2023 Salomon Stance W 94

Unchanged for 2023, the Stance W 94 from Salomon continues to be the widest ski in their women’s all-mountain collection and is designed to combine stability and edge grip on firm snow with versatility around the rest of the resort. Salomon uses a hybrid poplar and karuba wood core with their Metal Twin Frame technology. Two metal laminates are used in construction with long rectangular sections cut out of the upper metal sheet both in the fore and aft sections of the ski. Where the metal is removed, Salomon replaces it with their patented C/FX material. The use of carbon and flax is unique to Salomon and retains good vibration damping, responsiveness, and overall performance while slightly reducing the overall weight of the ski. The Stance W 94 is, however, still on the heavier side of the spectrum at 1720 g in the 161 cm length. The shape is relatively “normal” with mostly camber underfoot and some subtle, smooth rocker and taper lines in both the tip and tail of the ski.

Nifer Hoehn skied the 174 cm length, which she described as “just right” and added that the Stance W 94 should ski true to size for most skiers. We didn’t get a single score below 4 out of 5 from Nifer, which is always very impressive and catches our eye when analyzing results from the Test. We did see a couple criteria bump up to 5 out of 5 scores, those being stability and quickness/maneuverability. “These skis took me a few turns to get comfortable with, but once I did, I really enjoyed them. They are really, really fun and I was able to ski bumps, quick narrow turns, and wide GS turns with ease. They feel stiffer and heavier than they ski, which is maybe why it took me a second to get into them, but once engaged, they are surprisingly versatile, dynamic and lively. I would recommend these for a stronger female skier given that they like input and respond well to direction. Like the Blaze, I had these in the bumps, through some crud, opened them up and gave them some gas, and worked them in a tight space with little turns. They excelled in all areas.” That’s great feedback from Nifer and we agree with her assessment that it skis lighter than it feels when you’re riding the chairlift or holding them in your hand. That theme has remained consistent through all of the Stance skis in our testing.

Shannon Walton skied the 161 and noted that it was just right for her. Shannon gave top scores of 4’s out of 5 for flotation, stability, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. A low score of 1 out of 5 for playfulness shows Shannon’s impression that these skis are more business-like than playful. Shannon notes that “The Stance is a solid ski, it was very stable and had great edge hold. It felt very damp underfoot, but not very playful. This is a good ski to just chill and make some turns, a great choice for a new intermediate advanced or advanced skier looking for a wider ski.” Having that extra surface area is a great thing for both balance and flotation, so if you’re the type of skier that wants some extra material on the feet, the Stance W 94 is a great choice.

These women who tested the Stance W 94 are all of the advanced/expert ability level, and we think that’s the best market for the Stance W 94. Salomon has other all-mountain skis that are better suited to less aggressive women, like the QST Lux 92, for instance. If you’re a strong, powerful skier, however, you need a certain amount of stability at speed, vibration damping, and edge grip for skiing fast and the Stance W 94 has plenty.