by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The Stance 84’s most stunning achievement isn’t its podium finish among our Finesse Favorites, or even its elite, on-trail performance; the headline story about Salomon’s Stance 84 is its off-the-charts value. The Stance 84 is slotted to sell at $499; there’s a slew of models slated to retail at $699 or more that can’t hold a candle to it.
There’s always a reason why a modestly priced model punches above its weight. In the case of the Stance 84, it’s because Salomon trimmed its most expensive elements without eliminating them altogether. The Stance 84 retains a single topsheet of Titanal, with the distinctive Stance cut-out in its forebody filled with carbon instead of Salomon’s signature super-fiber, C/FX. It turns out to be more than enough to keep the Stance 84 calm on edge when it’s rocking the groomed terrain it prefers.
We weren’t able to test the Stance 84 in off-trail conditions, but there’s no reason to think it wouldn’t do well. As a practical matter, the typical Stance 84 customer doesn’t ski off trail unless he gets lost. He’s more likely to need help mastering the basics on-trail, where the Stance 84 proves to be that rarest of gems, a true bargain. Every brand will tell you that its $549 model skis amazingly well – for its price. The Stance 84 skis amazingly well, period.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Every so often a ski maker screws up and makes a ski that’s considerably better than it needs to be. Salomon removed half the Titanal from its pricier (and wider) Stances to extend the Stance family down to the $549 price point, intending to drop the performance level to fit the target skier’s performance expectations.
Instead, it exceeded them. The Ti-C Frame Single Ti construction delivers a connected, carved turn that won’t wilt on crisp, early morning corduroy even when driven with an open throttle. It’s unlikely that many experts will slum it in the bargain basement where the Stance W 84 dwells, but they’d be gob-smacked if they did. For the intermediate who is its most likely operator, the Stance W 84 provides a performance ceiling that will most likely never be taxed.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
To understand where the Salomon Stance 90 fits in the All-Mountain East pantheon of Recommended models, it’s helpful to first understand its role within Salomon’s line, where it is cagily categorized as All-Mountain Frontside, a mash-up of two adjacent Realskiers categories. The blended genre succinctly captures the intent of the Stance series, to create what are essentially Frontside skis with wanderlust, always interested in what lies off-trail yet easily persuaded to lay down a neatly carved turn on corduroy.
Within the cross-brand context of the All-Mountain East genre, the Stance 90 stands apart from the crowd in several respects. While its twin Titanal laminates put it toe-to-toe with the eminent Power players in the genre, it responds to a light rein, emphasizing ease over brute force. While it’s positioned as having a Frontside bias, unlike other carving-centric AME skis – such as the Fischer The Curv GT 85, for example – it isn’t built on a Frontside chassis, but an all-mountain, double-rockered foundation.
When the Stance series was launched in the 20/21 season, Salomon’s mainstay collection in the All-Mountain genres was QST, which focused on off-trail conditions. In the marketplace, QST had to go head-to-head with models from Blizzard, Nordica, Völkl and Stöckli, who loaded their best all-terrain skis with two sheets of Titanal. While the flagship QST 106 earned a following in the Big Mountain genre, the rest of the QST series didn’t fare as well against the richer constructions of the competition. Stance provided Salomon with its own, double-Ti-laminated series, leveling the playing field.
Just because it isn’t as burly as the Power skis in the All-Mountain East category, doesn’t mean a less aggro expert won’t appreciate the Stance 90. As ski test veteran and active ski coach Jim Schaffner summarized its capabilities, “It’s a good all-around ski, there for you without being flashy. The 102 is probably the best execution of this re-design, but all are good, aiming at a proficient, all-terrain skier.”
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
The Salomon QST 92 has risen from humble origins to its new position among the elite of the genre. Originally conceived to meet a lower price point ($500) and therefore underserved in the technology department, Salomon has been steadily enhancing its construction to match the latest innovations already added to pricier models, like the flagship QST 106. Just two years ago, the QST 92 adopted two features introduced the prior year in the QST 98, Double Sidewalls and full-length C/FX, Salomon’s signature carbon/flax combo.
While the latest improvements no doubt contributed to the QST 92’s stellar performance, the bones they’re built on were pretty stout to begin with: an all-wood (poplar) core, full sidewalls (i.e., no cap), cork inserts to muffle shocks and a central Titanal plate that makes the entire ski feel more substantial. Beginning in 2023, the QST 92 has also mimicked the slightly lower rocker profile launched two years ago in the QST Blank and QST 98, so it feels more connected on all snow surfaces.
Once you put it all in motion, you wouldn’t guess you’re piloting a price-point ski intended to retail at $600. The security on edge is fantastic on anything softer than boilerplate, it feels energetic crossing the fall line and it can switch between a carve and a drift on command. A lower-skill skier can’t find a more tolerant ski with such a high-performance ceiling. For a ski whose DNA is all about off-trail conditions, the QST 92 feels right at home on groomers. It feels light and quick off the edge in bumps and placid as a glacier in long, spooling GS turns.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2024
Like a fairy tale princess, the Salomon QST Lux 92 was born in humble circumstances, endured an awkward adolescence and gradually transformed into a raving beauty. You see, the first edition of the Lux 92 was clearly intended for intermediates, first-time buyers and bargain hunters, as it sold for $499 and didn’t share much of the high-tech construction of its wider siblings, the Lumen and Stella. The current Lux 92 has top-of-the-line features, including a full-length allotment of C/FX, the carbon and flax amalgam that provides the principal structural support for all the QST’s. Also onboard is a Titanal plate underfoot that improves stability throughout its mid-section.
The QST series is a unisex family, so the Lux 92 receives the same bundle of upgrades as the “men’s” QST 92. Part of the most recent package of enhancements is a segment of injected ABS underfoot that boosts edge pressure in this critical zone. The combined effect of these embellishments is an elevation in performance that makes the latest Lux 92 one of the top performers in the genre. It isn’t $499 anymore, but it’s still only $599 – one of the best deals in the sport – with a performance range that runs from the basement to the penthouse.
The 2025 QST Lux 92 is now so substantial that it can be skied in shorter lengths – its size range goes down to a 152cm – with no loss of stability. Sized properly, it won’t overpower a skier still learning the ropes, with a docile personality that doesn’t object to drifting.