Is This the Most Fun All-Mountain Ski Salomon Has Ever Made?

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: all-mountain skis are a compromise. In order to be good at everything, it’s pretty hard to be great at anything. There are lots of excellent skis out there that focus on one part of the all-mountain experience, whether its carving and hard-snow performance, crud-busting off-piste, or leaning into freestyle tendencies. Salomon’s newest addition to the award-winning QST line brings everything we love about the line into a package perfectly suited for everyday skiing in firm conditions.

In fact, the Salomon QST 100 might be the most fun firm-snow ski I’ve ever been on. The ski balances playfulness, power, edge hold, and pop into an extremely approachable and easygoing package that just about every skier will not just get along with, but love. 

Salomon QST 100 Specs

• Size skied: 180cm, 188cm
• Lengths available: 148cm, 156cm, 164cm, 172cm, 180cm, 188cm
• Sidecut: 135mm – 100mm – 123mm
• Radius: 18.5m (188cm)
• Profile: directional rocker/camber/rocker
• Weight: 2000g (188cm)
• Colors: Cosmic Sky, Iceberg Green

Shape, Flex and Construction

Salomon’s QST line has evolved greatly over the past decade. When they were first released, they fell much more onto the aggressive and stiff end of the spectrum that catered to more aggressive skiers. Nothing wrong with that, but I (and many other skiers) found them to be a bit overwhelming and not particularly easy to ski. Fast forward to today, and Salomon has yet again finessed the line’s construction offer a soft, forgiving, and very round flex that somehow also provides a powerful and remarkably damp ride.

Inside, there’s a poplar wood core (lively and responsive), mixed with two existing hallmarks of the QST line: full-length basalt stringers and the cork “damplifier” that’s expressly designed to absolutely delete vibrations in the front half of the ski. This tech is found across the entire QST line (including the QST Blank, QST 106, and others).

From a shape standpoint, this 100mm waisted ski features a short turn radius mixed with a ton of tip and tail taper (to form a short but grippy effective edge). There’s quite a bit of tip and tail rocker for this narrow of a ski, indicating its freeride and even freestyle influence. 

Uniquely, instead of offering a separate men’s and women’s ski, Salomon is simply offering the QST 100 in two colors: Cosmic Sky (blue) and Iceberg Green (green, shockingly). Both colors are available in the full size run. 

On-Snow Performance

As the second-narrowest ski in Salomon’s QST line, the QST 100 is best paired with firmer conditions at the resort, both on and off piste. This is one of the most confidence-inspiring skis for firm conditions, no matter the terrain, be it morning groomers, afternoon bumps, or (more than anything) chalky alpine steeps that require quick finesse-y skiing. 

On groomers, the soft flex allows you to lean the QST 100 over and really power the ski into a turn before the edge grip kicks in and allows you to carry massive amounts of speed through carves without the ski feeling like it wants to escape you. There’s plenty of hardpack skis out there that strong, experienced skiers can harness, but the QST 100 makes carving not just easy, but incredibly fun. 

Off-piste, the soft flex, paired with damping properties of the basalt stringers and cork inserts, allows the ski to track through chop and re-frozen garbage better than most. The edges absolutely will not skitter across unexpected firm patches, instead holding steady like a car with traction control.

Where the ski might fall short is at the top end of the performance envelope. If you’re looking for a ski to straightline groomers, ski as fast as possible, and just all-out charge all the time, the Salomon QST 100 might fall short. It’s too soft, and instead feels more interested in actually turning your skier input into beautiful turn shapes than destroying everything in its path.

One tester adds: “It was really fun, very stable, like crazy stable! You are in control all the time no matter the conditions which is super helpful with choppy, uneven conditions. They want to flow along the run, almost going through whatever is in their path. Playful where you want, controlled when you need!”

Comparisons

There’s a few directional freestyle-inspired all-mountain skis out for 2026, but the Salomon QST 100 is perhaps one of the most unique. 

The QST 100 is significantly softer and much more playful than the Völkl Revolt 101, but offers similar high-speed stability. I think it’s an easier ski to rip bumps and soft chalk on, but the Revolt 101 offers better performance for really high speed skiing. 

For the park rats out there, the QST 100 could be considered a more “serious” version of the Salomon Depart, built more for hardpack skiing than sliding around in all directions in the park, but still retains the poppy, soft and playful character.

Finally, compared to the Rossignol Sender Free 100, another surprisingly approachable and versatile 100mm waisted all-mountain ski, the QST 100 offers a more surfy, directional shape. I’d argue it’s also even easier to hop aboard and love for beginner and intermediate skiers.

What type of skier is the Salomon QST 100 best for? 

For a few years running, Salomon’s QST skis have been among the best-selling skis in North America, and for good reason. They cater to a vast spectrum of skier types, from high-level freeriders to parents looking to get out for a few laps with their kids. The new unisex QST 100 brings that same versatility, easygoing yet no-upper-limit character, and extremely fun shape into a package for everyday resort skiing, making it one of the best all mountain skis of the year. Whether you’re a seasoned dad looking to continue keeping up with your kids, a 50+ day a year resort ripper looking for a new firm snow daily driver, or someone just getting into the sport, the QST 100 has got your back.