The Salomon QST 106 is the second widest ski in the QST All Mountain Freeride collection and while it isn’t presented as a full-on powder ski, it certainly is very capable in softer snow with its 106 mm waist width and tip and tail rocker. Salomon’s QST collection all use an inverted wood core with their CFX Superfiber (carbon and flax woven together) and a single strip of Titanal running down the center of the ski. These QST skis have proven to be high performers in soft snow, and we expect the QST 106 to follow that pattern, especially considering its waist width is completely appropriate for use in softer snow conditions.
Mike Thomas tested the 188 cm length and thought the QST 106 felt both “light and damp” with a “surfy feel.” This corresponds perfectly to our experiences on the QST collection before our ski test. In our review of the QST 99 last season we emphasized the surfy feel of the ski as well as the impressive combination of dampness and lightweight. This is largely thanks to the CFX Superfiber. It is a relatively lightweight material and the flax provides an impressive amount of vibration dampening. Mike continued to talk more about the performance of the ski, “the shovel doesn’t pull you into the turn, but you can tip it and rip!” It doesn’t have that automatic turn initiation that some skis do, but is also easier to pivot and smear than those skis. Mike thought it felt “forgiving, but had plenty of power on tap when on edge.” With its 106 mm waist width and this surfy, light, and damp feel Mike considered it a “versatile ski” that would be good for either “a big skier looking for a light-ish ski or a lighter skier looking for a solid soft snow feel.”
Rory Burke had a blast skiing the Salomon QST 106. How do we know? Well, he wrote in big letters on his test form, “Really digging these bad boys!” Rory is slightly lighter weight than Mike with a similar ski ability and technique, so it’s interesting to note that he focused more on stability and power than Mike did. Rory referred to the QST 106 as a “pow-crud-steeps machine” and added that it’s one of those skis that made him want to “point and shout!” It’s really cool to see that despite it being relatively lightweight it still gave Rory to confidence and stability he felt he needed to absolutely charge.
Justin Perry was another tester who really enjoyed the QST 106 after spending some time on the 181 cm length. Justin scored the ski 5 out of 5 for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, and overall impression. He thought the QST 106 was “a great all around fatter ski that will cut through anything you put in front of it.” When Justin tested the QST 106 the snow conditions were pretty soft and spring-like as we had firm snow in the morning and softer snow in the afternoon as temperatures rose. Justin found the ski to be a blast in the softer, creamy spring snow. “The cream cheese was no match for the tip rocker and the tail disengaged immediately.” Justin thought the QST 106 could be a “great one ski quiver for a west coast skier in any condition.”
We think Justin’s recommendation as a one ski quiver for a western skiers is pretty spot on. The ski handles soft snow and off-piste terrain extremely well, but still retains some performance on firmer snow. While the bigger, wider, QST 118 is a dedicated powder ski, the QST 106 is much more versatile. We’d like to add that an eastern skier could certainly enjoy a QST 106 as well, but it might be more appropriate as a more powder-oriented ski in an eastern quiver, depending on ski style of course.
