2021 Salomon QST Lux 92

All-mountain versatility has certainly found a home in the Salomon QST line, and more specifically, the Lux 92. I guess the name means it's "luxurious," and it is, but it's also quick, nimble, spry, and stable. All of these qualities add up to a fantastic ski that returns unchanged for 2021. The new model in 2020 boasted a different shape and a bit more weight for stability. This came in the form of the cork added to the tips and tails, allowing the ski to motor along unencumbered by terrain variations or snow condition changes. In turn, skiers became more confident with the skis, and were able to accomplish more in the way of progression and fun. They are chatter-free on soft snow, and while the 92 mm waist is just a bit wide for railing true GS turns on hard pack, they can certainly hold their own. For a ski without metal, it's pretty darn tough-matching up well against some of the burlier skis in this category. What it lacks in heft and bulk, it makes up for in nimbleness and quickness. Our testers last year loved the ski's natural and easy-going feeling, but also the fact that it has a high gear, and with the tip and tail rocker and more pronounced taper, it's a great ski for any and all conditions, from firm ice to deep snow, and everything in between.

With the amount of skis Danielle Nichols has been on in her life, it's always cool to hear her say "another pleasant surprise!" She was on the 177 and found it to be just right. Scores of 5's for playfulness and forgiveness are impressive, and with 4's for versatility, stability, and overall impression, it's pretty clear that Danielle not only enjoyed the ski herself, but would also be confident in recommending it to a wide variety of skiers. In addition to the surprise, Danielle says it's "also a friendly, easy-going ski, but you can still step into it and it reacts nicely. I would recommend this ski to intermediates all the way to expert skiers." It is that ability of the ski to handle both low-speed and high-performance skiing that makes it stand out in this crowded field.

Also on the 177, Kristi Brown had nothing but high scores for the 92, with nothing less than a 4.5 out of 5. It's this type of scoring that reinforces the ski's versatility more than anything else. The fact that all of these scores are all 5's for the most part is the most impressive piece of the equation. She got on the ski on the last part of the day, and at that point, most of our testers are pretty smoked. Kristi's in pretty good shape, so she still managed to get some good insight on the 92. "Last run of the day and super-fun! I'm loving the bigger shovel and butter-smooth entry to the turn. I skied the 177 and was surprised about the versatility even given the length." Top comments and marks all around from Kristi, showing the upper-end potential for these great sticks. Ariel Aidala also noticed the larger tip, and she thought it made her 161-cm test length ski feel a bit shorter. Skis can look a bit stubby if there's a lot of tip taper, and the fact that Ariel would typically be on a longer length most likely compounds that feeling. It didn't seem to affect the "easy maneuvering and pleasant damping underfoot for good control." Her top scores of 4 out of 5 were given for flotation, versatility, and overall impression, with the rest of her scores being 3.5's. This shows that well-rounded nature of the ski for sure.

The wider shovels and tails make the ski easy to turn and fun to float around on. Not quite the edge grip or carving power of a similarly shaped ski with metal in it, but there's likely more skiers out there in the world who would prefer the QST 92 to a bigger, stiffer, and heavier ski for a lot of reasons.