If Salomon’s brand identity over the past forty years could be summarized in a single word, it would be “innovation.” The driver behind its history of successful new product introductions is a corporate culture grounded in extensive Research and Development (R&D). Salomon’s Annecy Design Center continues to launch breakthrough products capable of disrupting a market, such as the Shift binding.
The same relentless devotion to R&D that made the Shift possible spurred Salomon to re-design the QST 106 two seasons in a row. The list of last year’s changes may sound like a handful of minor alterations, but together they turbo-boosted the QST 106’s 19/20 Power score and its 19/20 Finesse score shot even higher.
So what seemingly minor tweaks resulted in a major performance lift? Let’s start at the top of the turn, where cork replaced Koroyd as a lightweight shock filter. The “Cork Damplifier” is reputed to be sixteen times more shock absorbent than the honeycomb it replaced. It’s like Xanax for the QST 106’s tapered tip, calming it down so nothing disturbs it.
Moving to the center of the arc, continued serenity on edge is assured by a substantial Titanal plate. Added dampening – a big differentiator between the 106 of two seasons ago and this year’s– comes from a flax laminate in the same area. Carbon and basalt are intertwined in end-to-end strands to help manage flex distribution and rebound.
Driving through the end of long-radius arc, a Cork Damplifier in the tail kicks in while the QST 106’s trimmed-down tail width eliminates hang-ups. The current ski’s overall narrower shape gives it a more fall-line orientation that helps it maintain momentum in choppy crud.
One reason the QST 106 is able to impose its will on combative crud, is it isn’t as light as you might expect for the flagship of a series dedicated to off-trail travel. Although it deploys a combination of fibers as its primary structural element – which doesn’t sound heavy – its stout sidewalls and Ti plate contribute to a total weight that’s roughly average for the genre.
I confess I’ve been maintaining a soft-snow-days only liaison with a QST 106 since we first met, so my bias in its favor is engrained. I’m now seeing a 181cm 106, which strikes me as the perfect blend of flotation for soft snow and grip on hard snow. Instead of dreading the latter, I find the QST 106 to be so natural and imbued with fluid fortitude that I stop noticing its width and simply ski. Even as the rpm’s ascend it stays the course, riding a laid-over edge with the confidence of a soft GS race ski.
When all its scores are tallied, the QST 106 ranks as one of the three best skis in the Big Mountain genre. Salomon hasn’t made a ski this good since the legendary X-Scream. The QST 106 is the best current embodiment of Salomon’s tradition of innovation in ski design.
Because of its brilliant balance between Power and Finesse virtues, we again award the QST 106 a Silver Skier Selection.
