2023 Salomon QST 92

The ever-present Salomon QST 92 gets a few updates for 2023, including different lengths, a slightly shortened radius, more dramatic taper and rocker, and the implementation of double sidewalls. What remains is the perfectly balanced ski that loves to be used in any and all scenarios. Thanks to Salomon’s ability to make a well-rounded ski, the QST 92 falls into the “every person” ski category. Any skier, regardless of ability, location, or terrain, can get on a QST 92 and love it. While it lacks the upper-end stability of a ski like the Stance 90/96 with dual-metal laminate, for what it is, it performs at a very high level. It’s strength, like a lot of low-mid 90 mm all-mountain skis, is in its versatility, and that makes a whole lot of sense for most skiers out there in search of the perfect one-ski quiver. In the 176 cm length, the skis generate a 16-meter turn radius and tip the scales at 1800 grams. With tip and tail rocker to make it feel a bit shorter and quicker than the numbers indicate, it’s okay to size up on this ski if you so choose.

Chris McClelland notes that the 176 felt a bit short for him, and as a taller skier, that’s not too surprising. He was all 3’s and 4’s on his card, with the 4’s given for overall impression, versatility, flotation, quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness. This is a nice high baseline of scores with no apparent weaknesses. Chris notes that “the QST 92 I was on was a little short for me but the shorter length felt really playful in bumps and trees. I really enjoyed how the ski felt in control when turning on the tips and had a lot of pop out of shorter turns. I was impartial to how the ski carved, there was some good response when pushing though the ski but I think I lost a lot of stability using a shorter ski. The ski also didn’t feel very damp, I could really feel the ice and bumps. I would recommend this ski for an upper intermediate to advanced all-mountain skier who loves getting off-piste and into bumps and trees.” There’s certainly a huge off-trail component to these skis, and if it’s going to feel short, it’s better to feel short in variable terrain. Hans von Briesen was also on the 176, and as another taller skier, he’d size up for a personal pair. That said, he had a lot of high scores on his card—5's out of 5 were given for flotation, quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness. 4’s were next for overall impression, versatility, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. Hans states that the QST 92 were “Really fun and snappy. Didn't want to get into the bigger radius without a ton of motivation to get there...it really preferred to hang out in the mid to short radius turn and when in that mode it performed as well as any ski. Major props for fitting in the gondola ski rack together.” So, I guess not too much in the tail rocker for the ski holders—that's a good measure of when a ski transitions into the true “twin tip” category.

Jeff Neagle states that the 176 is “a little short,” and that’s left us to wonder if the longest 184 will satisfy even taller or larger skiers out there. He gave top scores of 5 out of 5 for quickness, maneuverability, playfulness, and forgiveness. 4’s for versatility and overall impression speak loudly for the character and personality of the ski. “I'm really happy to see the QST 92 receive the same changes as the rest of the QST line. It basically takes this ski's existing capabilities and amplifies them. Easily one of the quickest, most agile skis in its category. It's a blast as an eastern tree ski and in moguls. It's not the strongest ski on a groomer, but only a really aggressive skier will find those limitations. For a lot of less aggressive or more intermediate skiers, it would be perfectly fine on a groomer, while allowing them to explore new terrain and play around in soft snow. I skied it on a soft snow day at Pico, on our usual testing grounds at Stowe, and even through the trees and steeps at Alta. It performed admirably in all 3 locations. I think a lot of western skiers would want to go wider, but you can't deny its capabilities in bigger terrain like that. You don't really want to open it up and just let them run in those situations, rather focus on the quickness and maneuverability of the ski and use that to your advantage. Super easy to flick around.”

Dave Hatoff and Benny Wax also enjoyed their QST 92 experience, with consistent high scores and equivalently high praise. The emphasis, like the other testers, mainly came down to versatility, as that’s just what these skis are designed to do. From construction and shape to profile and weight, these skis are veritable Swiss-Army knives of the ski world, and they happen to be a whole lot of fun to boot.