QST Blank | 2026

For 2026, Salomon has completely redesigned its entire QST collection. Unlike the numerous big changes throughout the family, the QST Blank received just a few modifications that make the ski more capable than its previous generation while keeping its big-mountain freeride identity.

This ski features a full poplar wood core, along with a layer of carbon basalt, and cork in the tip and tail. It runs very soft when compared to other big-mountain skis on the market, but still the core feels remarkably quiet and smooth. The profile maintains plenty of tip and tail rocker, which you expect when dealing with a ski of this width. Yet the shape reveals a significant taper in the tip and a unique blunt tail with minimal taper. This design allows the ski to have an excellent landing gear in the tail and provides more surface area for better powder performance. It also makes this ski perform slightly more directionally when compared to the brand’s QST X offering.

The ski’s shape rounds out with a longer turn radius of 19 meters in the 186 cm length. This represents a huge upgrade, making the ski feel much more stable in its turns compared to the twitchy shorter turn radius of the prior version.

The QST Blank strikes a nice balance between a quiet, damp feel and an appetite for being thrown around. It reacts to every input you give it rather than forcing you into specific movements, all without being too chattery. Because of this responsiveness, it excels in both fresh snow and chopped powder as it proves easy to manipulate and initiate while keeping you confident that the ski has your back.

That said, if you prefer a ski you can drive through anything in your path, you should look elsewhere. You need to be intentional with the turns you make on this ski—while it’s quiet, it isn’t necessarily very strong. This ski proved to be the most fun for the freerider who likes to drop cliffs and charge through powder fields.