By most metrics, this is the most attractive ski going into 2024. Salomon has really stepped up their game when it comes to graphics, and this QST 106 has both the topsheet and the base to make it stand out in a crowded field of mid-100 mm freeride skis. Otherwise unchanged for 2024, the QST 106 remains a sturdy, smooth, floaty, and versatile ski that can do a whole lot of damage out there on the hill. From the steeps and deeps of Alta to the narrow trees of Vermont, this is a highly useful ski that offers a huge range of performance benefits for a wide variety of skiers. There’s a whole lot to like about these wide-bodied and fun-loving skis, and we’ve had nothing but fantastic experiences on this ski. Thanks to Salomon’s insistence that the 106 remains a slightly longer-turning and more athlete-focused ski on the list, the 106 retains a very high-performance ceiling and will withstand some very aggressive skiing and high speeds.

We get the same build as the 2023 version, relying on a full poplar wood core to give the ski its energetic yet stable character. On top of that we see Salomon’s use of C/FX material that blends carbon and flax stringers within a fiberglass laminate. This gives the ski its snap and pop when loaded up in a turn. Keeping things smooth and damp in the tips and tails is Salomon’s Cork Damplifier. We’ve seen ski companies turn to materials like cork and rubber to reduce vibrations, and while those materials do a great job at that application, they tend to not be particularly light. Now, it’s not like two relatively small pieces of cork are making the ski weigh a ton, it’s all part of the package. Underfoot, we’re getting Salomon’s Double Sidewall Technology. This adds a stiffer portion to the sidewall creating better edge grip and greater torsional stiffness. This, too creates some extra grams on the scale, but the performance you get out of these skis more than makes up for the weight. All told, we’re looking at a 1980 gram ski in the 181, which isn’t crazy heavy, but when you think about what QST has meant in the past, as a 50/50 resort to tour ski, that’s definitely on the hefty side. These days, it seems like they’ve moved that marketing needle more to the resort side, and we think that makes sense.

The QST 106 uses a straighter cut than the other skis in the QST range, with the 181 producing a 19-meter turn radius, featuring 139 mm tips and 126 mm tails. This puts more onus and responsibility on the skier to create, shape, and dictate the style of turn, aligning slightly in a more traditional sense in terms of pure freeride skiing. It’s certainly more than capable of still drifting sideways and making smeary and surfy turns, but it also has that straight-line mentality that’s prevalent in soft snow resort skiing these days. With a slightly lower rocker profile than the skis that bookend the 106 (98 and 112), it’s an interesting move—one that most other ski companies do not follow. Typically, rocker and taper will simply increase as the skis in a line get wider, but they’ve succeeded in making the QST 106 follow its own path, and that is one of more athlete inspiration and tradition. 

Salomon has definitely moved the needle forward in this lift-served freeride movement, and it’s interesting to see the journey that a ski like the QST 106 has embarked upon. At first, the QST line was lighter, softer, and easier to tour on, but not they’ve kind of gone the other way by separating it more from the uphill-specific skis in the brand. With a new QST Echo and the existing MTN line, the QST 106 has room to grow on its own, and Salomon has been more than happy to let the ski do just that.