The 2018 QST Stella 106 was already a superior women’s powder ski when Salomon sent it to the gym to lose weight and put on some muscle. The 2019 Stella shed 60g’s thanks to a two design modifications that made it more powerful and precise. A new base layer of basalt runs the full length of the ski, helping to maintain snow contact, while side-to-side strands of C/FX fiber magnify the effects of the longitudinal carbon/flax braids already in the core. The additions make the new Stella so strong it doesn’t need extra mass to calm it down.
If you attack the fall line like it insulted your mother and spend so much time on your QST’s looking for pow that you inevitably have to send them down groomers, the new QST 118 is your kind of stick. Last season the 118 led the list of Finesse skis in this genre. This year, the infusion of torsional stiffness and shock dampening puts the 2019 QST 118 squarely among the Powder Powers.
When it comes to ski design, Salomon is confidently contrarian. It’s been like that since the beginning, when Salomon rocked the ski world with its monocoque shell construction. The French brand’s latest tack against the prevailing wind is a new generation of lightweight skis that uses flax interlaced with carbon stringers to provide the flex resistance and damping roles previously occupied by fiberglass and Titanal. It’s a formulation that works best when all dials are set to Medium: average speed, normal turn radius, modest edge angle and moderately firm snow produce secure turns with a little pep in their step.
Salomon’s revised QST 92 is a great model for the first-time ski buyer who is ready to dabble in off-trail skiing. The upgrade applied to the 2019 iteration consists of crosshatching the strands of carbon/flax fiber – Salomon calls it C/FX3 – so the superlight material runs both laterally and longitudinally. The improvement in edge grip is instantly evident, which contributes to an impression of greater agility, rebound and vibration damping. From a terrain preference perspective, the QST 92 is more attuned to life off-trail where its drift-ability helps smooth out the ruffles in irregular terrain. While its on-trail performance is much improved, the QST 92’s more shallow sidecut and lightweight chassis are better adapted to untamed snow than groomers.
The Salomon XDR 88 Ti delivers what the All-Mountain East skier is looking for: easy navigation in any condition. Its behavioral profile fits that of a full-figured Frontside ski with a penchant for medium to long turns. Its relatively deep sidecut and noticeable light weight contribute to an overall impression of agility. Because it feels at once snappy and secure, it embodies some of the best properties of both Power and Finesse skis. The XDR 88 Ti gets its even flex and damp suspension from a cross-hatch carbon/flax weave and the addition of basalt to the construction recipe. Alert readers of these pages may note that last season’s XDR 88 Ti didn’t rise to the ranks of the Recommended, but that was before Salomon doubled the dose of carbon and flax and folded basalt into the lay-up.
