Thanks! I plan to demo all of these skis along with the Ranger 102FR.
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2021 Salomon Stance 96
- Thread starter SkiTalk Test Team
- Start date
Thanks! I plan to demo all of these skis along with the Ranger 102FR.
If thats your plan, expect to be disappointed. Demoing this season is going to be really difficult. You might be best off to just go wit your gut (or a strong recommendation) and pull the trigger on one. This way you can start enjoying the (limited?) season as you make that ski your b!tch.
@Tricia will probably hate me saying this, but I've yet to see you come out wrong, @Philpug. So what does your gut say for me? You know I have those Vist Crossover IIs, so this is for Tahoe for a guy who likes to spend 90+% percent of my time ripping and carving the groomed runs as fast as I can (and a few bump runs just to remind myself I can still do it). I value precision and carving ability.
Currently considering the Stance 96, Fischer 99ti and 102FR, and wish someone would convince me the Liberty v92 would work LOL. Or maybe I am missing something?
Long term update:
I skied the Stance 96 here at steamboat in what I would call the Stance's perfect testing conditions, we have had about 3 Feet of powder in the past few days and had some 35 mph winds tossing it about creating wind loaded filled in bump runs, wind lips, creamy, chalky fields and steeper faces bumped out and loaded, along with patches of some wind buffed skied off stuff.
The 182 is perfect for me (see bio)as the Stance ski's its full length. Its not trying to be a ski for everyone skiing everything, However, it can ski just about everything. Overall, the Stance is ultra smooth, quiet and very damp. it has excellent energy and snap. Although the mount point isn't too forward (-10 from center) the ski feels lightning quick and highly flickable along with an incredible swing weight, this is felt in the bumps, steeps were it is very easy to pivot the skis in tight openings and fast edge-to-edge on high speed short radius turns. The tips and tails are tapered far less than the QST series and it's much burlier than the QST line. Salomon has done an excellent job of producing skis that are purposeful and are well-delineated . Although fairly stout, the ski has a very nice flex, the tips and tails are just a tad softer than the stout body which flex so nicely on bumped out terrain and steep faces when driving the tips into the turns. I could drive the tips with total confidence and the tips gave in just enough to conform to the terrain and (hallelujah) the tails are strong enough to hold and finish the turn as God intended. Skiing in open chalky wind buffed snow, I charged in making quick short radius turns. the ski bit into the snow and plowed over the chunder quietly and powerfully, the skis came across the fall line and were easily released as my COM passed over them. The Stance engages extremely well on the soft groomed and could be worked inside its 20m TR. Here's where I was really impressed with a 96mm wide ski, the engagement at the top of the turn was very positive, most ski's at this width are slow to engage and require a little lag time, the Stance engaged right away and the tail was there at the finish of the turn. On steep faces the edges held very well and the ski's were so easily flicked around. Im sure Salomon didnt set out to make this a "fun" ski but it was blast for me and I loved how easy it was to ski on steeps with big bumps, interlaced with exposed rocks and tree tops; it was just so easy to work my ski's around the obstacles. Skiing along a little farther, we dropped into a low angle tree section with a lot of wind loaded areas and boot top plus leftovers. The stiffer tips and shovel of the ski don't float like a wider, more rockered powder ski but did just fine and thats not what this ski was designed for however, for snow up to a foot, this ski will serve you well. The Stance will hold its own in the charger class but in my opinion is more fun and a touch more versatile. The Liberty Evolv100 is probably close but I have to give it to Salomon.
I got home and texted Harry, the owner my LSS and bought a pair.....
I skied the Stance 96 here at steamboat in what I would call the Stance's perfect testing conditions, we have had about 3 Feet of powder in the past few days and had some 35 mph winds tossing it about creating wind loaded filled in bump runs, wind lips, creamy, chalky fields and steeper faces bumped out and loaded, along with patches of some wind buffed skied off stuff.
The 182 is perfect for me (see bio)as the Stance ski's its full length. Its not trying to be a ski for everyone skiing everything, However, it can ski just about everything. Overall, the Stance is ultra smooth, quiet and very damp. it has excellent energy and snap. Although the mount point isn't too forward (-10 from center) the ski feels lightning quick and highly flickable along with an incredible swing weight, this is felt in the bumps, steeps were it is very easy to pivot the skis in tight openings and fast edge-to-edge on high speed short radius turns. The tips and tails are tapered far less than the QST series and it's much burlier than the QST line. Salomon has done an excellent job of producing skis that are purposeful and are well-delineated . Although fairly stout, the ski has a very nice flex, the tips and tails are just a tad softer than the stout body which flex so nicely on bumped out terrain and steep faces when driving the tips into the turns. I could drive the tips with total confidence and the tips gave in just enough to conform to the terrain and (hallelujah) the tails are strong enough to hold and finish the turn as God intended. Skiing in open chalky wind buffed snow, I charged in making quick short radius turns. the ski bit into the snow and plowed over the chunder quietly and powerfully, the skis came across the fall line and were easily released as my COM passed over them. The Stance engages extremely well on the soft groomed and could be worked inside its 20m TR. Here's where I was really impressed with a 96mm wide ski, the engagement at the top of the turn was very positive, most ski's at this width are slow to engage and require a little lag time, the Stance engaged right away and the tail was there at the finish of the turn. On steep faces the edges held very well and the ski's were so easily flicked around. Im sure Salomon didnt set out to make this a "fun" ski but it was blast for me and I loved how easy it was to ski on steeps with big bumps, interlaced with exposed rocks and tree tops; it was just so easy to work my ski's around the obstacles. Skiing along a little farther, we dropped into a low angle tree section with a lot of wind loaded areas and boot top plus leftovers. The stiffer tips and shovel of the ski don't float like a wider, more rockered powder ski but did just fine and thats not what this ski was designed for however, for snow up to a foot, this ski will serve you well. The Stance will hold its own in the charger class but in my opinion is more fun and a touch more versatile. The Liberty Evolv100 is probably close but I have to give it to Salomon.
I got home and texted Harry, the owner my LSS and bought a pair.....
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Where the Stance scores really high is on its incredibly low swing weight the in the bumps, trees and steeps. It also scores a bit higher on turn entry. I was really impressed on the tip engagement at the top of the turn. For those who normally ski a 178-180 frontside ski, the 182 is perfect. not too short, not too long and very stable. The flex of this ski is dialed.
Long term update:
Skied the Stance 96 today. 10" was reported at the summit so @Drahtguy Kevin and I hit the trees early knowing there was going to be considerable wind load. My first 100 yards coming down the far side of closets is fairly open with a nice pitch, these were my first turns on the ski and I was trying to figure out the snow which was a medium density. it didn't take long to discover that the Stance ripped this snow. The moderate flex in the tips and stout under foot and tail provided a sturdy platform to make medium radius turns through the untracked snow flowing over pre-existing bumps and undulations. The snow here was already above our boots. The Stance doesn't have a pronounced turned up tip and initially, I was backing off some with concerns of submarining but I was wrong; as we worked across the fall line through an open area which was bumped up with frozen bumps, the Stances build held really well in this terrain and I realized I could pressure the tips in the bumps and trees and although the tips did submerge, they didnt get stuck and came back up when released. I could work the tips without any concern. Once we worked a little lower into some widely paced (10') Aspens, I was again reminded of how fast this ski is and how easy it is to pivot. the tail at 114, is tapered and it does slide through the deeper snow quite well but is stiff enough to hold and track well. From here we skied Closets, Shadows and the O'clock trees for about 4 hours with no breaks other than to take a pee in the trees. Much of what we were skiing was above boot to literally some 10 turn slots that were up to @Drahtguy Kevin waist. he's about 6' 3" if that gives you any idea how good it was. Initially, I felt the ski was a bit narrow and lacked tip splay but if you were just a little patient at the top of the turn, and were active with your feet, the 96's worked just fine. We only came out onto the groomers a couple of times but I let them run on the broken piled snow. The Stances crushed the crud! Superbly stable. We discussed how this ski will be an awesome ski for Copper bowls. My conclusion is that this is an excellent ski, quick and sturdy in the deep snow in the trees and bumps and superb in the crud. This will be my go-to ski for powder days for up to about 8-10" ideally but it did fine in literally 2.5-3.0 FEET. @Drahtguy Kevin if you have any observations, Please add.
Note: I feel the 8-10" is about the limit only because for tree skiing, you want a little more tip splay to stay up over downed trees, deep bumps/compressions and the Stance lacks that splay. But thats why they have the QST line or even the Stance 102. It justifies me owning another ski
Skied the Stance 96 today. 10" was reported at the summit so @Drahtguy Kevin and I hit the trees early knowing there was going to be considerable wind load. My first 100 yards coming down the far side of closets is fairly open with a nice pitch, these were my first turns on the ski and I was trying to figure out the snow which was a medium density. it didn't take long to discover that the Stance ripped this snow. The moderate flex in the tips and stout under foot and tail provided a sturdy platform to make medium radius turns through the untracked snow flowing over pre-existing bumps and undulations. The snow here was already above our boots. The Stance doesn't have a pronounced turned up tip and initially, I was backing off some with concerns of submarining but I was wrong; as we worked across the fall line through an open area which was bumped up with frozen bumps, the Stances build held really well in this terrain and I realized I could pressure the tips in the bumps and trees and although the tips did submerge, they didnt get stuck and came back up when released. I could work the tips without any concern. Once we worked a little lower into some widely paced (10') Aspens, I was again reminded of how fast this ski is and how easy it is to pivot. the tail at 114, is tapered and it does slide through the deeper snow quite well but is stiff enough to hold and track well. From here we skied Closets, Shadows and the O'clock trees for about 4 hours with no breaks other than to take a pee in the trees. Much of what we were skiing was above boot to literally some 10 turn slots that were up to @Drahtguy Kevin waist. he's about 6' 3" if that gives you any idea how good it was. Initially, I felt the ski was a bit narrow and lacked tip splay but if you were just a little patient at the top of the turn, and were active with your feet, the 96's worked just fine. We only came out onto the groomers a couple of times but I let them run on the broken piled snow. The Stances crushed the crud! Superbly stable. We discussed how this ski will be an awesome ski for Copper bowls. My conclusion is that this is an excellent ski, quick and sturdy in the deep snow in the trees and bumps and superb in the crud. This will be my go-to ski for powder days for up to about 8-10" ideally but it did fine in literally 2.5-3.0 FEET. @Drahtguy Kevin if you have any observations, Please add.
Note: I feel the 8-10" is about the limit only because for tree skiing, you want a little more tip splay to stay up over downed trees, deep bumps/compressions and the Stance lacks that splay. But thats why they have the QST line or even the Stance 102. It justifies me owning another ski
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Long term update
Skied the Stances today on chalky groomers and primarily on Copper bowls. Steep faces with setup snow and steep faces with loose dry snow. The Stance is simply phenomenal on the steeps. it is so quick and easy, yet is highly stable and quiet on the variable snow. Here's what we were skiing
Skied the Stances today on chalky groomers and primarily on Copper bowls. Steep faces with setup snow and steep faces with loose dry snow. The Stance is simply phenomenal on the steeps. it is so quick and easy, yet is highly stable and quiet on the variable snow. Here's what we were skiing
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Long term update
My friend and I played in the low angle Sunshine trees today on fast, skied out snow. the idea is to ski fast and make quick turns through the trees to throw the person off behind. I was on my Stance 96"s and the stances are so quick in the trees and turned so well. I took a picture of the tail to show the beef in this ski. Note the thickness of the section behind the heel and how far down it extends into the tail then quickly tapers off. Also note how far down the camber extends. tail gunners need not apply
My friend and I played in the low angle Sunshine trees today on fast, skied out snow. the idea is to ski fast and make quick turns through the trees to throw the person off behind. I was on my Stance 96"s and the stances are so quick in the trees and turned so well. I took a picture of the tail to show the beef in this ski. Note the thickness of the section behind the heel and how far down it extends into the tail then quickly tapers off. Also note how far down the camber extends. tail gunners need not apply
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After three days on the Stance 96 in varied snow, I can say without a doubt that this is one helluva versatile ski. Crud, wind buff, bumps, trees, fresh cord, chewed up groomers, scraped off steeps, nothing phases this ski. The entrance into turns is secure and immediate, the firm, even flex allows the edges to bite and the tail rewards the pilot with tummy-tickling energy upon exit. I'm on a size smaller (182) than I would prefer and still couldn't find the top end for speed or aggression. Salomon has found the magic formula for a perfect western ski. I look forward to spending more time on the Stance 96 this season.
After reading @Drahtguy Kevin and @Ron's reviews and talking with them in private messages about this ski, this pretty much sums everything up:
in the mid-90's class I honestly put this one ahead of all the others, and yes, that includes Kastle and Stockli.
cagematch vs new mantra M6?
Long term update
before all the new skis come out and we forget about all the great skis still on the market, I wanted to keep this ski on the horizon of those looking for a more traditional charger. I skied the Stance today in 8"left overs, trees, bumps and groomers. It was great to get back on this ski after skiing my Moment Wildcats. Both are my favorite skis but they cant be more different in profile. The stance is such pleasure to ski and I love how supremely stable and smooth this ski is. I also truly appreciated how traditional it feels. although I love it bumps and tracked, piled terrain, you quickly remember that you need to ski in correct form and how to take advantage of the strong tail and just how fast you can ski on a groomer with undulations and small piles..
before all the new skis come out and we forget about all the great skis still on the market, I wanted to keep this ski on the horizon of those looking for a more traditional charger. I skied the Stance today in 8"left overs, trees, bumps and groomers. It was great to get back on this ski after skiing my Moment Wildcats. Both are my favorite skis but they cant be more different in profile. The stance is such pleasure to ski and I love how supremely stable and smooth this ski is. I also truly appreciated how traditional it feels. although I love it bumps and tracked, piled terrain, you quickly remember that you need to ski in correct form and how to take advantage of the strong tail and just how fast you can ski on a groomer with undulations and small piles.
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