We liked the Quest range - no nonsense, accessible freeride skis that were fun to ride in all conditions. So when Salomon launched a new collection we thought how could they improve on what they already had in this category? Well, it appears like they have - albeit with what feels like a step up in performance, therefore a step up in ability level too.
Grabbing the 99mm version from the rack (There's also 85,92,106 and 118 available) we went for the model most likely to become the biggest seller along with the 92.
Immediately during the first few turns on groomed slopes they give the impression of being more solid and powerful than their predecessors. They carve a long radius turn smoothly, providing edge hold surprisingly effective for a ski of this width. They laboured a little more in the shorter turns on-piste though - surprised? No, because most skis at this width would suffer in the same way.
Thing is, they really aren't designed for groomed slopes, yet we felt they could easily sit within a genuine all mountain category, providing someone who's confident on any marked slope with the ability to maximise every piece of terrain available to them.
Get them into powder and you'll find a ski that acts like a puppy in the woods - all excited and sniffing out the territory before making it his own. They seem to allow the rider to make turns the way they want to - yes, they have their own personality, but yet it feels like they are offering their masters the chance to stamp their own style on the mountain. Some skis want to own you, not the other way around.
For what seems like a true all mountain, take it anywhere ski for advanced to expert riders, the QST appears to have battered all memories of the BBR to extinction, and with distinction too.
