2020-2021 Salomon QST 118

Ski: 2020-2021 Salomon QST 118, 192 cm

Available Lengths: 171, 178, 185, 192 cm

Blister’s Measured Tip-to-Tail Length: 191.3 cm

Blister’s Measured Weight per Ski: 2237 & 2315 grams

Stated Dimensions: 143-118-130 mm

Blister’s Measured Dimensions: 143.0-118.1-130.5 mm

Stated Sidecut Radius (192 cm): 27 meters

Measured Tip & Tail Splay (ski decambered): 69 mm / 35 mm

Measured Traditional Camber Underfoot: 4 mm

Core: poplar + titanal binding reinforcement + cork tip/tail inserts + carbon, flax, and fiberglass laminate

Base: sintered

Factory Recommended Mount Point: -4.85 cm from center; 90.8 cm from tail

[Note: our review is being conducted on the 19/20 QST 118, which returns unchanged for 20/21, apart from graphics.]

Luke Koppa reviews the Salomon QST 118 for Blister
Salomon Qst 118, 19/20 Graphic
Review Navigation:  Specs //  First Look //  Bottom Line //  Rocker Pics

Intro

The QST 118 is Salomon’s widest ski, and we thought the previous version was a very fun, poppy pow ski that excelled in tight terrain while being versatile enough to handle some bigger lines. For the 2019-2020 season, it’s getting tweaked, and returning unchanged for 20/21, apart from graphics.

Like the new QST 106 and QST 99, the QST 118’s tips see a big change, switching from lightweight Koroyd inserts to cork, which Salomon says is three-times better at absorbing and dampening impacts. But unlike the new QST 106 and 99, the QST 118’s shape remains the same and it does not get the 106 and 99’s updated construction, which features more carbon.

Now that we have the new QST 118 in hand, let’s take a look at how significant the changes for the 19/20 ski are, and how its design compared to the current market.

Shape / Rocker Profile

When we reviewed the older QST 118, we just went right into on-snow performance since Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth were able to ski it in some great conditions right away.

But I think it’s definitely worth taking a closer look at the QST 118’s (unchanged) shape and rocker profile, cause they’re kind of wild by today’s standards.

The QST 118 has a lot of tip taper, and significantly less tail taper. The widest point in its shovel is a lot closer to the center of the ski than the widest point in the tail. Overall, the QST 118 has more tip and tail taper than several skis like the Moment Wildcat / Blister Pro, Rossignol Black Ops 118, and Faction Candide 4.0, though not as much as some skis like the Blizzard Spur and Prior CBC.

The QST 118’s rocker profile is where things get much, much more interesting. Check out the rocker pics at the bottom of this post — this ski has extremely deep rocker lines and, unlike some skis like the Line Outline and Candide 4.0, the QST 118’s tip and tail rise is not very low-slung or subtle. Instead, the QST 118’s tips and tails kind of just abruptly rise up from the ski in a nearly straight line. Of the current 115mm+ skis we’ve reviewed, there are not many that have deeper rocker lines than the QST 118.

Flex Pattern

Here’s how we’d characterize the flex pattern of the QST 118:

Tips: 7
Shovels: 6.5-6
In Front of Toe Piece: 7-10
Underfoot: 10
Behind the Heel Piece: 9.5-8.5
Tails: 6-7

Not much change here. We don’t have the old QST 118 to directly hand-flex against the new QST 118, but based on our flex numbers for the old version, it looks like the new ski maintains a very similar flex pattern vs. the old one. Both skis start soft in the tips and shovels, are quite stiff throughout the cambered portion of the ski, and finish with fairly soft tails.

Mount Point

I think it’s worth quickly highlighting the fact that the QST 118 stands out from the other QST skis when it comes to mount point. The QST 106 (-8.75 cm) and QST 99 (-9.8 cm) both have pretty traditional mount points and feel like directional skis.

The QST 118, on the other hand, has a very progressive mount point of around -4.85 cm from center. It also has a much deeper tail rocker line than the QST 106 and 99. Both of these things translate to a much more playful feel on snow, which is why the QST 118 was in the “Powder Skis – More Playful” section of our Winter Buyer’s Guide.

That said, Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth both found that they could drive the old QST 118 through the front, so it still seems like a solid option for both directional and more freestyle-oriented skiers (as evidenced by Salomon’s athletes).

Weight

While the only stated change for the 19/20 QST 118 is the switch from Koroyd to cork in its tips, that seems to have translated to a significant change in weight.

The old QST 118 was pretty light at 2133 grams per ski for the 192 cm length. The new ski is coming in at an average weight of 2276 grams per ski for the 192 cm length, which is not all that light. Today, there are many skis in this class that are lighter than the new QST 118, though there are definitely still some that are heavier.

For reference, here are a number of our measured weights (per ski in grams) for some notable skis. Keep in mind the length differences to try to keep things apples-to-apples.

1710 & 1744 Atomic Bent Chetler 120, 184 cm (18/19–19/20)
1808 & 1809 Line Pescado, 180 cm (17/18–19/20)
1910 & 1941 Scott Scrapper 115, 189 cm (17/18–18/19)
1931 & 1959 Volkl BMT 122, 186 cm (17/18–18/19)
2013 & 2099 Moment Wildcat / Blister Pro, 184 cm (18/19–19/20)
2019 & 2051 K2 Mindbender 116C, 186 cm (19/20)
2024 & 2031 Line Outline, 186 cm (19/20)
2034 & 2052 Blizzard Rustler 11, 188 cm (17/18–19/20)
2043 & 2046 4FRNT Inthayne, 188 cm (18/19-19/20)
2102 & 2137 Line Sick Day 114, 190 cm (17/18–19/20)
2126 & 2173 Rossignol Super 7 RD, 190 cm (17/18–19/20)
2130 & 2130 Moment Wildcat / Blister Pro, 190 cm (18/19–19/20)
2130 & 2213 Faction Candide 4.0, 188 cm (19/20)
2133 & 2133 Salomon QST 118, 192 cm (16/17–18/19)
2183 & 2190 Black Crows Anima, 188.4 cm (17/18–19/20)
2196 & 2199 Icelantic Nomad 115, 191 cm (17/18–18/19)
2220 & 2252 Faction Prodigy 4.0, 186 cm (17/18–19/20)
2212 & 2215 Armada ARV 116 JJ, 185 cm (17/18–19/20)
2222 & 2278 Prior CBC, 184 cm (17/18–19/20)
2228 & 2231 Blizzard Spur, 192 cm (17/18–19/20)
2230 & 2250 Black Diamond Boundary Pro 115, 185 cm (17/18–19/20)
2237 & 2315 Salomon QST 118, 192 cm (19/20)
2240 & 2250 Volkl Revolt 121, 184 cm (19/20)
2246 & 2265 Fischer Ranger 115 FR, 188 cm (17/18–18/19)
2267 & 2270 Whitedot Ragnarok 118, 190 cm (16/17–18/19)
2296 & 2309 Liberty Origin Pro, 192 cm (17/18–19/20)
2297 & 2317 K2 Catamaran, 184 cm (17/18–19/20)
2341 & 2357 Dynastar PR-OTO Factory, 189 cm (18/19–19/20)
2343 & 2360 J Skis Friend, 189 cm (18/19)
2346 & 2351 Nordica Enforcer Pro, 191 cm (17/18–19/20)
2382 & 2395 ON3P Billy Goat, 184 cm (17/18–18/19)
2408 & 2421 ON3P Kartel 116, 186 cm (17/18–19/20)
2429 & 2437 Kingswood SMB, 188 cm (16/17–18/19)
2438 & 2480 DPS Foundation Koala 119, 189 cm (19/20)
2438 & 2492 Rossignol Black Ops 118, 186 cm (16/17–19/20)
2490 & 2529 K2 Catamaran, 191 cm (17/18–19/20)

Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About

(1) Given its increase in weight and switch from lightweight Koroyd to heavier cork material in the tips, we’re most curious about whether the new QST 118 will feel notably more stable than the previous version. The old ski was a very fun, playful ski, but we found it lacking in stability compared to many heavier skis.

(2) The Volkl Revolt 121 is a new ski that is pretty similar to the QST 118 when it comes to shape, weight, and flex pattern, so we’re eager to A/B the two skis to see how they compare.

(3) The QST 118’s energy / pop was one of its defining features, so will the new, heavier version maintain that trait?

Bottom Line (For Now)

With the new QST 118, Salomon has left many things the same (shape, rocker profile, flex pattern, mount point) while tweaking the construction to potentially make it more stable. We’ll be getting the new QST 118 on snow as soon as possible during the upcoming 19/20 season, so stay tuned for updates.

Flash Review

Blister Members can now check out our Flash Review of the QST 118 for our initial impressions. Become a Blister member now to check out this and all of our Flash Reviews, plus get exclusive deals and discounts on skis, and personalized gear recommendations from us.

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2020-2021 Salomon QST 118, BLISTER
2020-2021 Salomon QST 118, BLISTER

13 comments on “2020-2021 Salomon QST 118”

  1. Hi,
    I’m currently looking for a powder ski (planning a trip to japan) that i can still use back in France/Europe as I mainly ski arround chamonix. I’m interrested in either a QST 118 or a rustler 11. I’m under the impression the blizzard is a bit more of a ski and would be better for the conditions we have here, the salomon on the other hand could be a better choice for japan. But are those differences that big ? How would those 2 skis compare ?

    Thanks a lot for all the work you do and keep up :)

  2. How much effect does the crazy rocker have on this ski? I’ve never gone as long as 192, but 185 has felt just a touch too short on many skis. Any recommendations on which length I should lean towards?

    • Hi, Dustin – short answer is, “a lot.”

      And though I don’t know your height, weight, or whether you’re skiing a lot of tight terrain, this statement of yours, “185 has felt just a touch too short on many skis,” is pretty clear evidence to me that you should go with the 192, since, given its rocker profile, I have no reason to suspect that this would somehow feel like a 185 cm ski that *doesn’t* feel a bit too short for you.

      • Thanks for the advice. I’m 6’1” and about 190lbs, and do tight terrain a decent amount (when finding powder calls for it) but prefer to cruise in the open. If that changes your opinion, let me know. Thanks again.

  3. Looking for something in this size/width. Can anybody gives me input on this vs the black crow anima or rossingnol black ops 118? Thanks a ton.

  4. I’m a decent skier. 5′ 9″ ( or 175 cm ) tall, 180 lbs, athletic build, and strong legs. Should I go 185 or 178 cm???? Noticed how much rocker has.
    Also I’m skiing my QST 106 at 181 cm.

    Thanks!

    • Hi Fernando, if it helps, I am 172cms / 70kgs (155) and also ski the QST 106 at 181, given the huge amount of rocker on the 118 I would be surprised if the 178 felt anything other than really short for you.

      • Thank you….I’m still debating the ski length when I’m learning how to ski tree lines without loosing control or skiing more aggressively….

  5. I currently ski the QST 106 in the 188cm length. Best all round mostly off-Piste ski I have ever owned. Looking at the QST 118 for a powder only ski. Length? 185 cm vs 192 cm. I’m 6′ 1″ 195lbs. I ski both wide open faces and trees. Thoughts?

  6. Hi ! Thanks for the great review! I just bought these skis and I’m troubled over the mounting point. Too my mind, the recommended seems so forward and I’m scared i wouldn’t be able to drive them forward.

    I’m thinking of pushing it back -2 cm. I’m 185 cm and 75kg, what do you guys think?

    Thanks for the help!

    • I’m 184cm 85ish kg, skiing on the east coast. I have the 185 and had them mounted on the recommended line and really liked them. I put an AT binding on last season and had to mount them +1 due to conflict with the heel holes. I disliked the +1 mount enough that I put the old bindings back on this year, there wasn’t nearly enough ski in front of me for my liking and a boatload of tail. If I could do it over again, I’d put the AT bindings on at -1 and keep em forever, I really like this ski.

  7. Hi – congratulations on the great reviews – truly a notch above any other site – love your gear podcast too!
    I figure I’d ask a question here as I am considering these skis.
    I am tall (6’5”) and heavy (230 lbs) advanced skier that wants to get more into pow skiing and a bit of AT (realistically will be 90% sidecountry).
    Love my “daily driver” enforcer 100 – but feel like I need more floatation on powder – considering getting the QST 118 – or Atomic bent chetler – I can probably find both used (couple years old) and then install Salomon Shift MNC to do a bit of AT.
    My other option is to get pure pow skis – can pickup for super cheap some old 2013 Salomon Rocker2 122, 2011 Rossi S7 or Surface New Life.
    Guess this would be my specialty ski for the 4-5 days a year I can catch fresh POW – part of the reason I am also on a budget here
    thanks a lot!
    Marc

  8. Yeah, Im 6’7″ 230 lbs and will be following this thread for advice on my first pow skis. I’m an eastern skier running Rossignol E88ti’s at Tremblant for this year, but hope to be on some. Western mountains once COVID passes.

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