2023 Salomon Stance W 84

The 2023 Salomon Stance W 84 returns unchanged from last year, much to the delight of intermediate and advanced skiers who spend most of their time on groomed terrain. Salomon has taken the success of the Stance line and expanded it into a bigger collection of skis that’s now home to two new narrower skis, one being this Stance W 84. The overall theme of the skis is consistent with the wider Stance models. They’re designed for responsive performance on firm snow with some versatility for off-trail skiing as well. They are, however, more firm snow focused than Salomon’s QST line. The construction of the narrower Stance skis is, however, a little different than the wider models. In the Stance W 84, we get a karuba and poplar wood core, which is consistent with the wider models, but we get a single sheet of metal instead of two. On all Stance skis, Salomon removes long rectangular sections of the metal laminate both in front of and behind the bindings. In the 84, this section is then replaced with carbon, which is slightly different from the C/FX used in the wider models. The result is a quick, energetic ski that’s also quite lightweight. Even the longest length, a whopping 175 cm, is just 1640 g, which is an impressive feat considering the use of metal. Our testers found a range of performance in the Stance W 84 that’s appropriate for a wide range of skiers from less aggressive intermediates all the way up to more accomplished advanced women.

Kristi Brown took an immediate liking to the Stance W 84 when she tested the 167 cm length. Kristi perhaps has the most ski testing experience of anyone in our Ski Test, and we always bookmark her feedback, especially on skis like the Stance W 84. Kristi awarded it 5 out of 5 scores for both quickness/maneuverability and playfulness. Forgiveness, torsional stiffness/edge grip, versatility, stability, and overall impression were all right behind at 4 out of 5. Only flotation dropped to a lower score, a 3, but that’s not surprising given the 84 mm waist width. This ski isn’t really designed to float. Sometimes Kristi’s feedback on a ski is somewhat hard to decipher, although we always enjoy her creative descriptions of ski performance. “Damn, that Stance can take my dance card! Super fun with a little feist to zing you along. The Stance is a fun loving all mtn ski that has boundless energy for the woman who enjoys easy turning with edge hold when needed.”

Lauren Lepage also skied the 167 cm length and absolutely loved the performance of the Stance W 84. We got almost full perfect scores from Lauren, with only flotation dropping below a perfect 5 out of 5 score. Those are extremely impressive scores for a ski that hits more of a budget price point, far less expensive than most high-level all-mountain skis. “A charging ski with amazing grip and torsional stiffness. I love the way it skied; it was definitely a top ski for me in the 2023 Ski Test!” Pascale Savard also went for the 167 cm length, which she described as skiing true to size. It’s always really interesting to see contrasting feedback from different testers. Not to say that Lauren and Pascale found completely different results, but their feedback was different. “Fun ski, probably best suited for intermediate skiers, felt a little soft for me but was fun in the changing terrain. Good all-mountain ski.” 5 out of 5 from Pascale for playfulness, with flotation, stability, quickness/maneuverability, forgiveness, versatility, and overall impression all earning 4 out of 5 scores.

This feels like a good time to remind everyone that ultimately, ski performance is a pretty subjective thing. There are objective consistencies to any ski, but every skier is a little different and everyone’s perception is going to change based on their prior experiences and ability level. Kristi and Pascale are both longtime, extremely experienced skiers with race backgrounds. They spend a lot of time skiing powerful, aggressive skis. Lauren, on the other hand, is a more recreational skier who falls somewhere in the intermediate to advanced range. Kristi and Pascale focused their feedback on the ski’s quickness and playfulness, while Lauren was enamored by its grip and stability. That suggests the Stance W 84 can be different things for different skiers, but regardless of who you are and how you ski, the consistent theme is that it’s a lot of fun and a rewarding skiing experience.