TRIP REPORT! BOB AND JEFF HIT ALTA WITH SALOMON SKIS
Last week, we had the opportunity to travel to Alta, UT to test some Salomon skis while chasing their Alpine Marketing Manager, Joe Johnson, around his home mountain. Needless to say, it was a blast. Having never skied Alta personally, and with Bob making his first trip since 1992, it was a pleasure to explore the legendary terrain and sample the snow conditions I’ve always heard so much about. We’ve put together a Trip Report style video, but we wanted to share some additional thoughts as well. Scroll down to hear from Bob.
My biggest takeaway from this entire trip is the effect this terrain has on Salomon’s ski designs. We spend a lot of time skiing at Stowe, and we’re lucky that Stowe provides excellent testing terrain, but it’s also not Alta. Skiing around on the QST 106, it became obvious to me the ski was almost designed specifically for this terrain. Of course, it’s useful in other parts of the world too, as should be evident in our recent QST 106 review, but it really shines at Alta. There’s enough stability underfoot to let it run at higher speeds through choppy terrain in the vast, expansive bowls and open faces, but then you can take it into steep, tighter terrain like Eagle’s Nest and the ski is quick, agile, and responsive. It basically does everything you’d ever ask a ski to do at Alta. It floats, it’s stable, and it’s quick. That’s a winning recipe
Another thought I kept coming back to over our two days at Alta is the versatility of the Stance collection. Bob touches on this as well, but we skied different widths. I opted for the Stance 90, for which I’ve always had a certain level of fondness. I enjoy its strength on a groomer, edge grip, and responsiveness, but also value the fact that it’s not super catchy, not stuck on its edge, and willing to make turns other than just carves. I started our second day on the Stance 90 with the intention of just taking a few warm-up groomer laps. Ultimately, we headed off-piste after just a run or two. While I would’ve preferred switching back to the QST 106, the Stance 90 was heaps of fun in un-groomed terrain and softer snow. Its subtle tip and tail rocker and taper shape allows for a smooth feel in off-piste terrain and softer snow. A little more work to flick it around, but easier than a lot of skis in the 2-sheets-of-metal category.
Before I leave you to Bob’s thoughts, I just want to extend a big “thank you” to Salomon for putting this trip together. It was an awesome experience, superb testing terrain, and we can’t wait to do it again.
Bob’s Report:
At a place like Alta, it's amazing how many different faces, aspects, pitches, snow conditions, and terrain options that you can ski in a short amount of time. We get pretty pigeon-holed here at Stowe, mainly sticking to one pretty consistent fall-line. While that's one of the best parts of skiing on Mount Mansfield, it's fairly easy to forget that there's not only a lot more out there in the world, but also that your skis have to be considerably more adaptable in order to make your overall ski experience more enjoyable. At Alta, your run can go from tricky traverse, to wide open bowl, to perfectly groomed trails, to tight and dry trees, and to softer spring-like snow at the bottom, all in the span of 10 minutes. It's a very interesting and exciting place to ski, and an amazing area to test out skis.
Between the three Salomon skis that I used during two days of mixed spring and winter conditions, there was certainly a range of uses and applications for each. The Stance 84, in the 185, was the clear choice for the early-morning groomers in terms of edge grip and energy. If you're going to have a ski like that at a place like this, though, it had better be able to perform in more arenas than just the corduroy. As such, taking it off-piste to north-facing Gunsight and up into the fresh snow of the Devil's Castle, it was clear that the Stance 84 could stand up to more than just smooth and manicured snow conditions. While it worked better in the well-traveled Gunsight zone better than in the days-old fresh and wind-affected Devil's Castle area, it's still a good reminder that an 84 mm underfoot ski can and should be able to handle these types of conditions and terrain. The only main detraction from the Stance 84 was in the Devil's Castle, where the tails wanted to behave like the directional shape that they are, often making the skis track a bit straighter than desired. Overall, though, for how well they carved down Collins Face and the steeper groomers, the versatility of the ski remained quite impressive.
It was very interesting, and also fun, to switch back and forth between the Stance 102 in the 183 and the 2023 QST 106 in the 189. The playfulness, flickability, and floaty fun of the 106 stood in pretty stark contrast to the stability, power, and dampness of the Stance 102. Honestly, it's pretty difficult for me to choose one over the other in terms of an Alta ski. The 106 is easier to turn, drifts a bit better, and has a bouncier feel to it in the crud and chop, but the 102 is an absolute blast, and really, really enjoys taking a more direct course down the fall line. This is where, for me, the Stance stood out. Additionally, the fact that once you go from off to on-piste, the 102 totally lights it up as a high-performance wider carving ski. It has a 23-meter arc in the 183, so it loves to track straight and true--it is not hooky at all, remaining super-smooth and predictable no matter the conditions or terrain. While the 106 is a fun freeride floater, I think I prefer the more directional nature of the Stance, but I'm really nit-picking here. I kind of wish they made a Stance 108.
Overall, being able to rip around a place like Alta on three fairly different Salomon skis was not only a whole lot of fun, but also a tremendous learning experience. We get pretty locked in to our routine here in Vermont, and it's great to see other aspects of the sport, and how different skis perform in vastly different zones than the ones we're used to.