The Best Men’s All-Mountain Skis of 2022: Salomon Stance 96

Now in its sophomore year, the Salomon Stance 96 is like Thor’s Hammer. Inferior skiers won’t be able to handle these skis, but those who can will be able to destroy any ski run in any condition. With two full sheets of Titanal sandwiching a full poplar wood core, there is nearly the same amount of metal in these skis as Thor’s Hammer, too. “A big, fun, traditional all-mountain charger,” notes tester Luke Larsen. “Buckle up and hold on, this ski will let you know how fast it can go.”

Salomon adds some spunk by removing some of the upper layer of Titanal and adding a blended carbon and flax laminate. This reduction in the ski’s overall rigidity makes them more manageable at slower speeds, however, it doesn’t add any playfulness or poppiness. This was most appreciated by the testers who think “big air” is something delivered when a finger is pulled. “Perfect width, shape, and construction,” says Mike Britt. “An ideal one-ski quiver for the whole mountain. My type of ski.”

Go Deeper: What’s Great (and What’s Less Great) About the Salomon Stance Skis

The Stance 96’s general stiffness was harder to manage for some of the smaller testers, especially as the day went on. But the bigger guys and the pure finesse skiers were able to take advantage of all that power and smooth turn radius without many qualms. “Clean from turn-to-turn with no hesitation,” comments tester Mike Rogan. “Any age group will find this ski enjoyable; it will meet their needs and smile doing so.”

• Strengths: Stability at Speed (8th in category), Hard Snow Integrity (11th)
• Weaknesses: Playfulness (18th), Forgiveness (19th)

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Salomon Stance 96 – 2021 Men’s All-Mountain Ski Review

Testers couldn’t find consensus about what they liked in the all-new Stance 96. Some felt the skis were fully capable all over the mountain on a wide variety of terrain, while others felt the skis truly excelled making smooth arcs at high speeds. Built with two sheets of Titanal and Salomon’s signature Carbon/Flax blended laminate, this race-inspired ski shape can rail turns and handle variable conditions. Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to size down to get the most all-mountain versatility; there’s more meat here than one might expect.

STRENGTHS: Stability at Speed, Hard-Snow Integrity

WEAKNESSES: Forgiveness, Flotation

WATCH: SKI Review – Salomon Stance 96

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Shop the worldwide web for the Salomon Stance 96: REI | Backcountry | evo | Skis.com | Amazon

See all of 2021’s best men’s all-mountain skis