Salomon

QST 106 Ski - 2023

Great west coast daily driver

I bought QST 106s last year to serve as my west coast daily ski. From powder to steeps and bumps these skis are great, surprisingly agile given the waist width. Probably a bit heavy for touring but great resort ski and small missions.

Nice

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

181

Height:

6' 2"

Weight:

175

Nimble, fun, all mountain ski. Purchased as soft snow/crud driver but surprisingly productive on groomers/firm conditions too. Highly recommend

NO durability

The QST serious are an incredible ski, for their weight and ride. I’ve been skiing the 99 and the 106s for the past four seasons and love the way they ski. But, they are a fragile ski. They have a problem that the core cracks, as I found on the 99 and that the edges are so weak compared to similar price/type of skis as I learned with the 106. If you want an amazing ski, but only want it for half a season before it fails in some way this is your skis. If you want a ski that is very similar but actually lasts more than half a season look elsewhere. Having ridden similar (like the Head Kore) skis in similarly hard charging rocky terrain and never had any durability issues I unfortunately have to move on to skis that last longer.

Terrific Choice

I've been on the QST 118 for years and this year decided to get something I could use a little more in bounds at the resorts. While the 118 was truly impressive, I find the 106 is incredible in deep snow on steeps but also super agile and quick on the groomed stuff. This kind of agility has allowed me to pick up a little more speed compared to the past, and it's great to feel so stable at high speeds. I'm a happy user. This ski does it all!

New fave resort skis

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

173

Height:

5' 7"

Weight:

146

Bought these 106s to be more nimble in Utah pow but they cut and turn strong even on crust and crud. They are my daily driver for anything that's not ice!

Favorite Go-To Ski

This is my go-to ski for everyday skiing. If you need a quiver killer, this is darn close to handling everything you need. Nice early rise to initiate turns, great cut for carving on groomers, plenty of width to float on those powder days.

Game changer

I ordered these for a recent trip to Tahoe and man did they ever make the difference. They provided a fair amount of float in deep powder and remained nimble in the trees.

Game Changer For Me

I demoed these skis at Kirkwood last month and bought a pair when I got home. I have a pair if really light 88 waist skis and they are tough to ski in powder, chop and crud like I ski in in Northern California. The One Oh Six makes charging in what used to be challenging snow much easier and a lot more fun. They float really well and knife through the deep chop really well. They are super nimble on the bumps and in the chutes. They reward good skiing and are forgiving of less than good skiing. I feel like can get a lot better on these skis. I am 6'0, 175 lbs. I went with 181 length, I am an advanced skier.

Love these skis!

I bought my first pair of QST 106 skis in 2016 and have had a few pairs since. I skied patrolled on them and they were excellent for 99% of the conditions (except the rare super icy days, but who wants to ski those days anyways?). As I wear out the skis I keep going back to them because they are so versatile and handle well in so many conditions. No need to change a good thing! And I don't want this to sound like they wear out quickly because they don't, I just used them everyday for multiple seasons. So far this season's QST do not disappoint!

Slayer!

Salomon continues to improve the QST 106 by adding a combination of cork and flax to the tip which really improves the dampaning and torsional stiffness of this ski, Salomon also added a cm of length to the 188's (now 189) which doesn't seem like much but it is noticable at speed. By building the ski this way it allows the ski more powerful at any speed but also playful when you dip into the tight trees. Aiding in the playfulness, Salomon tightened the turning radius from 19m to 18m in the 189 length. The changes Salomon made to this ski really makes it so much fun on every surface the mountain can throw at you.