The developers at Salomon spent three years combining a wide variety of materials with the aim of reducing the weight of the skis without losing rigidity and flexibility. In the end, the combination of carbon and flax (1 CFX Super Fiber*) proved to be optimal and is mainly used in the tip and tail. This makes the QST ski series rather soft and agile in the tip and tail. Under the binding, a titanium plate provides the necessary stiffness and good power transmission even in rough conditions. This composition is supported by the tried-and-tested Full Space Frame wood core (this Space Frame technology, currently in version 3.0, has its origins in the legendary Pocket Rocket).
First impression
I don't normally place too much emphasis on looks, as function is clearly the most important thing for me, but I was still surprised by the design, which is rather unusual for a mass-produced ski. It immediately made me curious. But it wasn't just the look that surprised me on first contact, but also the weight, because the ski is really light (although of course not in the range of a ski touring ski). All in all, it is a typical "freetourer", as they are currently very much in vogue.
A Marker Kingpin on Bootcenter is mounted on the ski. The ski and I have done around 40 tours in a wide range of conditions, steepnesses and speeds. I'm testing the ski in 188cm, weigh 85 kg and am 186cm tall. In recent years, I've been on the road a lot with the Dynastar Big Dump and Black Crows Sevun, and on longer tours with the Dynastar Cham 97 (test report). The descent (speed) is also particularly important to me on ski tours. Running uphill is all well and good, but if the sports equipment isn't good enough to let it rip on the descent, the combination doesn't work for me at all.
