While the QST 92 isn’t daunted by firm snow, flat terrain isn’t its native habitat. It’s most at home in about of foot of new, or at least recent, snow, where its tapered tip and double rockered baseline do their best work. As I mentioned in last year’s review, that it’s as light as a salad for lunch makes the QST 92 all the easier to toss around in tight quarters like trees and chutes.
Of all the skis in the very well populated All-Mountain East genre, the Völkl Kendo exhibits both the best balance of Power and Finesse properties and the perfect blend of hard snow and soft snow performance. Of course it can’t be as quick as a 72mm Technical ski or float like a 108mm Big Mountain model, but it manages to feel at home in any habitat. The Kendo kicks butt because it combines a traditional wood and Titanal structure with a modern, rocker/camber/rocker baseline and a shape that favors off-trail conditions.
The Kenja doesn’t require aggression, but it rewards it. Most women back off the gas pedal when they transition into cut-up off-trail conditions, but they only way to subdue irascible old snow is to motor through it. If your skis don’t have the guts to resist the resulting vibration, you’ll be compelled to curb your ambitions. You’ll never have to hold back on a Kenja.
While 3D.Glass upgraded every model it touched, none rose higher in our test team’s collective appreciation than the RTM 86. The model went from being a good on-trail ski to being an all-world carver. The cambered zone underfoot is supple, allowing the midsection to bow so it matches up with the baseline of the rockered tip and tail. This makes edge-to-edge carved turns a treat, with a little energy boost from the compressed camber to carry some speed through the transition.
Last season the Stormrider 88 perched atop our All-Mountain East Power rankings; this year it slipped a bit, a sophomore slump attributable to the initial euphoria inspired by 2017’s significant improvements wearing off. The giddy scores of last year were inflated by the excitement of skiing a model that was more than a pound lighter than its predecessor of the same name, yet still retained Stöckli’s legendary stability. If you’ve ever driven a high performance luxury sedan, you know that 85mph feels as mellow as 45. That’s the Stormrider 88.