2025 Salomon QST 106, QST Blank, and QST X Ski Testing at Alta with SkiEssentials.com - Day 1 Recap

[@richardcole4776]

Glad to see the gang back together, and having a blast! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the trip.

[@SkiEssentials]

It was fun being back together! Day 2 was DEEP!

[@bruceborden207]

Yes looking forward to part 2

[@batman50ish]

The Blank is the most versitile ski I've ever owned - truely a gem of a ski. Totally manageable, if not fun on groomers and obviously a powder slayer. Jumped from the 178 to the 184 this year and I'm very happy with the bump up in size. Still quick through the trees, but no more tip dive at speed in deeper snow and more reliable landings. Kudos to the crew at Salomon!

[@SkiEssentials]

It's an incredible ski! So fun in deep snow, but works great elsewhere too. Not many skis can make that claim.

[@lorenroot7667]

Stoked you had such good timing with the conditions. Emily was ripping!

[@choski76]

She f'n rips!

[@aliasErEf]

Alta ❤❤❤ you young men …and Lady you bring me back extraordinary memories few years back. Enjoy it life goes sooo fast. 🎉

[@SkiEssentials]

Wonderful advice, you are totally right.

[@craigpostreplyutube]

Great review. Loved watching Emily's fabulously beautiful technique, a Ski Essentials skier who doesn't drop her hands behind her 😉. Nice intro to the Salomon lines & of Alta.

[@SkiEssentials]

Shows what growing up skiing Mad River will do to your technique! I would argue Bob's pretty darn good at keeping his hands in front when he wants to!

[@cams3425]

Very cool to see all you guys together with the Salomon reps enjoying a great day at Alta. Always a good time at Alta!

[@SkiEssentials]

Can't wait to go back!

[@res_ipsa-REX]

At least you guys got some soft bottomless pow... a little crunch underneath in some spots but still a great day getting around Alta. That western ropeline off of Wildcat is great. I usually start my pow days on Wildcat since you can normally get an extra 3-4 laps of fresh tracks since most people start at Collins. The Armada ARV 116 JJ (regular) is my go-to Little Cottonwood ski. That ski will be an dinosaur starting next year. Great video guys. Emily rips the pow while looking very fashionable in her gear

[@SkiEssentials]

Such a special mountain! That rope line on Wildcat is wild. We had a blast reconnecting with Emily. It's always great to have her and her abilities for these videos!

[@jonklass]

My favorite kind of videos..love these!! So much great footage.

[@jons7e]

amazing views. those conditions are a dream for east coasters

[@SkiEssentials]

We got lucky, that's for sure!

[@chrishartwig]

Really great footage guys and gal, I want to go to Alta when more now.

[@raymondsiewert2720]

Man, Emily is a little charger, great skier ! 😊

[@SkiEssentials]

She rips!

[@alainbrouillaud484]

Epic snow conditions perfect for testing those skis.

[@carterfan80]

Some good info here. Seems like sizing up probably makes sense for me.

[@markingles5194]

I really enjoy this content. Excellent skiing skills from everyone It was good for me to see Bob's style in the deep stuff as He's a similar height and build to me.

[@SkiEssentials]

Thank you!

[@dcraig814]

You are all so fun to watch ski. Love your gear knowledge too.

[@SkiEssentials]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@ambertudor]

oOOH man, what a day, what a mountain, looked like fantastik powder, great runs, some sunshine, some new snow, GREAT skiis from salomon, You cant ask for anything more, ? Maybe another foot of the champagne!! Great job showing us the new Skis from salomon

[@SkiEssentials]

Another foot of snow almost perfectly describes our second day, so you've got that to look forward to!

[@ambertudor]

@@SkiEssentialsEven though the snow looked a little heavy for 12" of new, and by ALTA standards, You now know why ALTA/SNOWBIRD is one of the worlds premier ski destinations. I have skied ALTA many times when there was 4' of new and the snow was so light that i could barely feel any friction from the snow going over my head, i wish you guys could come back on a january/feb day like that and ski the salomons, its like a dream come true!! I m sure you are thinking that anyway after the 2nd day, great job to all of you!!!

[@drewmeehan5446]

Been loving the Qst blanks out here on the east this season. Underrated in tight trees. @jeff thanks again for the setup.

[@SkiEssentials]

Totally underrated--and not just in tight trees. So smooth, and glad you like them!

[@bradleyrounds9148]

Welcome to utah. I could learn sooo much purely following Emily 😊😊😊😊😅

[@SkiEssentials]

Lots of skiers could!

[@markfriedman8892]

Great Vid guys and Emily. I like seeing you on a Different Mountain esp out West.

[@SkiEssentials]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Skicloud1888]

This was a good ski review and a great guide to Alta too!

[@SkiEssentials]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@johnpierandozzi7740]

So happy you got out west, one of these days, hope you make it to Mammoth Mountain

[@SkiEssentials]

We'd love to! I (Jeff) lived in Mammoth in 2005/06. Love that mountain. It'll always hold a special place in my heart.

[@batman50ish]

Bob, that girl was totally flexing on you down that first pitch - I think youre good - but she's kind of a badass.

[@choski76]

Yeah I'd say the same thing.

[@SkiEssentials]

We are collaborative not competitive! 😉

[@batman50ish]

Just rousting you buddy - youre skiing is always 100% on point! @@SkiEssentials

[@DevinGT350R]

Looks so much fun! I have to get out there next season

[@SkiEssentials]

It's worth a trip for sure!

[@davezimmerman3044]

Great reviews! Flying out tomorrow!

[@WaechterDerNacht]

Always surprised to see what is considered "resort skiing" in north america compared to here in Switzerland, where nearly everyone that isn't within 50 meters of the groomers carrys all the avy gear etc. And yes, slightly jealous of the conditions. Here we have Föhn again over the easter weekend (like nearly every weekend it feels like this season). That is this wind you might have heared Derek Foose talk about during the Verbier Extreme which brought the sand from the Sahara. With this wind also comes alot of precipitation and colder temperatures on one side of the alps and dry and warm temperatures on the other side combined with very high windspeeds in the mountains. So i guess this years season (apart from some touring) is done... could keep going. I would like to have a couple more days of skiing at this point...

[@choski76]

Come to little cottonwood canyon next year

[@WaechterDerNacht]

@@choski76 it's slightly out of budget to fly over the pond and go skiing in the US or Canada. I can go skiing 2-3 days here (in certain areas even 4-5 days) for the prices of one ski ticket in north america. Not even taking transportation to the resort into consideration yet. Would love to do a longer trip over there with some good skiing, but that's gonna take a while to get the budget together...

[@GraemeChapman-d6z]

I really wish l was skiing at Alter instead of dealing with the real hot conditions where l live in the land down under. Really envious watching you guys ski that beautiful snow. 😢

[@SkiEssentials]

We've had a weird season here in Vermont, so maybe we earned it.

[@jonny8597]

Damn those skis are perfect for ripping Alta on a pow day, looks insane

[@GrampyScott]

So jealous! I did just recently purchase the QST 106.

[@SkiEssentials]

Sweet! Next step: take it to Alta.

[@src248]

We had totally opposite impressions on the X, I could not get that ski to drift but it loved round turns. It's supposed to have a 26m radius but I would have guessed closer to 18m after skiing it

[@SkiEssentials]

Interesting! What was the snow like?

[@src248]

@@SkiEssentials It was a day or two after a decent strom; still soft but the snow was chopped up and getting a bit heavy, plus some hardpack underneath/on groomers

[@JesusChristItsJasonFrog]

Amazing stuff as always ! So no changes to the QST 106 ? Glad I picked the 2024 ones, that lavender color is much better than the new one 🥵

[@SkiEssentials]

Correct! QST 106 and Blank stay the same for 2025, just graphics change. QST X is, of course, all new.

[@malcolmturner4232]

Wow Alta looked so good, and thanks for making the videos and sharing, question for Bob probably as I am similar size, what length he preferred in the QST Blank 186 or 194 ?, I am similar size to Bob maybe an inch or so shorter and similar weight. Be skiing in Japan and Western USA this coming season. So should be powder, in trees and in the back bowls also inbound resort area. Skiing for 30yrs and good to expert level. cheers

[@SkiEssentials]

It was great--hard to beat. I preferred the 194 in the Blank, mainly due to the turn radius. With the 116, I liked the 184 because it had a longer arc and was smooth and easy to drift. The Blank, though, likes a little extra length for stability and power at speed.

[@malcolmturner4232]

Thanks that confirmed what I am thinking the same to go 194, was just a bit unsure as usually ski in the 180 to 190 range. @@SkiEssentials

[@chrisgravel7157]

Question Rustler 11 vs Blank? I have the outgoing R11 in 188 and thinking of updating. Love the ski but would prefer more heft and consistency in the front of the ski and perhaps more dampness for pnw snow. Strong technical skier, usually driving my gear and never ski switch Thx in advance and loving all your fall videos ans reviews

[@SkiEssentials]

Definitely more heft and smoothness in the Blank vs. the new Rustler. The Rustler is more mobile, and very predictable, but the Blank is a special ski and holds up very well in the dampness category. Love how it floats and busts through crud and chop.

[@delriv5238]

Wow. What a day

[@WesleyGuanTableTennis]

Welcome to Utah. Hope there was an opportunity to say hi. I was at Alta on 3/25.

[@SkiEssentials]

We were in and out! Had a blast.

[@lorenroot7667]

Here’s a question I suspect not just me would be curious to know the answer/s to: knowing what you know now about the conditions you just skied during this Alta trip, if you could predict the future and had ANY ski to choose from - from ALL the skis you’ve tried and owned - what ski (or skis) are each of you putting on your feet for that week (and why)? I’m hopeful you don’t feel obligated to say some type of Salomon, then again I wouldn’t blame you as the Blank is my all-time favorite ski

[@SkiEssentials]

I think 110 is the place to be. I do think the Blank fits in here, but so does the 106, almost. I'd also put a big vote in for the Armada Declivity 108 or the Nordica Unleashed 108.

[@hotskillet]

Another tough day in the office for SE. Do the Stella’s/106’s ride shorter? Im torn in sizes> not concerned about top end speeds so initial thought is to lean towards equal ski length to rider height for tighter trees and more flickable situations.

[@SkiEssentials]

I don't know that they ski short necessarily, but they are more maneuverable than a lot of skis, if that makes sense. You're not sacrificing stability, in other words, you just gain a lot of maneuverability in the QST 106 compared to many of its competitors. Ski length equal to rider height should work great for what you're looking to do. I (Jeff) generally ski the 181 cm QST 106, which is just barely longer than my height.

[@bearclaw5115]

Great footage, the stuff dreams are made of! Maybe I missed a step, is Emily not with SkiEssentials anymore?

[@SkiEssentials]

She's still working with us, but she moved to Aspen this season, so there have been far fewer opportunities to ski together as a group.

[@alainbrouillaud484]

That lift line is insane!!!

[@SkiEssentials]

It was really only that one before the lift opened--after that it was smooth sailing for the next two days.

[@kgbzee]

All time favorite video of you guys. Cold smoke. Ok i have 173 cm on a2023 qst 106 love it! But just had similar conditions asthis video at Mammoth and felt like i needed more float and better chop performance. my other skis are 180cm brahma 82. looking for a wider powder and chop ski to round out quiver. hitting Japan in 2025 and mammoth utah regularly. is the blank enough of a jump from 106 or should i look wider. thinking head kore 117 mindbender 116c or anima. 5'10 185lbs. feel like 173 was probably too short on qst 106

[@kgbzee]

After watching more of your Vids the Qst X is looking interesting too. Thanks!

[@SkiEssentials]

The X is a very interesting ski and I'd put it right there with the Kore and K2 for lighter weight skis in this range. The Anima feels a bit heavier and sturdier. I feel like if you want to keep the same overall feel as the 106 but add in surface area, taper, and rocker, the Blank is the way to go.

[@pseudochicken4712]

I can usually tell someone is not from UT on the chair because they want the bar down. Idk why but in UT we don't like the bar down 😅

[@SkiEssentials]

I reached for the bar on the Wildcat lift every time we got on it I think... 😂

[@richardcole4776]

yeah, but for those with irrational acrophobia (worse in thin air), that silly bar seems to make all the difference in the world... wish it wasn't the case.😅

[@raymondsiewert2720]

That snow was unreal ! Deeeeep ! Fuuuuuuuun ! 😮😅😊

[@BradyMeadows-m7s]

Bob what length 106 did you ski on Day 1 at Alta. Alta is my home mountain. Welcome!

[@SkiEssentials]

Big one--189.

[@bstrac77]

Great content as usual! This video has made me feel like I need a QST Blank 🤦Anyone know why the lift tower on the Supreme Chair (17:44) has that interesting set of angled rollers? I don't think that I've seen that anywhere else. At least not to that degree.

[@SkiEssentials]

It's a marvel of chairlift engineering! Not sure how common/rare they are.

[@davidbeazer9799]

@@SkiEssentialshopefully one of these links work. Basically saying the Supreme Lift with It’s crazy angle is having excessive metal fatigue and must be replaced

[@davidbeazer9799]

Also, the angled supreme lift replaced two older lifts at different angles. I assume they used the existing tree cleared paths and tried to save $ by angling and just putting in one.

[@coreymclernon]

Alta is for skiers! 😊

[@JohnFireThunder]

Looks like a Sage Cattabriga-Alosa video. 😁

[@choski76]

Almost, not quite . Those are FWT skiers with Sage. SE guys are awesome skiers too, but Sage's crew is airborne a lot

[@SkiEssentials]

Sage does way, way bigger!

[@reddottx]

Love those Sage laps

[@MillsapsFan]

What brand is Emily’s jacket? I like the style!

[@SkiEssentials]

Strafe Lynx Pullover: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWPSfWR9ZdaXrrM

[@Lo-cj6ski]

Envy!!!🤩

[@montezaus]

Any changes from this year’s models?

[@SkiEssentials]

QST 106 and Blank stay the same, QST X is a brand new ski for next season. Carries some of the old QST 118 attitude forward with Echo construction.

[@MrGbot2000]

Hi, a little off topic, I was wondering what camera you use.

[@SkiEssentials]

We mainly use GoPro 12 with the Media Kit for the talking parts.

[@darinsmith2458]

This looks so cool..

[@mrrichards6007]

Here is Cali. Always thought the bar was for the aid of the little kids onboard.

[@SkiEssentials]

State law in VT and i believe most other Eastern states. Like seatbelts.

[@Ken-rw8os]

Will the QST 106 Echo be changing for 2025?

[@SkiEssentials]

Nope, Echo stays the same!

[@paulgaughan1585]

Was in BC many years ago and 4 riders went home in a box because they didn’t put the safety bar down.

[@SkiEssentials]

We certainly feel safer with the bar down.

[@choski76]

SE should just do a review of the whole powder ski rack at Alta. Take a month and set up a recording studio in goldminers' daughter. Real pow reviews. This is the digital age. No need to be in Stowe anymore. Stowe or Alta? Hmmm. 😂

[@SkiEssentials]

I wouldn't be opposed to a remote Alta office for a month!!

[@positive56]

Hi Jeff, what camera did you use?

[@SkiEssentials]

Pretty much all GoPro 12. We have a bigger camera that we use at Stowe, but it doesn't travel well and the GoPros work so good.

[@garyngo9121]

What outfit/brand is Emily wearing?

[@SkiEssentials]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWPSfWR9ZdaXrrM

[@swedishburrito5073]

❤👍

[@realityczar5739]

Where the green trails at??

[@SkiEssentials]

We feel it would have been a tough couple of days for pure beginners!

[@mcleanirish]

Avoid "Glory Gulch" :)

[@benzuber507]

Just buy a pair of used 2012 bibbys and forget all the new uberfancy shapes!!!

[@XIII1013]

Not familiar with Emily but wow she rips with steez (seems to be better than the boys ;)

[@SkiEssentials]

Emily skied with us a lot last year in Stowe--a lot of footage and photos feature her amazing skiing.

[@redjetsen1002]

"I'm from the land down chunder" kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpe1apyPat5satU

[@ScottIngram-cz1hp]

I can't watch this. I'm getting way too jealous.

[@SkiEssentials]

Time to plan a trip to Alta!

[@ab-nz2mm]

are jeff and emily a package?

[@SkiEssentials]

No, but we've been friends for almost 20 years now. My fiancee Megan shows up in our content a fair amount.

[@jefflacourse3344]

Here's a free tip: stop skiing behind someone and filming their spray. We cannot see.

[@SkiEssentials]

We are learning that follow cam in Alta is vastly different from that in VT.

[@christophermagnuson1270]

Oh boy is this great!⛷❄️ I say next year one lucky subscriber goes with you

[@SkiEssentials]

Wonderful idea!