When Salomon launched the first edition of the Stance series in the 20/21 season, they were well aware that they were entering all-mountain categories already brimming with options. Most of the established image leaders in the pivotal All-Mountain West genre were Power models loaded stem to stern with dual Titanal laminates. To create some space for Stance in this crowd, Salomon had to both match what the category leaders were doing yet somehow be different from them. The solution was to replace swatches of Ti in the top sheet with its proprietary C/FX fibers, so the Stances would feel a bit less ponderous than the competition.

The changes instituted in the latest Stance series took this effort at differentiation a step further, slightly disengaging the Ti top layer from the core, creating the sensation of a softer-flexing ski that’s still torsionally rigid enough to bite into boilerplate. Sally also lightened up the core by adding Karuba to what had been an all-poplar affair.  The net effect is a high-octane ski that is simplicity itself to steer. As incarnated in the Stance 102, the new changes transformed what had been a back-of-the-pack wannabe into one of the very best Finesse skis in the over-served Big Mountain market. Its nickname should be Crud Lite, for it excels in soft snow, where it maintains a mellow, fall-line orientation through thick and thin.

One of the Stance 102’s most striking attributes is how it feels narrower than it measures. At least part of this sensation is due to a tail that is, in fact, narrower than the norm in the Big Mountain genre, so the ski has a tendency to gently release the turn after it crosses the fall line. The perception of being on a more tapered platform is accentuated by smooth, even flex that bows under modest pressure.

Jim Schaffner is an innately powerful technical skier with a penchant for speed. He found the Stance 102 to be “balanced and dreamy for my style and today’s packed powder conditions.  Versatile and playful fun.  Loved drifting into the soft stuff on the sides of the trail.”  While it isn’t perturbed by hardpack, there’s no question that it’s in its bliss in soft snow.  While some Big Mountain skis feel like battering rams that bludgeon crud into submission, the Stance 102’s svelte shape slices through tracked-up snow like a stiletto.

One of the curious characteristics of the new Stance collection is that all 3 models are eerily similar in the track-riven crud that is their natural habitat.  Given that the Stance 102 skis narrower than its competition in the Big Mountain category, you could make the case that anyone entranced with Stance should step up and get the widest. Its Finesse properties ought to be – and are – the best of the trio, and it’s precisely these Finesse traits that make owning a Big Mountain ski worthwhile.

A few testers were able to ski the Stance 102 on the same day they tried an indie model that has attracted a lot of buzz.  While I would hardly characterize this snapshot survey as definitive, in this miniscule sample the Stance 102 proved easier to ski in every respect.  The exercise left little doubt that the Stance 102 was far lighter and more maneuverable, and held a continuous edge the indie struggled to maintain. As I say, not conclusive, but nonetheless illuminating.

For its transcendental ease, secure tracking and calm composure, we award the Stance 102 a well-earned Silver Skier Selection.