The QST Lux 92 is part of Salomon’s Freeride All Mountain collection. These skis have designs derived from more freeride oriented powder skis, but in waist widths and using constructions that support all mountain skiing, not just use in soft snow. The QST Lux 92 uses an inverted wood core, Salomons CFX Superfiber (flax and carbon fibers woven together), and a Ti Power Platform. This construction keeps the weight impressively low, but adds in stability and energy thanks to the metal strip and CFX material. The result is a ski that on paper looks to be incredibly maneuverable and a great choice for adventurous skiers that don’t need the most aggressive platform (i.e. a ski with more metal). On paper is one thing, but what about on snow?
Kristi Brown described the QST Lux 92 as having a “warm and inviting personality without any surprises.” Kristi found the ski had an impressive combination of performance characteristics, scoring it 5 out of 5 for stability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, and versatility. We really like to point out any time a tester gives a ski a high score for both torsional stiffness and forgiveness. Those are two attributes that are difficult to combine into one ski, but typically result in very approachable ski for intermediates and less aggressive advanced skiers, something which Kristi seemed to agree upon. “The Lux will naturally enhance an intermediate’s ability.” We love Kristi’s first comment on the QST Lux 92, “Meow! The Lux purrs and turns with cat-like instincts.”
Ali Berlin tested the 161 cm length and agreed that the QST Lux 92 would make a great ski for progressing intermediate skiers. “This ski is meant for an intermediate skier looking to step up their game.” Because the ski is so forgiving it doesn’t punish you for making mistakes, but has the stability needed to start working higher speed skiing into the mix. They’re also very maneuverable and love making short turns, which helps less experienced skiers manage tighter terrain like moguls and trees. Ali described it as “great short radius turning.” While she did comment that she felt like they had a bit of a speed limit, we don’t think many skiers are going to push it to that point. Those that can will likely be choosing skis with more metal and high speed stability, anyways.
Chloe Wexler agreed that the Lux 92 prefers making short turns. In fact, she gave it high scores for all the criteria that support maneuverable, forgiving skiing: quickness, playfulness, and forgiveness, which is beginning to feel like the theme of this ski. Chloe skied the 171 cm length and described the Lux 92 as having a “short turn shape” and feeling both “playful and bouncy.” She felt like it had “good dampening at slower speeds, but poor dampening at high speeds.” For an intermediate or less aggressive advanced skier the Lux 92 is going to be a dream in terms of skiing tricky, tight terrain, something that Chloe noticed. “Good for skiing bumps and making short turns.”
Our testers on the QST Lux 92 confirmed our suspicions: it is incredibly maneuverable, very playful, and quite forgiving. While there are certainly more powerful skis on the market, few give such a nice mix of versatility while being approachable and relatively easy-to-ski for less aggressive skiers. It’s performance characteristics and the ski’s 92 mm waist width make it a perfect ski for exploring the entire resort without feeling overpowered, overly fatigued, or on the other end of the spectrum, not supported with decent stability.
