Freeride skis
Product 2025
Woman, Man
We tested the Salomon QST X in 192 cm. Given its size and build, we could reasonably expect a dominant, hard-to-handle ski, with behavior in line with its dimensions… but this isn’t entirely the case in several areas.
First point: the Salomon QST X isn’t very heavy. However, the designers could have added some grip in front of the binding to make it easier to carry. We should note that we tested it with a Shift binding, which is slightly lighter than a traditional alpine binding. In any case, there’s relatively little inertia at the front of the ski.
With its 26-meter radius, it’s made for wide open powder turns. And it does this very well, with long, high-speed arcs. Logically, small short turns aren’t its thing. It’s designed for a solid skier who wants to perform at high speed in deep snow. In this regard, it’s highly recommendable—a ski for skiers who like to engage. Initially, we would have expected a more pronounced tip rocker, but it’s deceiving because the rocker starts very far forward, in a very progressive manner.
The Salomon QST X is very smooth in its responses. As we saw, it’s not overly reactive (not a lot of tail drift). It exits the snow well, it’s progressive, and it doesn’t give jerky responses. The rear rocker also starts very far back. However, the Salomon QST X is quite a pain to store in ski racks at the lifts.
The tip moves a lot on hard snow, so you need to really work to get it on the edge. It doesn’t transfer much feedback to the feet. In heavy snow, it’s straightforward—it glides over the snow with ease. In powder, it’s outstanding. You can ski it in a raised attitude, and the pivot is fairly easy. For forest skiing, the Salomon QST X is a bit stiff.
On hard snow, like most wide skis, the Salomon QST X requires some adjustment to get it on the edge. You really need to work the knee/hip angulation to get it locked onto the edge. Once you’re in a carved turn, it’s a big machine that powers through. It handles long turns at very high speeds. You need to be able to control it and shift it across the slope if necessary. The vibe: “guns blazing!”
As for the finish and build quality? The Salomon QST X degrades quickly on the edges. But it has a nice base.
An exclusive ski for aggressive off-piste skiers. Perfect for big lines at high speed. A true Fat ski.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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