2023 Salomon QST Blank

The 2023 Salomon QST Blank returns unchanged from last year, which is fantastic news for skiers who loved the floaty, playful, and shorter-turning Blank from 2022. In the middle of the 2020/21 ski season, Salomon released this new QST Blank for 2022. It was immediately met with a lot of attention and high praise from a wide range of skiers. The development was largely rooted in athlete influence, and a wide range of different athletes at that, so I suppose it’s not surprising it works well for a lot of different skiers. It is, through and through, a powder ski with its 112 mm waist width. Salomon also uses a Twin Rocker profile that has significant rocker both in its length and splay. It’s almost a twin tip. Actually, it basically is, but it’s also a directional ski. The idea was to allow certain skiers to take off and land switch without ruining directional performance for skiers that don’t care about that stuff whatsoever. Construction is similar to what we’ve seen in the QST series in the past with some subtle updates and tweaks. It starts with a full poplar wood core, then Salomon adds in their patented C/FX material and Double Sidewall Technology. C/FX blends carbon with flax to give the ski the benefits of both. Energy and responsiveness from carbon with vibration damping from flax. The Double Sidewall Technology gives the ski a stronger, more robust feel underfoot, which is important on this ski given the amount of rocker it has. This technique still retains good stability despite the short effective edge.

Bob St.Pierre skied the 186 cm length, and actually didn’t ski it in our 3-day Ski Test. Bob was lucky to get access to a pair earlier in the season on some superb powder days at Stowe. 5 out of 5 scores from Bob for flotation, playfulness, and overall impression. His lower scores didn’t surprise us and were consistent with what we expect in a powder ski. Torsional stiffness/edge grip and versatility both fell to 3 out of 5, but again, not a concern on a powder ski. “Timing is everything. While I did not get to ski this on test day for spring conditions, I did get on it in mid-winter when we had some great powder snow. In those conditions, the Blank is one of the most playful and fun skis I've been on in quite some time. The taper shape and rocker profile match up with the build of the ski perfectly, allowing for seamless transitions between turns. You don't have to smear it--the Blank turns well at a variety of edge angles. I thought that 112 would be too wide for snow days in VT, but the stability and power, especially underfoot, are quite impressive for the girth of the ski. The long rocker profile and 17-meter turn radius did make the 186 feel a bit short, but that didn't stop me from having a good time. I think a lot of advanced and expert skiers are going to be very surprised and pleased with how this ski handles in a variety of conditions, not just untouched powder.”

Marcus Shakun had a similar opportunity and got to ski the Blank both in our test and multiple times throughout the season. He opted for the longest length, 194 cm. Marcus’s scores were relatively similar to Bob’s, although more consistent throughout. Quickness/maneuverability stayed at 3 out of 5, flotation 5 out of 5, and every other criterion from Marcus received a 4 out of 5 score. Those are impressive scores for a ski this wide. “Maybe one of the skis I had the opportunity to ski every condition on. Hard pack (not a typo, it was extra hard), it was stable and gripped really well. Not ideal for those conditions, but it held its own. On the epic powder day, it was awesome. It rose up from the depths of the snow and dove back in. Very surfy and playful in the woods. Then on the blower groomer it blasted through the snow but gripped into the fresh corduroy beneath and made fun playful arching turns. Springtime deep heavy corn, it blows apart the mounds of snow as it maneuvers with ease down the hill. For their width, these skis are super-versatile and can provide a different experience for a variety of skiers.” Josh Wolfgang stuck with the 186 cm length and had some nice succinct feedback on the QST Blank. “Super fun ski. Probably the most playful ski I’ve been on all year. Gives you so much confidence to go do whatever it is you want to do. Fun fun fun!” Not surprisingly, Josh awarded the QST Blank 5 out of 5 scores for playfulness, and quickness/maneuverability, forgiveness, versatility, and overall impression all earned that score as well.

The QST Blank remains the widest and surfiest ski in Salmon’s lineup. If you’re an advanced or expert skier who’s looking for a powder ski that can actually turn, this is a good place to start. While we normally see fat skis with longer turn radii, the Blank goes the other way. This increases the maneuverability in powder as well as making it a pretty fair carver when the conditions are less than bottomless.