Salomon has a history of making skis that are light and quick edge to edge, so when the Lighter is Better trend in consumer goods took hold of the public imagination, Salomon was all over it. Like a lot of other brands, it worked with carbon and other fibers – in this instance, flax – to create skis that were preternaturally light.  It applied its C/FX fibers up and down its line, in both the off-trail QST series and the on-trail XDR collection. As has been generally the case whenever a lightweight solution is applied across the board, what works so well for fat skis works less brilliantly for carving tools.

Enter the 2020 Force field, stout carvers in the tradition of the erstwhile Enduros, headlined by the S/Force Bold.  The Force models don’t replace the lightweight XDR’s, and they’re unlikely to be mistaken for them. A 177cm Force 11 weighs in at 2275g,  compared to 1665g for a 176cm XDR 80. The difference is due to two laminates of Titanal plus an Edge Amplifier interface that directs the skier’s energy to the edge. The result is a solid carver that sticks to short to medium radius turns with a smooth finish.  Far more comfy at speed than its XDR counterpart, the S/Force 11 has the power and tenacity the advanced skier expects in a Frontside ski.