Hell yeah, just bought this ski as a fatter east coast ski for a two ski quiver with the DPS cassiar
I’m a bit torn between these and the Backland 117 for purchase.
Hey Luke, how are those Salomon QST 130’s treating you? You must have logged some considerable time in them!
Hey Gregory,
The QST Pro 130 has worked quite well for me. It fits my foot very well (low instep, wider mid-foot / forefoot due to lateral splats, fairly tapered in the toes), and I like the flex (which is definitely softer than most “130” boots). We actually wrote a full review of the boot which you can check out here for more performance info: http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/2017-2018-salomon-qst-pro-130
If you have any specific questions about the boot feel free to add them to that review and I’ll address them promptly.
Cheers,
Luke
Thanks for the reply Luke! Just wanted to find out if you had anything to add after skiing them for a while. I bought mine on the strength of the full review and have 15 days in them. I had to do the 6th toe stretch, which was easy on the boot but tougher on the lining, I think the liner is too narrow, but they fit great now. I like the flex. Love the lightness for climbing and jump turns in the resort. Just getting into touring. I find control is great in both roll and pitch. Right now this is my only boot, I wanted the best of both worlds and they come close, but it’s not a 4 buckle boot. I find my tibialis anterior muscles get a bit of a beating and one time I landed on my tails and got a nasty bruise on the back of my calf which most likely would not have been as bad in a regular alpine boot. I moved the plastic insert on the back of the liners up about 3/4″ which seems to relieve the pressure point under the power strap. Eventually I will have dedicated touring and resort boots, but I think they will serve me well as I gain expertise in the touring game and especially when I don’t want to travel with 2 pairs of boots! Cheers!
How is the maneauverability of the ski compared to the Bibby Pro 190?
Hi Luke,
Thanks for the review – very well written!
Do you think the 181 would have skied very differently? I am little over your size (5’10” & 160lbs) and am looking for something that is stiff in the tails for landings, but very playful in the nose (buttery) and this ski stood out to me, however I would normally for for something in the 186 range…
Was the 191 a lot to handle/did you think it was buttery? Or do you think the 181 would have fit this bill better? Or would the 181 ski to short for someone a little taller than yourself?
Thanks again!
Oscar
Hi Oscar,
Unfortunately I can’t really comment on the 181 since I’ve never skied it, but I do think it’s important to keep in mind that the 191 cm Nomad 115 actually measures around 188 cm. I also didn’t find it to be very demanding for how long it was. It has pretty deep rocker lines, it’s fairly light for its size, and it’s not super stiff in the tips or tails. All of this makes it feel a bit easier than I expected based on its size.
If you typically ski stuff around 186 cm, then I’d definitely recommend the 191 Nomad 115 over the 181. I think you’d find the 181 to feel a bit short, especially in deep snow and potentially at high speeds.
Hope that helps.
– Luke
Luke,
I am 6’8″ 250 lbs 50 year old Colorado skier – advance to expert level that primarily tries to avoid the crowds on the groomers by playing in the bowls, moguls or spacious trees. Love making big turns in the chopped up crud of the bowls all season long and working down a couple long mogul runs during a day on the slopes.
Would really appreciate your thoughts for me making turns over the next couple seasons on the QST 99 or 106 or the Icelantic Nomad 105. I am a little concern I might overpower the QST with my size not sure if the Nomad is stiffer. I do like the technology in the QST but not sure if that is an advantage for someone my size. I have always admired the Icelantic line but have never been on them, normal size friends seem to really love them.
Thank you very much in advance for your guidance.
Is the Nomad 115 unchanged between production years except for graphics?
They made some subtle construction updates to the ski for the 19/20 season, most notable of which were a slightly different wood core and a tweaked rocker profile. The 19/20 and 20/21 Nomad 115 have slightly shallower and lower rocker lines, but the new core didn’t seem to affect the weight or stability of the ski very much. For reference, our brief review of the Nomad 115 in our 19/20 Winter Buyer’s Guide is for the new construction. The main difference we noticed is that the newer Nomad 115 is a bit better on firm snow and not quite as loose / easy to pivot. Overall though, the differences between the two versions are very subtle and much of what we’ve said about one version applies to the other.
Hell yeah, just bought this ski as a fatter east coast ski for a two ski quiver with the DPS cassiar
I’m a bit torn between these and the Backland 117 for purchase.
Hey Luke, how are those Salomon QST 130’s treating you? You must have logged some considerable time in them!
Hey Gregory,
The QST Pro 130 has worked quite well for me. It fits my foot very well (low instep, wider mid-foot / forefoot due to lateral splats, fairly tapered in the toes), and I like the flex (which is definitely softer than most “130” boots). We actually wrote a full review of the boot which you can check out here for more performance info: http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/2017-2018-salomon-qst-pro-130
If you have any specific questions about the boot feel free to add them to that review and I’ll address them promptly.
Cheers,
Luke
Thanks for the reply Luke! Just wanted to find out if you had anything to add after skiing them for a while. I bought mine on the strength of the full review and have 15 days in them. I had to do the 6th toe stretch, which was easy on the boot but tougher on the lining, I think the liner is too narrow, but they fit great now. I like the flex. Love the lightness for climbing and jump turns in the resort. Just getting into touring. I find control is great in both roll and pitch. Right now this is my only boot, I wanted the best of both worlds and they come close, but it’s not a 4 buckle boot. I find my tibialis anterior muscles get a bit of a beating and one time I landed on my tails and got a nasty bruise on the back of my calf which most likely would not have been as bad in a regular alpine boot. I moved the plastic insert on the back of the liners up about 3/4″ which seems to relieve the pressure point under the power strap. Eventually I will have dedicated touring and resort boots, but I think they will serve me well as I gain expertise in the touring game and especially when I don’t want to travel with 2 pairs of boots! Cheers!
How is the maneauverability of the ski compared to the Bibby Pro 190?
Hi Luke,
Thanks for the review – very well written!
Do you think the 181 would have skied very differently? I am little over your size (5’10” & 160lbs) and am looking for something that is stiff in the tails for landings, but very playful in the nose (buttery) and this ski stood out to me, however I would normally for for something in the 186 range…
Was the 191 a lot to handle/did you think it was buttery? Or do you think the 181 would have fit this bill better? Or would the 181 ski to short for someone a little taller than yourself?
Thanks again!
Oscar
Hi Oscar,
Unfortunately I can’t really comment on the 181 since I’ve never skied it, but I do think it’s important to keep in mind that the 191 cm Nomad 115 actually measures around 188 cm. I also didn’t find it to be very demanding for how long it was. It has pretty deep rocker lines, it’s fairly light for its size, and it’s not super stiff in the tips or tails. All of this makes it feel a bit easier than I expected based on its size.
If you typically ski stuff around 186 cm, then I’d definitely recommend the 191 Nomad 115 over the 181. I think you’d find the 181 to feel a bit short, especially in deep snow and potentially at high speeds.
Hope that helps.
– Luke
Luke,
I am 6’8″ 250 lbs 50 year old Colorado skier – advance to expert level that primarily tries to avoid the crowds on the groomers by playing in the bowls, moguls or spacious trees. Love making big turns in the chopped up crud of the bowls all season long and working down a couple long mogul runs during a day on the slopes.
Would really appreciate your thoughts for me making turns over the next couple seasons on the QST 99 or 106 or the Icelantic Nomad 105. I am a little concern I might overpower the QST with my size not sure if the Nomad is stiffer. I do like the technology in the QST but not sure if that is an advantage for someone my size. I have always admired the Icelantic line but have never been on them, normal size friends seem to really love them.
Thank you very much in advance for your guidance.
Is the Nomad 115 unchanged between production years except for graphics?
They made some subtle construction updates to the ski for the 19/20 season, most notable of which were a slightly different wood core and a tweaked rocker profile. The 19/20 and 20/21 Nomad 115 have slightly shallower and lower rocker lines, but the new core didn’t seem to affect the weight or stability of the ski very much. For reference, our brief review of the Nomad 115 in our 19/20 Winter Buyer’s Guide is for the new construction. The main difference we noticed is that the newer Nomad 115 is a bit better on firm snow and not quite as loose / easy to pivot. Overall though, the differences between the two versions are very subtle and much of what we’ve said about one version applies to the other.