The Salomon Stance 102 is a Frontside ski in a fat suit. Were it not for its width, which by Realskiers’ rules lands it in the Big Mountain genre, and a dash of tip rocker, it would be a Frontside ski, and a strong one, at that.
To understand a ski’s purpose, one needs to know what void it’s filling in its brand’s big picture, as well as where it fits in the category in which it’s competing. Perhaps the best way to define the role of the Stance 102 in Salomon’s 21/22 collection is to identify what it is not, namely a QST.
Salomon’s well established QST series goes all-in on the Lighter is Better approach; while the top models use a Titanal platform underfoot, the rest of their construction depends on a mix of fibers to deliver the right ratios of longitudinal flex, torsional rigidity, light weight and shock damping. Within the global Salomon product universe, the QST label is shorthand for Quest, which connotes off-trail skiing in resort.
So, the Stance series wasn’t intended to go head-to-head with QST in the race for the lightest in-resort ski. The competition it was made to stare down are the wood-and-Titanal powerhouses issuing from the likes of Blizzard, Nordica and Völkl. The niche the Stance 102 aims to occupy is that of a wood (poplar) and metal (Titanal) laminate that’s just a bit less than the market leaders in the genre: a bit less heavy, a bit less torsionally rigid in the forebody and a bit less work to bow.
Mission accomplished. While the rockered tip isn’t over-eager to get into the next turn, it hooks up as early as any in this all-rockered-all-the-time genre. Removing a swath of Titanal from the forebody trims off a few grams and lets the front of the ski roll with the punches delivered by tracked-up snow. Because Salomon has tampered with its torsional stiffness, the Stance 102 doesn’t feel as wide as it measures, so it never feels ponderous. Although its rockered forebody inhibits early turn entry, it’s secure through the belly of the long turns it prefers. The Stance 102 feels quick off the edge in part because it doesn’t cling to a cross-hill arc, its unusually narrow tail dictating a more direct route downhill.
Equally adept at drifting and carving – the key to its polyvalence on or off piste – the Stance 102 isn’t as open-minded about turn shape and consequently, speed. A 23m-sidecut radius in a 183cm creates a fall line orientation that discourages slow, short turns. Aside from this forgivable foible, the Stance 102 is simplicity itself to steer, earning it its second Silver Skier Selection.