The Best Men’s Powder Skis of 2022: Salomon QST Blank

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One of the few all-new skis released this season, the Salomon QST Blank deserves all the hype it’s getting and then some. Built entirely without metal and a new shape with a tighter-than-average turn radius, the ski earned praise from testers for being resoundingly easy and fun to ski in soft snow and variable terrain. “Stable, easy to engage, and user friendly but can charge fairly well,” notes tester Nick Loomans. “Comfortable for someone looking for their first powder ski and can still carry a very high level of skiing.”

Related: If you’re not having fun in powder, you’re doing it wrong

Rather than use metal for stability underfoot, the QST Blank uses Salomon’s Double Sidewall technology. That means there are actually two sets of sidewalls in this ski: The full length ones that are standard for most sandwich construction skis, and another high density injected ABS layer located along the length of the binding mount area. Combined with a full poplar wood core and a carbon/flax blended laminate, the QST Blank is plenty powerful, but not overbearingly so like some of the other skis in this category.

The stability from the construction combined with a 17-meter turn radius in the 188 cm length gives the QST Blank a high level of versatility (for reference, the narrower QST 106 has a 19-meter turn radius). Combined with a welcoming Forgiveness rating and plenty of playfulness, the QST Blank is likely to be the hottest fat one-ski-quiver option this year in the Wasatch, Tahoe, and beyond. All for good reason, too. “This ski is sneaky quick for a big pow ski,” says tester Todd Casey. “Versatile and fun. The construction provides usable power, not just power just for the sake of it.”

• Strengths: Forgiveness (4th in category), Balance of Skills/Versatility (4th)
• Weaknesses: Quickness/Maneuverability (7th), Flotation (8th)

Learn More

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