2023 Salomon S/Force Ti.80

Skiing the front side of the mountain is a whole lot more fun and exciting when you have conditions-appropriate skis on your feet, and in this light, the Salomon S/Force Ti.80 is a fantastic choice. This ski returns unchanged for 2023, and that’s marvelous news for carving enthusiasts who want something precise, stable, grippy, and energetic. Last year, we saw some pretty darn high-end skiing on this ski, and we’re happy to report that the trend continues into 2023. Built with a poplar wood core, two sheets of metal, Edge Amplifier GS, and Crossover Tip, Salomon packs a lot of tech into a relatively narrow ski. The Edge Amplifier GS is a great way to get a lot more grip and torsional stiffness underfoot, making the ski hold on ice really well. Keeping the tips silent and stable, the Crossover Tip is an effective bit of material that allows for easy initiation and light swing weight while keeping the skis firmly planted on the snow. In the 177 cm length, the skis generate a 16-meter turn radius, so they’re sharp turners for sure. Thanks to the edge amplifier and the total lack of taper, you get true tip to tail edge control and a super-smooth ride.

Mark MacDonald skied the 177, noting that it was a good length for him. He’s often seen cruising the groomers of Mount Mansfield with precision and speed, so he’s a great tester to get on the Ti.80. Unsurprisingly, we see Mark scoring the ski lower scores in certain areas, due to the fact that the Ti.80 is more of a one-trick pony than a versatile all-mountain ski. A 1 out of 5 for flotation is certainly warranted, as is a 2 for versatility. Higher scores of 3’s out of 5 for stability, quickness, maneuverability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold are more of what we’d expect to see from this ski. None of these scores from Mark jump off the page, nor do his comments. “Stability was decent. Overall a decent front side ski.” While it doesn’t sound like Mark is running to the shop to buy an S/Force Ti.80 any time soon, it’s always nice to get the perspective of a solid front side skier like Mark.

Both Bob St.Pierre and Greg Petrics skied the 184. Bob notes that it “Actually felt a little bit long! I was surprised by this one, but with carving skis, I'm generally preferring a bit shorter these days.” Bob had lower scores of 2’s out of 5 for versatility, forgiveness, and flotation, with opposing 5’s for torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability. Bob notes that the S/Force Ti.80 is “A whole lot of fun for on-trail carving activities. It's not the most responsive ~80 mm underfoot ski I've been on, but it sure feels like it's a solid and stable carving machine. Very fast and loves to be on edge.” Greg scored 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold, forgiveness, and stability. 4’s were given for quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness. “This ski was very fun, and felt like a wider GS ski. I found the speed limit at super-G speeds, but it still held up at that speed. The ski's personality is a to grip the front side of the mountain for ex racer type skiers. The strengths are that it has almost endless grip on front side groomers. The weakness is obviously that it shouldn't be taken off-piste too far, but I expect that it could actually do ok on a 3-6" fresh snow day. In this regard it was better than the other skis. This ski is best for advanced intermediates and advanced skiers. A former racer looking for GS Radius skis that can rail into SG speeds would be the best fit for this ski.”

We’ve certainly seen some high-end skiing on these skis, and if you’re in the market for that ~80 mm underfoot front side ski, the Salomon S/Force Ti.80 should be on the list for sure, especially if you’re looking for something that has minimal taper and rocker, but still is light and maneuverable enough so that it doesn’t feel exactly like a race ski.