2021 Salomon QST 99
1

Ski Stats

Sidecut 134/96/113
Radius 19.4m @ 181cm
Lengths 167/174/181/188
Weight 1700g @ 181cm
MSRP $800
FIND
Power Score:

Finesse Score:

3
0
0
Two years ago, Salomon improved the hard snow performance of the QST99 by adding basalt to its foundational carbon/flax (C/FX) fibers. Last year, Salomon re-configured its primary elements, mixing the basalt and carbon parts and using the flax in its own layer under the binding zone. The net effect was to augment the sense of support, not just underfoot, where there’s also a slice of Titanal, but all along the baseline. Two other changes to the ski design contributed mightily to the QST 99’s infusion of power and improved snow contact: 4mm’s of width was pared away from both the tip and tail, so the latest version doesn’t automatically try to steer out of the fall line, and the substitution of cork for Koroyd in the shovel. Salomon asserts that the “Cork Damplifier” is 16 times more proficient at absorbing shock and even lighter weight. With its new, trimmer silhouette, a 181cm QST 99 weighs 65g less this year compared to the 2018/19 version, while improving its Stability at Speed score from 7.80 to 8.43, the best score in the genre for a non-metal ski.

Two years ago, Salomon improved the hard snow performance of the QST99 by adding basalt to its foundational carbon/flax (C/FX) fibers. Last year, Salomon re-configured its primary elements, mixing the basalt and carbon parts and using the flax in its own layer under the binding zone. The net effect was to augment the sense of support, not just underfoot, where there’s also a slice of Titanal, but all along the baseline.

Two other changes to the ski design contributed mightily to the QST 99’s infusion of power and improved snow contact: 4mm’s of width was pared away from both the tip and tail, so the latest version doesn’t automatically try to steer out of the fall line, and the substitution of cork for Koroyd in the shovel. Salomon asserts that the “Cork Damplifier” is 16 times more proficient at absorbing shock and even lighter weight. With its new, trimmer silhouette, a 181cm QST 99 weighs 65g less this year compared to the 2018/19 version, while improving its Stability at Speed score from 7.80 to 8.43, the best score in the genre for a non-metal ski.

The change in the relationship between tip width and waist width, along with its bolstered torsional rigidity, gives the new QST 99 both a more solid edge and more of a fall-line orientation. While the change in sidecut radius is minimal (+0.4m), the effect is radical. The 2019 QST 99 didn’t even make our Recommended cut; the current iteration is one of the most balanced, high-performance Finesse skis in the viciously competitive All-Mountain West category.

Testers like Garrett Haag of The Sport Loft were KO’d by how far Salomon raised the QST 99’s performance ceiling. “An amazing all around ski. The [cork] dampening system in the tip and tail is great at high speeds. It handles powder and crud well, a true one-ski quiver ski.”

My experience with the QST 99 is edifying as I’ve closely followed its fortunes over the years. It was the first new ski I tried last winter, and I could tell in the first 100 yards that this was a different beast, willing and able to be pushed hard. On my second run I tackled a crispy collection of frozen-in-place moguls with a light frosting of fresh snow, sure to rattle an edge loose if not handled with care. The QST 99 held a tight-to-the-fall-line course, darting from trough to trough with unperturbed aplomb. I was suddenly so far ahead of my group that I lost them as soon as I exited stage left through a grove of evergreens. Oh well, I still had time for a couple of more laps, and the QST 99 was ready to rumble.