Review: Salomon QST X

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Salomon’s QST X is an incredibly nimble, floaty, and enjoyable powder freeride ski that breaks the mildew of what a typical “athlete” ski may make you consider. With a really surfy form, 116mm waist, and a really damp experience, it’s a superb selection for deep days the place cliff hucks, pillows, and maching by means of tight timber are on the menu. For 2025-26, the ski stays utterly unchanged.

Salomon QST X Specs

Measurement skied: 184cmLengths accessible: 172cm, 184cm, 192cmSidecut: 140cm – 116cm – 127cmRadius: 25mProfile: freestyle twin rocker, with camber underfootWeight: 1900g

For the previous few seasons and product cycles, Salomon has caught to marching to the beat of their very own drum, producing skis that largely eschew well timed developments with some out-of-the-box considering. When everybody else was going all-in on gentle backcountry skis, the French model dropped the QST Echo, a comparatively heavy and super-damp touring shred machine. Earlier than that, we noticed the QST Clean, a heavy-duty freeride ski that was accessible to everybody from FWT professionals to your common Joe. 

At first look it would appear to be a QST Clean on a food plan, very similar to how the Echo is a lightweight model of the QST 106. I rapidly realized, nevertheless, that it was one thing utterly new. The place the present QST Clean, due to the cork “damplifier” within the core, was meant for high-speed snowboarding by means of all the pieces from deep backcountry pow to chopped up resort crud, the brand new QST X is admittedly meant for foot-powered entry to the products, and is definitely a significantly better powder ski. It’s a 116 mm-underfoot freeride powder machine, with sufficient heft to cost on however not sufficient to really feel too heavy to tour all day on.

Form, Flex, and Building

I examined the QST X within the 184 size, and given the very pronounced tip and tail rocker, it truly felt fairly brief. That was not a nasty factor, these are so nimble and slashy, but someway SO secure due to the stiff tails that the shorter dimension didn’t actually hassle me. Inside, they share comparable development to each Salomon’s QST Clean and the lighter touring-oriented QST 106 Echo. There’s heavy use of cork to dampen the guidelines and tails, a karuba/poplar wooden core, and no steel laminate, with Salomon using flax fibers and carbon stringers for stiffness and damping.

I did hop aboard the 192 size at our take a look at in Sunshine Village, which felt a lot much less nimble, however nonetheless enjoyable. Maybe it is an applicable ski for sure situations however it type of defeats the aim of the ski for my part.

Really helpful mount level is pretty centered, and after messing round with some completely different positions, I settled on +1.5 from rec as my favourite–this actually helps make the most of the playful nature of the ski with out feeling such as you’re too over the nostril.

On-Snow Efficiency

Right here’s what I realized: the QST X is the ski I’d need for human-powered hero pow snowboarding. The very pronounced rocker profile, lengthy (25m) turning radius, and comparatively mushy flex remind me of skis just like the 4FRNT Renegade, and even the outdated QST 118, each a few of my all-time favourite soft-snow skis.

The QST X’s versatility is astounding, however I discovered it excels in catering to playful skiers trying to ski quick by means of technical terrain. Suppose subalpine pillows, timber, and chutes – you understand, the type of terrain most of us truly spend the winter driving within the backcountry. It might nonetheless cost and straightline stuff, however it’s far more enjoyable to throw sideways, slash and smear down the steeps.

At 1900g for the 184 cm ski, it’s no featherweight, however it’s gentle sufficient in my guide to warrant taking out on a protracted day. The lengthy flip radius means loads of edge contact regardless of the pronounced rocker traces, making skinning fairly comfy for a fats ski. I examined a pair with Salomon’s new SHIFT 2 binding, however I may see a light-weight tech binding additionally being a good selection for those who’re purely going to make use of this for foot-powered missions in locations like Roger’s Cross, Revelstoke, and even within the Tahoe backcountry.

A few of my favourite runs had been in Granite Canyon – very technical elevate entry backcountry snowboarding out the gates of Jackson Gap. The agility of the ski actually shines within the steep timber usually discovered on the high of runs, and the stiff, secure tails are an enormous bonus for stomping airs and rocketing throughout the aprons. 

It’s not as a lot of a excessive pace charger because the QST Clean, and positively will get extra tossed round snowboarding chopped up resort snow. In different phrases, I wouldn’t use this purely as an inbounds ski. It’s additionally a bit massive for high-alpine missions, however I may see it being an amazing selection if situations line up (learn: secure deep snow) to ski a couloir and even technical freeride terrain on a excessive peak.

Comparisons

Salomon’s QST X is a troublesome ski to check, due to its very distinctive form and development. There’s little in the marketplace right now that provides such a extraordinarily quiet, but extraordinarily unfastened and nimble experience. Rossignol’ Sender Free 110 comes shut–however it is a bit extra of a crud-busting charger than floaty pow ski.

As an alternative, the QST X is far more much like skis of yesteryear, just like the super-floppy K2 Hellbent, the outdated Salomon Rocker 2 122, or

What Sort Of Skier Is The Salomon QST X Finest For?

I feel there are two kinds of good days for driving the QST X. The primary entails happening a protracted stroll to ski a technical big-mountain line at excessive pace in deep pow. The soundness and confidence inspiring nature of the ski lends itself completely to that. The opposite is simply smashing laps on mini-golf terrain with the homies–it’s so playful and enjoyable, and makes snowboarding deep pow REALLY simple. 

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