Salomon’s signature monocoque construction is ideally suited to building a big-bodied ski.  A monocoque can be made skeletally light, and Salomon doubles down on weight diminution by stripping the edges off the extremities and using a synthetic honeycomb in lieu of a wood core in the same zones. Not unlike the Rossi Super 7, the Q-115 takes the superlight tip out of the turn equation by applying a long rocker line and tapering the forebody so the effective sidecut begins well behind the shovel. This allows the Q-115 to finesse a short-radius turn outside of its 16m-radius sidecut, making this model one of the more readily reactive in those tight situations where fast-twitch reflexes are required.

Despite a reputation as an easy-turning range, the Q series, headlined by the 115, has plenty of pop to please the highly skilled skier.  As befits this boaty genre, its on-trail accuracy isn’t extraordinary, but in the domain for which it was designed, the Q-115 is drifty and dreamy.