also retains a significant amount of cushioning in the heel and is more suited to the runner who prefers to heel strike.

Verdict: The improvements in the Speedcross 3 are great, especially the slightly lower drop and wider toe box, and it is no surprise that Speedcross has become an adventure racing classic. Finally, Salomon’s hill walking heritage has been well translated into running and these shoes are a classic.