A year and a half ago, I laced up my first pair of Cloudsurfer Trail running shoes from On. My experience testing the shoes was my introduction to the Swiss performance footwear brand–and given the Cloudsurfer Trail’s well-balanced combination of responsiveness, moderate cushion and light traction, it was a pleasant experience indeed.

Since then, I’ve bounced among running shoes from various brands —Salomon, Altra, HOKA, even Teva—before returning to On last September, when I put around 100 miles on the playful Cloudsurfer Next road shoe (women's and men's). At the same time, product engineers at On were living into the brand's ethos: “‘Better’ is achieved through continual experimentation. ” The original Cloudsurfer Trail “resonated with trail runners who wanted a shoe that could handle technical trails but still felt cushioned and comfortable on gravel or even pavement,” says On global product manager Henrique Nigro. However, since he’s part of an innovation-driven team, he knew there was room to optimize. This summer, On introduced the Cloudsurfer Trail 2: a trail-running shoe that builds on the first model’s magic by incorporating user feedback to create an even better iteration of the shoe.

How much better? Over three months, I took the Cloudsurfer Trail 2 from Colorado to Canada, across dirt, pavement and rock to find out.

Testing Highlights

Here’s a quick overview of my test of the Cloudsurfer Trail 2 (women's and men's). Read on for a more detailed look at my experience.

Pros:

• Range of use, from trail to pavement to race to everyday

• Just enough traction
• Stable running platform
• Cushioned, but not overly so

Cons:

• Not enough traction for technical trails
• Toe box runs narrow
• Lightweight but not featherweight

Best for:

• Runners whose daily miles include a mix of pavement, gravel and/or dirt

Comparable shoes:

• HOKA Challenger 8 Trail-Running Shoes
• Arc’teryx Norvan LD 4 Trail-Running Shoes

First Impressions

What didn’t change: At first glance, the Cloudsurfer Trail 2 looks pretty similar to the original model, even down to its light lavender hue. Both versions have a sturdy, breathable mesh upper with a reinforced section across the top of the toe that provides protection and durability. The brand’s proprietary Helion Superfoam midsole is satisfyingly plush and responsive, and appears in both models. So does the CloudTec Phase midsole design, which means those signature shock-absorbing holes and their directionality are consistent between the Cloudsurfer Trail and the Cloudsurfer Trail 2. The new version also retains its predecessor’s  Missiongrip outsole—designed for confidence on a variety of surfaces.

What changed: Where the initial Cloudsurfer had a distinctly woven bump of cushioning around the ankle, the Cloudsurfer Trail 2 incorporates that protective element into the shoe’s collar for a more discreet look. Likewise, the latest upper features an uninterrupted blanket of mesh, unlike in the original’s thick, embroidered bars separating the shoe’s front and back parts. The result is a smoother and sleeker aesthetic that, when combined with the soft colorways available (think TK and TK ), allows these trail running shoes to “be passed off as casual shoes while traveling,” points out Colorado-based tester Mike S.

It’s not just the Cloudsurfer Trail 2’s look that’s been updated. The new version also has “enhanced stability … and a more dialed-in, premium feel overall,” Nigro says. “It also carries a more aggressive lug profile for more trail grip and durability over time.”  Ideally, this means a more rugged yet streamlined trail shoe that’s well suited for a range of adventures on the trail.

After mentally cataloging these tweaks, I laced up a pair and set out to see the results.

First Run

My first run in the Cloudsurfer Tail 2 started and ended on cement, covering some dirt and rock/gravel in between. In other words, this was the exact testing grounds Nigro says the shoe was built to handle. “This is the perfect shoe for that everyday runner who wants to dip their toes into trail running, but doesn’t want to give up comfort or style,” he elaborates. “It’s cushioned, stable and versatile enough to handle everything from road to gravel to light technical trails.”

On that maiden voyage, I got a quick feel for the padding (sufficient, but not exaggerated), appreciated the steadiness (solid, even on a brief rocky section around a railroad track) and lightly tested the versatility. I started out intending to do a single mile—I was tapering, after all–but CloudTec Phase’s jaunty kick encouraged me onward for another half mile. Returning to my driveway, relishing one of Colorado’s first warm summer mornings, I decided the Cloudsurfer Trail 2’s out-of-the-box comfort (and zero hot spots) made them suitable for the running equivalent of diving into the deep end: I wore them in a relay marathon the next day.

Racing in the On Cloudsurfer Trail 2

At just past 6am on race day, Cloudsurfer Trail 2s on my feet, I ripped open a bag of Sport Energy Chews from Skratch Labs as I mentally prepared for my 5.9-mile leg of the Denver Colfax Marathon Relay. After popping a few chews in my mouth and giving the rest to a friend running the same leg, we set out for a brief warm-up jog across the field near our starting point. The Missiongrip outsole’s light traction and chevron-shaped lugs (slightly different from version 1.0’s mix of chevron and less-aggressive square lugs) steadied my steps on the dewy grass, while the smoothness of my gait cycle encouraged a quicker pace. “Slow down,” my friend laughed. “We’re just warming up!”

Twenty minutes later, I was glad she’d tempered my pre-race pace. It left me plenty of oomph to open it up once the baton was in hand, pushing my per-mile rate from 10 minutes to 8:30s. As I cruised along, I noticed the easy weight progression from heel to toe-off. Toward the paved course’s end, I was grateful for each soft landing. In other words, CloudTec Phase was doing its job.

Mike S. agrees. “I ran faster for longer in these shoes than I’ve run in a long, long time,” he says. “My quads and hamstrings were sore the day after, but the fact that I hadn’t actually injured myself speaks well about the shoe’s cushion.”

More Testing on Trail

After the race, I continued to wear the Cloudsurfer Trail 2s on my daily 3- to 6-mile, mixed-terrain runs. I also tested them out on a rocky, 3-mile out-and-back up one of Boulder’s trails. Though the route was steep, and unusually wet after a spring thunderstorm, the Missiongrip outsole held fast, and my feet felt stable. Because I have weak   ankles, I don’t think these will be my go-to shoes for more rugged terrain—and Nigro notes that isn’t what the Cloudsurfer Trail 2 was designed for—but I was happy with their performance on the day .

For three months, I wore the shoes in various scenarios: during an elliptical cardio workout at Omaha’s historic Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, across a high ropes course through Fontenelle Forest with TreeRush Adventures and walking briskly to my gate at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The Cloudsurfer Trail 2 worked well across the board. They consistently felt light, but not featherweight. (That’s expected, given the updated version weighs 3 to 4 ounces more than the Cloudsurfer Trail 1s in both genders). As for roominess, the toe box provided ample space for my relatively narrow foot; another tester   from Colorado, Leah C., found the toe box a touch tight, though they said that running shoe snugness “is typical for the width of my foot.” If you’re a fellow wide-footed runner, be sure to test drive these shoes in-store ahead of a purchase.

The Cloudsurfer Trail 2 peaked for me on an adventure run through Montreal. Starting from my hotel downtown, I navigated the streets, from skyscrapers in the center of the city to Mount Royal Park. A quick stretch across packed dirt led me to the 260 wooden stairs  up to the Chalet du Mont-Royal. From there (once I’d caught my breath), I relaxed into a 2-mile, gently inclined section up to the summit and back down into the centre-ville. Less than a mile later, I arrived at the entrance to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, a bit sweaty but eager to see works by Picasso, Matisse and Chagall up close. Hours later, I walked back through the doors of my hotel. The run’s variety reflected the Cloudsurfer Trail 2’s beauty: This shoe goes from pavement to trail to indoor tile, from city center to park to national museum, and neither the user nor the observer blinks an eye. 

The Rundown

Nigro calls the Cloudsurfer Trail 2 “a one-shoe quiver for road-to-trail runners who like to mix things up.” He’s right. The shoe performs in a wide variety of settings and types of terrain. Though the shoe isn’t engineered for racing, it performs just as well when toeing up to the starting line as it does on a standard morning jog. Recreational runners looking for one shoe to rule them all: Check out the Cloudsurfer Trail 2.