The XT-6: From Trailblazer to Fashion Icon

The Salomon S/LAB XT-6 Softground, or XT-6 for short, has quite a sophisticated name for an equally sophisticated shoe. It was first built by the Salomon S/LAB team, the group in charge of designing and developing the shoes and apparel for the company’s elite trail running athletes, such as François D’Haene and Ryan Sandes.

Where does the XT-6 come from? It’s an evolution from the XT-5, which comes from the XT-4, which comes from… the XT Wings. When Salomon was entering the trail-running world, Patrick Leick, who is in charge of Salomon’s service-to-athletes program in footwear, started working on the original XT Wings to customize it to the needs of the brand’s top trail running athletes. “From the first to the sixth, we only made small evolutions, to keep what made the shoes’ successful, ” Patrick says. Finally, the XT-6 was born: a lightweight trail running shoe with great foothold and grip. It’s the synthesis of all the versions that came before it. The design of the shoe, which was drawn by Benjamin Grenet, Salomon’s Lead Designer for Footwear, was “made to magnify the shoes’ technology and make it visible, it wasn’t an end of itself.” The bold design of the XT-6 is what took it to the streets, but that probably would not have happened without the strong original conception of the shoe.

When Jean-Philippe LALONDE arrived at Salomon in the footwear department, he spent numerous hours digging through boxes of previous seasons. One of those was a box full of S/LAB XT-6, which immediately picked his curiosity.

"As technical as its design is, it remained expressive of its function and easily readable," says JP. "When it comes to recontextualizing the XT-6, the transition is rather easy: moving from classic racing colours (red, black, white) to more muted or athletic colours, we’re able to create endless propositions..

FRANCOIS D'HAENE

One of the athletes who was around when this shoe appeared is François D’Haene, French ultra-trail running champion. He’s won several 100-milers, including the UTMB in 2012, 2014 and 2017 and the Diagonale des Fous in 2016 and 2018.

“The XT-6 was one of the first shoes I used as a member of the Salomon Running Team, ”D’Haene says. “I think I discovered it at the Salomon Running Camp.

”To begin each trail running season, Salomon athletes meet for the Salomon Advanced Week to train and discuss Salomon trail-running products—testing, analyzing and modifying them. Back then, D’Haene saw the XT-6 as the perfect combo for training and competing in ultra-races on any surface. “It was a good compromise between stability, protection and performance, making it the best shoe for ultra-trail running!” D’haene recalls, adding that he would also wear the shoes for long walks (less than under 100 miles). “I wear these shoes every day because they are so comfortable!”

RYAN SANDES

Ryan Sandes is one of the top endurance athletes in the world. He’s part of a very small club of 81 people who have won all 4 Deserts races (each of them are 6-7 day, 250-kilometer self-supported races through the desert). He remembers running the Western States 100, Leadville 100 and the Fish River Canyon in the XT-6. “It’s part of the Salomon heritage, I have lots of great memories of this shoe,” the South African says. He tested them for the first time during the 2012 Advanced Week in Greece.

“I remember putting on a pair for the first time and thinking this was a great performance shoe, but it also looked very good,” Sandes says. “The shoe had great support and response when running, the durability is really good, and I love the coloring and design of the shoe.”

Sandes also wears them outside of running, mostly because they’re comfortable, but also because “they look cool with jeans and casual clothing.”