Catamount 4 vs S/Lab Genesis 2

Reviewers split hard on the Catamount 4, and the spec sheet shows why. Brooks raised the drop to 8.4mm from the 6mm of the Catamount 3 and stiffened the SkyVault plate, so this fast trail running shoe now rolls you through the stride instead of bending with the ground. Some testers liked that a lot. iRunFar found it nimble enough for training, workouts and races up to 50K, and one lab review rated its stability among the best on the trail market. The Believe in the Run team went the other way: a harsh midsole, a heel that wouldn't lock down, and a step back from version 3. We land between them. It weighs 270g, almost exactly what the Catamount 3 did, and nearly everyone liked the grip. If you land on your heel and want a steady platform at speed, it makes sense. If the old shoe's flex was the reason you bought it, try this one on before you commit.

The S/Lab Genesis 2 is Salomon at its most race-focused: a lightweight trail running shoe built for short to mid distance racing, from a sharp 10k on the fells to a technical half or a fast 50k. At 249g it is genuinely light for a shoe with a 31.9mm heel, and the low 7.8mm drop keeps you connected to the ground so you can read the trail and react. There is no plate here, and that is deliberate. This is a shoe about precision, grip and control rather than pop off a carbon spring. You get a snug, locked-in Salomon fit and aggressive traction that bites on loose, wet and steep ground. In our view it sits at the premium racing end of the market, and the price reflects that. If you want a plated trail racer the Hoka Tecton X 3 is the obvious rival, but for pure connected feel and grip the Genesis 2 is hard to beat.