in Corrina D’Ampezzo, the Salewa Wildfire 2 Review
The Salewa Wildfire 2 blurs the line between hiking and approach shoes with grippy outsoles and a durable yet breathable upper. We’ve tested these shoes hiking in the Coast Mountains, in the Alps, and as well as a few surprise mountain biking days to see just what they’re made of.
Overview
- Material: recycled synthetic upper with a PFC-free mesh lining
- Weight: 355 grams
- Size Tested: 10.5
- Drop: 11mm
- Stack Height: Heel Stack Height 30 mm / Toe Stack Height 19 mm
- Country of Origin: Vietnam
What are the Salewa Wildfire 2?
The Salewa Wildfire 2 are a blend of approach and hiking shoes though,
What is the Upper of the Salewa Wildfire 2 Made of?
There is a lot going on with the upper of the Salewa Wildfire 2 shoe. It has a robust and breathable recycled synthetic upper. It has proved to be warm on the cool days of spring and breathable on hot summer days. It’s taken days of on trail abuse, light scrambles and even some days acting as mountain bike shoes and show little wear for it. Keeping the wearer in place is an inner mesh gaiter that provides a light squeeze even when the laces are undone. This also serves to keep small stones out of the shoes.
Each of the upper four eyelets is connected to the Kevlar Cable Cage. The four uppermost eyelets are connected to the midsole via Kevlar cables providing a snug fit. The laces continue down most of the way down the toes, much like a traditional climbing shoe, to provide a very customizable fit.
Salewa includes their Switchfit adjustment system which allows the wearer to quickly shift from hike mode to climb mode by using the additional eyelet which is bright orange in contrast to all the dark colored eyelets. Thai allows you to tie a hell lock loop. Though Salewa claims this helps hold for climbing, I found it worked wonders for normal hiking and keeping my heel in place so I used a heel lock all the time.
A reinforced TPU front rand provides additional protection against scree and debris at the front of the shoe and after a full month of wear showed literally no wear.
EVA Midsole
The midsole of the Salewa Wildfire 2 is made of EVA. The EVA is rather firm and provides a lot of stability and therefore only moderate cushioning. The toe has very minimal cushioning allowing for great ground feel but very little in teh way of impact absorption. This results in the 11mm drop which at times felt a little excessive and like I was wearing heel platforms. I would love to see future iterations (Wildfire 3 perhaps?) with less drop.
Pomoca Speed Mtn Outsole
The Salewa Wildfire 2 features Pomoca’s Speed MTN outsoles. Pomoca is a sister company of Salewa’s and a maker of some of the most well regarded ski touring skins on the market. Traction is their game and these shoes are the proof.
The majority of the outsole consists of what can be best described as flattened diamonds laid out in a horizontal pattern. The diamonds provide a lot of surface area for traction on rock and subsequently allow for even wear from toe to heel and for long term durability. Under the large toes are blocks for smearing and better toe hold. Under the heels is also a small braking block. As the diamonds are quite tightly spaced they do not lend themselves to good traction in mud and can hang on to small stones on occasion.
Did you say Mountain Biking?
I had 24 hours off in Cortina between two very full trips. I asked myself, what would Brett Tippie do? He’d walk the 5km to the bike park and rent a downhill rig, so I did! The tight tread pattern held on to the pedals exceptionally well. In fact, they held better than my current 5-10s. The full rand meant there was no way I was going to destroy the upper and the shoe transferred power quite well. All in all, they are pretty decent bike shoes even if they weren’t designed to be.
Overview
When I first received the Salewa Wildfire 2 I wasn’t sure what to think of their hiking designation. Then, I remembered where they are from. Bolzano, the door step of the Dolomites. The shoes now made so much sense. The Dolo’s are filled with mostly rocky trails that often head straight up to Via Ferrata. The tight tread pattern made of very durable Pomoca MTN, aka butylic rubber, is built with long life and grip in mind. Perfect for a rocky range like the Dolomites. The breathable and durable upper, and reinforced TPU rand lend themselves to these hot, dry, and rocky hikes. Soft flexing, grippy and durable, they provide great support for day missions with a light to medium weight pack.
I did find their 11mm drop to be a little excessive at times and wished for a slightly thicker toe padding, but that is my specific use case that does not involve a lot of scrambling.
Who are the Wildfire 2 for?
The Salewa Wildfire 2 are fantastic shoes for hiking objectives that involve a lot of time on rock or that end in scrambles or via ferrata. Their grip on rock is outstanding and built for the long haul. Their fit is easily adjusted and are comfortable in a wide range of temperatures making them adaptable to all but the muddiest trails.
If you are interested in picking up a pair of Salewa Wildfire 2 then head on over to Salewa and pick some up. Looking for more shoe reviews? Hit the Search button.
…
Black Sheep Adventure sports was provided with a free pair of the Salewa Wildfire 2 to review. This in no way affected our opinion nor the review.
