2022 Salomon QST Lumen 99

Since the QST series was launched by Salomon many moons ago, its male and female iterations have been indistinguishable beneath their decorated top-sheets. Not so this season, where the unisex QST 99 was singled out for transformation, while the QST Lumen 99 was unchanged except for a purely cosmetic makeover. The two generations could not be more different. The new QST 98 tilts its terrain interests decidedly in the off-trail direction. Its well rockered extremities seem as nervous as a 13-year old on a first date, unless there’s some snow under them to calm them down. The unadulterated QST Lumen 99, in contrast, is a true all-terrain ski. It isn’t fazed by hardpack, where its relatively shallow sidecut likes to stay close to the fall line.