Whether you notice the changes to the re-vamped Salomon QST 118 depends on where and how you ski the 2019 version. If you only take it out on pristine pow days and putter along through lazy, drifted turns, you might think Salomon forgot to add the layer of basalt and cross-weave of carbon/flax fiber that are supposed to make the new QST 118 more robust.

But 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.

Able to hold an edge using only a ribbon of ski base to support its massive girth, the QST 118 is a capable carver that doesn’t require a high edge angle to bite. Still able to caress its way over irregular snow, if that’s your program, the QST 118 now has the crushing power to bash its way through crud if you’d prefer.