Everything You Need To Know About The Salomon Stance Ski
Salomon skis continues to impress me. From one skier to another I was never the biggest fan of Salomon. Their skis were too soft or too stiff and really didn’t fit into my style of skiing. That was until the redeveloped the QST 92 ski and now the Stance Series. Saying I’m a Salomon Fan-girl may be an overstatement but right now from 2020 into 2021 I’m really digging their skis.
Before I even dive into the technical details of the Stance Skis let me lay out the typical skier who might be skiing this ski. I’m going to focus on the Women’s Stance 88 and the Men’s Stance 90 ( Though I reference the 88 most of all). These were my two favorite out of all the Stance’s I tried at the industry test fest back in January. The Stance is a ski for the everyday recreational skier. It’s the all-mountain, daily driver, hard charger of skis. For those familiar with the XDR series this is the new inception of that. I ski like a Slalom skier. I take short and aggressive turns. I’ll lay my edge over but it’s a precise turn and I don’t like to draw it out. The Stance ski clicked with me because it was precise and edge-able. When I gained speed and wanted to make a turn I felt in control and confident that my edge would hold.
Technical Goodies
Salomon Stance 88 Specs:
- Lengths (cm): 154, 161, 168, 174
- Sidecut Dimensions (mm): 120/88/102 (@161)
- Radius: 17m (@161)
- Weight: 1,520g (@161)
- MSRP: $725
Salomon Stance 90 Specs:
- Lengths (cm): 168, 176, 182, 188
- Sidecut Dimensions (mm): 126/90/106 (@176)
- Radius: 18m (@176)
- Weight: 1,775g (@176)
- MSRP: $800
The Women’s Salomon Stance 88 is essentially the same as the men’s ski, yet the core is made of karuba/poplar not just poplar (Men’s skis are full poplar). Similarly both skis will have traditional metal titanal. Nothing to fancy, all designed with a full poplar wood core, race-inspired sidecut, full sandwich sidewall, and double Titanal construction for increased edge grip. Both the men’s and women’s Stance skis will feature a new technology to reduce weight and torsional rigidity of the core: laser-milled windows in the upper Titanal layer reinforced with a blend of carbon and basalt. The idea here is one, to replace the now dated XDR collection and to bridge the gap between the QST line and X/Max Collection. For skiers who need an everyday daily drive type ski the Stance is the best choice on the market. Though we focus on the 88 here, the women’s skis come in 88 and 94 underfoot- whereas the men’s is available in 90, 96 and 102 underfoot.
Personally having skiing the 94 and 96 I preferred the 88 and 90. The wider the ski got the less playful it became. I think if I were to choose a wider waist ski from Salomon I’d end up going to a QST. When the ski gets wider I still want it to be playful and forgiving, not overly damp and heavy which is the impression I got from the Stance line. A no brainier to me though is as an east coast skier (or even a west coast skier), if you want a reliable and trustworthy ski that will perform well for an intermediate to advanced level skier, the narrower Stance options are a great addition to a quiver. For carving or even east coast powder days, the stance is a great choice.
We’ll have these skis available for demo before this season is over, and purchase for early fall 2020.