The MTN 95 from Salomon is billed as a freeride touring ski, which is always an optimistic claim - can a lightweight climbing ski really perform like a freeride plank?
The minimal weight of the MTN 95 is immediately apparent, even when mounted with Shift bindings (which are not the lightest of ski touring bindings). At 1450 grams they are not the lightest touring skis on the market, but they're certainly in that ballpark, meaning a genuine comparison to an out-and-out freeride ski would be a little unfair.
In the chopped up crud of our Scottish test centre the ski struggled a little in terms of having the stiffness to power through, but it is certainly agile enough to pick a careful line. It is not super-stable on an edge, but again, being nimble covers that shortcoming to a large extent as it is capable of smeared and forced turns, which is useful in a touring ski that needs to face a variety of terrain.
That is the compromise inherent in all touring skis, so the label 'freeride touring' seems a little disingenuous here; there are better freeride skis, and even better all-mountain touring skis, but they'll be heavier. If you want to count the grams but not compromise too much in the downhill, then the MTN 95 might very well hit your sweet spot.
