Ski Reviews

2023-2024 Salomon QST 106, 181 cm

Reviewer Username: Joe Humphries

Reviewer Height: 5’9″

Reviewer Weight: 160 lbs

Reviewer Experience Level: Expert

DAYS USED: 1 days

TEST LOCATIONS: British Columbia

TEST CONDITIONS: Pretty firm snow | Softer, but not deep snow | Soft chop / pretty forgiving cut-up snow

PERFORMANCE RATINGS

(0 = Terrible, 5 = Okay, 10 = Outstanding)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 3/10

FORGIVENESS: 8/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Loose / Easy to Pivot & Smear?): 8/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Quick / Low is the Swing Weight?): 5/10

STABILITY: 3/10

SUSPENSION: 6/10

EDGE HOLD: 2/10

PLAYFULNESS: 3/10

SKI LENGTH: It felt a bit too short (181 cm length tested)

THIS SKI’S IDEAL TERRAIN: Low-angle, off-piste terrain | Fairly steep off-piste terrain | Trees

THIS SKI’S IDEAL SNOW CONDITIONS: Softer, but not deep snow | Untracked powder (shallow)

WHAT TYPE(S) OF SKIER DO YOU IMAGINE WILL GET ALONG BEST WITH THIS SKI?

Intermediate to lower advanced skiers who want something easy to ski off piste

ARE THERE SIMILAR PRODUCTS YOU’VE SKIED THAT YOU CLEARLY PREFER? IF SO, WHY?

Nordica Enforcer 104 Free is more stable and powerful while being as easy to ski. The Liberty Origin 106 is a better carver and more lively. The K2 Mindbender 108 Ti is more powerful and a better carver.

PLEASE ELABORATE ON ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THIS SKI. FEEL FREE TO GO INTO DETAIL!

This ski felt pretty bland and a bit “off”. It wanted to pivot and slide around, but didn’t support moderately aggressive skiing. The mount point felt odd – it was far enough back that it encouraged a forward stance, but the shovels weren’t supportive enough to really drive. I felt like maybe it would perform better with a more neutral mount point. It had a tight radius underfoot but felt vague on piste. Overall, it felt like a ski for someone who prefers slower speeds and smaller turns and doesn’t pressure the shovels of their skis too much, and wants a less energetic ski. I think the Liberty Origin 106 is a similar ski that has much more life and energy, and the K2 Mindbender 108 Ti is a similar ski that has similar dampness but stronger shovels, and most skiers would be better off going with one of those two instead of the QST 106, depending on their preference for energy vs dampness/stability.