For the Finesse skier, the Salomon QST 99 has a lot to offer. It has a big sweet spot, it responds to relatively low doses of skier-applied pressure, the forebody pulls the skier into a comfortable, medium-radius turn and the tail releases automatically. Best of all, it has the chameleon quality of carving like a champ on groomers yet as soon as it detects soft snow it morphs into a surfy, terrain-absorbing off-piste ski.

While the QST 99 shovel is amply rockered and therefore neutralized as far as hard snow skiing goes, the deep sidecut quickly takes over the instant the ski is tipped on edge. The rockered baseline comes into play as soon as it’s pointed towards powder or crud, where the QST 99 is in its element.

For someone who has never owned a ski this wide, the QST 99 is a terrific introduction to the All-Mountain West category. It responds well at low speeds and does a good impression of a short radius turn if tipped high enough on edge. In part because it’s a little softer torsionally than the metal-laden beasts that dominate our Power rankings, the QST 99 feels like a narrower ski, which is a good thing. “It came around quickly,” confirms Bobo’s Theron Lee. “Felt like a 17m radius.”

The QST 99’s finest quality is its ability to retain a well-balanced platform when the surface underfoot is constantly changing. Skiers hoping to improve their comfort level when traveling off-trail will find the QST 99 takes some of the trauma out of the learning curve. Bob Kuehn from Gravity Sports reports, “The QST 99 shines as an all-mountain ski. Well balanced and solid on the groomed runs, it has enough under foot for off piste exploration.”