2023 Salomon Stance 80

The Salomon Stance 80 returns for 2023 and essentially tweaks and repackages the construction and performance of the wider Stance into a narrower, more forgiving, and much more affordable option. It starts with a poplar wood core, then Salomon adds in a single sheet of titanal just under the topsheet. As is consistent with all Stance skis, long rectangular windows of metal are removed in the fore and aft sections of the ski and replaced with carbon. This allows Salomon to reduce the weight of the ski, and most importantly the swing weight of the ski so it’s a little easier to flick around. The Stance 80 is mostly camber with some subtle and smooth rocker in the tips and tails, but at 80 mm underfoot, the Stance 80 is predominantly focused on groomer-use with some light off trail abilities on the side.

Marcus Shakun tested the 169 cm length, which is quite short for his size, but Marcus has a lot of experience testing and analyzing skis in shorter lengths than he would choose for himself, so his feedback is still very valuable. We got mostly 3 out of 5 scores from Marcus across the board, which might not seem like good scores, but for a ski at this value with bindings, that’s actually really good. What’s also notable about Marcus’ scores is that they were very consistent, which is great for an all-mountain ski. “Really a great ski and found it pretty forgiving. with an intermediate at the helm, they would really appreciate its performance. A less aggressive advanced guy might also enjoy this ski especially longer lengths. The 14meter turn radius lets that skier dive in and work their way easily through the terrain in front of them. Great building block for skiers looking to progress to the next level. Holds a good edge at moderate speeds. Found my way into the bumps on centerline and it was versatile as it could be. Great value for a wide range of intermediate all-mountain skiers.” If you’re a relatively casual skier that spends most of your time on groomed slopes, you’ll love the Stance 80. As Marcus points out, you can also take it off trail and play around in the moguls and you’ll find the Stance 80 is quick, forgiving, and quite versatile for its 80 mm waist width.

Like Marcus, David Wolfgang also skied the 169 cm length, which he also mentioned felt short for his size. The Stance 80 does go all the way up to 185, with a 177 cm option as well, so plenty of room for skiers like Marcus and David to size up. Despite the short length, we actually got some favorable scores from David, including 5 out of 5 marks for quickness/maneuverability and forgiveness. Only torsional stiffness/edge grip dropped below 4 out of 5 to a 3, with the rest of our criteria landing in the 4 range. For a reasonably priced ski, that’s darn impressive. It’s worth mentioning that not many skis in this price range have metal in their construction, so big kudos to Salomon for pulling it off. Not sure how they did it… maybe they’re losing money when they sell them. Probably not, but that’s not for us to worry about either way. David added some short feedback to support his numerical scores. “Fun ski. Easy turning, yet stable at speeds.” Short, but sweet, which I suppose could also be used to describe David’s experience when testing the Stance 80. Those characteristics are important for an intermediate as well. You want easy turn initiation, but it’s nice to have some stability too as it gives you the confidence to ski a little faster and supports progression in any skier.

Overall, we think Salomon did a fantastic job with the Stance models. The 80 is not quite as burly as the wider Stance skis (starting with the 90), but they have a similar feel and attitude while being more approachable for a less aggressive skier. You can work on your carving turns on groomers, start exploring off-piste terrain like moguls and trees, and most importantly, have a lot of fun while doing so. It’s just a bonus that the ski is so affordable, which leaves more in your pocket for après.