Gear Review: Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance

2011 Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance

 Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance- My first officially designated "trail" shoes were these highly recommended shoes back in early 2011. At the time when they came out the hype was incredible. I saw these in every magazine, running store and blog article. Killian Jornet was making a big name for himself and for Team Salomon and this was the shoe to own. I like the shoe. I do not love it. It is a bit heavy for my taste weighing in at 12 oz and I prefer a lower heel drop. This shoe has a traditional 12mm drop. The Crossmax was designed to be a hybrid or door-to-trail shoe that can handle roads and trails equally and it does this very well. I never felt a lose of traction in any conditions in these shoes. I never had a problem with roots or rocks on the trails and on the road it cushioned and flexed as well as could be expected from a trail shoe. Most Salomon's I have tried on are narrow in the toe box. This is not the case here. The fit and feel of this shoe is really good. Getting to that fit is a bit of a challenge. The Quick Lace System is designed so you can pull on the cord and the shoe tightens to your foot and then the cord can be neatly tucked away in the tongue pouch. My experience is that you must pull the cord, walk around or warm up and then pull the cord again to achieve the perfect fit & feel. Not a very convenient feature when you just want to throw on the shoes and head out for a run. I have stopped numerous times a mile or two into my run to tighten the laces. The fabric or construction of these shoes is not durable in my opinion. I have less than 300 miles on these shoes and the fabric is ripping at the seams and welds. Not cool at the higher Salomon price point. This is a good all around shoe but not one of my top choices.