NOBODY BUYS These Skis Even Though THEY RULE: Salomon QST 98 Ski Essentials Review Reaction

Reacting to Ski Essentials Ski Review for the 2023 Salomon Qst 98. Elliott Reacts!

[@chrisgravel7157]

Whistler Blackcomb you see lots of QST's maybe not as many as you should but no shortage! 92-98's more on intermediate- Advanced but lots of serious rippers on the 106. QST is def along with the Rustler 10-11 some of the most popular skis on the resort. Accessible, good to great in pow and trees enough meat to not fall apart in crud and on groomers. That and the linup has gotten a signifigant boost in performance from its early days seemingly without loosing the ease of use. Well done Salomon

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Oh that's awesome, yeah in Idaho and parts of Utah, I don't see them as much as I would expect. But like you said they really have done a great job with performance. Thanks for the insight, I'm glad to see they're appreciated over in BC!

[@zachtackski]

I think a lot more skis should bring their turn radius in. Turns are fun and a shorter radius lets you make more of them. You can always lay off a little to extend the turns radius anyway.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Totally! I also like the added freedom to hit different lines in the trees.

[@ethansumrall]

Not liking face shots is a topic for a video if you want to go mini-viral. FACE SHOTS ARE OVERRATED?

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Omg I choked on my water. This seems like a good way to speed run getting age restricted lmao.

[@jpcambre]

I have Question, coming from someone that is 155 cm and 120lbs. What would be the best length to choose from between the 152 cm and the 160cm for the QST 98?

[@ScottIngram-cz1hp]

I had the QST 106 as a dedicated powder. They were fun and playful, but there was something missing. I like to charge in powder and these were not those skis. Insofar as the reviewers at Ski Essentials, I would prefer a lot less skiing. You really can't tell any difference between, say a Stockli and a Solomon, by the way the reviewers ski. It's always done on the same blues and greens and they always look the same. That said, kudos to them for being able to make a living and ski every day.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

That's so funny, I kind of like the skiing, just so I can visualize what the skis look like on snow, but I totally see your point. If you like charging I kind of wonder how you'd like a Volkl Mantra or a K2 Mindbender. Thanks for the nice comment and thanks for watching!

[@edking4226]

Fantastic skis I just came back from a nice day on some fresh / mixed conditions. I think the answer to your question on the sales is honestly the graphics. They look like they are catered to older skiers and the 2024 is even more understated. 2025 is purple which could be a hit or miss.

[@johnpersson5296]

I bought the 23/24 model just for the reason 24/25 is purple, freaking hate that color

[@The0rnate]

Love your content for stating the negatives of a ski. I’ve been frustrated in the past as I shopped for gear to try and find “X is good at A and bad at B. Don’t buy it for B.” and you do a great job of that! Note/critique: when you play the video you’re reacting do, it sounds like we’re getting double audio. If you mute your mic input or use push-to-talk input on the recording software that could resolve that I think fairly easily. Small nitpick, but hey, we’re hear to help each other get better every day, right?

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I will try and fix this in the next video. Really appreciate you letting me know.

[@jons7e]

QST is a very underrated ski. They're relatively light and easy to maneuver and can be purchased for a great price. You can always tell the reviews where people have a lot of time on the ski, providing great insights.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Thanks so much! I'm excited to get some mileage on my Salomon QST 106's

[@carterfan80]

I didn't say they got a ton of snow! Lots of Small snow falls. They get 250"+ usually. Maybe 2 deep storms per year. Lot of 2" to 6" events. The quality is usually pretty bad.😂 And agree with you on the q s t's. Have the 92s. They float so well for a ninety two.. I've skied them in a foot of snow and really not regretted having something wider.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Oh, haha! I've mischaracterized your comment, my bad. That is awesome! I Feel like the QST's are so good and don't get nearly the recognition they deserve. They are really amazing imo.

[@cntblvitsbutter]

FYI, I bought the 176 where I usually ski 172. Felt no difference in length maybe because it has a shorter effective edge. ie, don't be afraid to size up.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

cool, good info ty!

[@Whistler326]

I subscribed because of your honesty and integrity....I ski the East (mostly whiteface) believe me ...they do not get alot of pow, you have to go out west for the real powder!!!

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Thanks for the nice comment! Yes, I think the really good powder is out west, but that being said, the east will always have a warm place in my heart and I do miss some of the glade trails from Vermont.

[@steviemt1]

As I’ve said on other video’s I work within the ski industry and demo many skis , I totally agree with everything you say about this ski , I really push for people to buy this ski in the shop I work in and the 106 as I think they are truly fantastic skis . One from a few years ago I also think was a fantastic ski was the Dynastar legend X96 which I currently own along with the Salomon QST 99 .

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Oh awesome, my brother used to have the Legends and loved them

[@jametti3141]

Yes the QST98 have been my pick of the wider skis I’ve demoed this season in NZ. Looking to replace some old Backland 109’s which I take to Canada each year for powder skiing and love however the current Backlands and Bents are not as good IMO. Good to hear the QST106 is similar as I haven’t been able to try any.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

The qst is the most innovative design I've seen in a long time, and almost no one talks about them, and I don't see a ton of people skiing on them. It certainly makes me scratch my head a bit.

[@EdgarSnowSki]

I own qst 98 and skied about 40 days this season, most of them offpiste, we did not get lots of snow this year, but I must say they are perfect for upto knee deep powder. In some places I managed to find deeper spots and in these places i would prefer something like qst 106. but the power we get has lots of moisture, I guess for more fluffy stuff it could be different story.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Totally! That's good to hear, I'm excited to get my 106's mounted up for this winter.

[@Mark5ive5]

Where do you live/ski?

[@timromano5500]

Never seen a review react vid, but youre on the money with the analysis. On my 3rd pair of qsts, the line is really underrared.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Totally agreed, such a comfortable turn!

[@scottpratico1315]

Most ski reviews should just be why that ski instead of a Mindbender 99ti. Then ignore it and get the 99ti.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Haha, you know what you like! (I skied and reviewed my first pair of Mindbenders this June and loved them).

[@hamerplayer1229]

I have QST 99's from 2016 and they are amazing. Everyone is on Nordica Enforcers which is a heavy ski with metal. I won't get rid of my skis until they are completely shot and then I will get another QST

[@jackbarnhart7394]

Calling anything but mad river the best east coast mtn is slander!

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Mad River Glenn, Ski It If You Can!

[@Mark5ive5]

Doesn’t “freestyle” mean a park ski and “free ride” is basically the off-piste or powder ski?

[@igetu2c]

QSTs have very little metal in them. A lot of skiers like metal throughout their skis. I have not tried the QSTs, but I want to. The double sidewall and other materials used have been said to miminize chatter and vibrations. Maybe the QST is the first carbon ski with no metal to achieve a high level of dampness?? I have tried skis with little to no metal (DPS) and I did not like them at all. I will demo the QSTs this season and find out. QST is a reasonably price ski. 2024 QST 98 is $650 brand new on Evo (not on sale). I wonder what you bought your QST 106 for, Elliot? On sale right now on Evo for $450. They do hwoever only have the shorter sizes.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

I bought mine for powder primarily, I don't believe they have carbon, my understanding and from the Salomon site it says: "karuba/poplar core, superlight basalt fibers, and cork damplifier" It certainly feels like a very stable ski for carving, while having good flotation. Definitely worth trying out. I got mine for powder because I loved the shape and I still felt like I could carve the 98's. Will review the 106's though once I can get them on snow.

[@igetu2c]

It looks like all QST skis have the CFX material which is carbon and flax woven together. The QSTs are definitely on the lighter side for sure which has its obvious advantages off piste. A pair of the QST Echo 106s without bindings is less than 3500 grams. WOW. That is what concerns me about the dampness which is important to me. I will accept creating more lactic acid in my quads throughout the day when I go off piste (jump turns, powder turns, etc.) for more of a smooth ride at higher speeds (40-55 mph).@@RicketySkiReviews

[@igetu2c]

To be more specific, I will accept more lactic acid in my quads to use a heavier ski with metal that has more swing weight for increased dampness at higher speeds on and off piste. But if I could get 80% of the dampness of a metal ski with no metal, that would be a great ski for me. The sweet spot for me is probably one sheet (not two) of titanal but I have not tried the QST yet.

[@igetu2c]

I made a typo. I meant to write "without bindings"@@tomy5581 I was also looking at the QST Echo which I should have specifically mentioned in my post above. And I do consider them to be light in weight when compared to my old Enforcer 110 or other powder skis. But for sure there are much lighter powder skis out there like the ARV JJ UL.

[@williamburgess6294]

Elliott, I’m torn between this Salomon QST 98 and the Nordica Unleashed 98. Thoughts?

[@RicketySkiReviews]

can't speak to the nordica unleashed so a bit hard to say.

[@edking4226]

William I demo'd them back to back a few weeks ago and I went with the QSTs I have the Enforcer for high speed carving and more wide open and wanted something a little quicker and lighter for softer snow especially in trees and the QSTs delivered. The Unleashed just felt like a slightly quicker turning Enforcer which isn't bad but they just didn't "wow" me. The Unleashed would be great for an extreme skier that does huge drops and just charges though everything at warp speed. This one is softer and just is very very forgiving.

[@williamburgess6294]

@@edking4226 Appreciate the input. I went with the QST 98s and just skied them for the first time this week. Love them. Game changer for me.

[@surfmarko]

how long would you get the QST 98's?

[@RicketySkiReviews]

Depends on height, and preference etc. Here's a full video on it that you might find helpful and it includes the QST 106's that I bought: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baK5q6h6aKd7n9ksi=jhbULi6ztNruejFy

[@stevendick1562]

Used the 176 and 183 lengths in Verbier in January 2023. As an improving intermediate who isn't into hard-charging skis, these were my favourites among those I tested this season.

[@RicketySkiReviews]

That's awesome, they have a pretty amazing ski shape, like genuinely innovative imo. Thanks for watching and thanks for the nice comment!

[@tomy5581]

which length do you recommend for a 5'10 170 lb advanced intermediate?

[@tomy5581]

which length do you recommend for a 5'10 170 lb advanced intermediate?

[@stevendick1562]

@@tomy5581 I am similar height and weight and I had no problems with the 183.