2023 Salomon Stance 84

[SkiTalk Test Team]

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Philpug
Size tested: 177, 185
Location tested: Snowbasin, UT
Conditions tested in: Groomed old snow

Last year Salomon expanded their Stance line down-market and added an 84 mm offering to go with the core of the collection that starts at 90 mm. The Stance 84 was truly a pleasant surprise in the low to mid 80 mm offerings. While the Stance 84 might not have the power of its bigger, wider brethren, it is no slouch either. If you try to take its lunch money, be prepared for a fight.

I will admit I began the ski testing process underestimating the narrower Stance. I requested the 185 cm length, and while it skied well, I could tell it prefers a bigger skier. When I sized down to a 177, boy oh boy, did the Stance 84 come alive. Even with the system binding that is offered, the Stage 11, the 84 mm Stance enjoyed being pushed and never really let up. However, it also didn’t require all of your attention. I talked to one Salomon rep that said that he is skiing much more on the Stance 84 than he expected to.

• Insider tip I: Bypass the Stage system and step up to the Strive 14.
• Insider tip II: The Stance 84 is a real good ski in the moguls.
• One thing I would change: All the other Stances have asymmetrical graphics; these don’t, and they should.

 

[JJ5250]

I wanted a lighter ski on the east coast than my 86 gt's to ski with the family thru the weekend crowds .... so I bought a set... I absolutely love this ski on the East coast.... I bought the 169cm since I'm only 172cm tall, 80kilos..... I have Tyrolia Def 12 on them... I feel I could of gone up a size on them since they ski so easily... total weight is 10.4 lbs... very light but still surprisingly stable/ damp... excellent edge... extremely maneuverable... handled the crud way better than I thought it would... very easy to ski... fast ski... highly recommended...

 

[MattD]

Other than topsheet graphics, is there any difference between the 2022 model and 2023 model of the Stance 84?

 

[JJ5250]

Other than topsheet graphics, is there any difference between the 2022 model and 2023 model of the Stance 84?

Sorry... I was skiing Breckenridge when you posted... .... but to answer your question.... No ....there is no difference between 2022/2023 except graphic change .... Levelninesports only has 2022 161/169 available now...

 

[late4gates]

"I talked to one Salomon rep that said that he is skiing much more on the Stance 84 than he expected to."

This is my experience too.

By way of background, I ski on piste by preference whenever conditions allow on a 68-72mm waist. Whenever there's too much fresh I ski pretty much exclusively off piste (badly). So a strong directional all mountain like a Stance 96 has no utility for me (despite being a piece of art). I have a small blind spot at 2-3" fresh, but I alway seemed to manage.

I bought the Stance 84 just to ski on piste with my wife at slower speeds, and it's great for that, and I was happy. But the thing carves so well and is so light, I found myself using it later in the day on firm days if I got tired. Then I found that it's a really good mogul ski, so there's that. Then I found that it's surprisingly maneuverable in some soft snow, so I started preferring it in my blind spot days and skiing it on and off piste.

Honestly, if I could get this behavior with the float of a mid-90s I'd being skiing this A LOT. It's like the love child of a Stance 90 and a QST 92, but without the float.

 

[Philpug]

It's like the love child of a Stance 90 and a QST 92, but without the float.

I like that.

 

[flying_j]

I picked up a pair of these for a really good deal, and had my first day on them today at Saddleback in Maine. I had demoed them back in April and pulled the trigger in the offseason. I'm 5'9" and 160lb and went with 177cm. When I received them, they were very edge-high. Had them ground flat, then put a 1/3 on them, waxed them, mounted them with a pair of Aattack 13s, and then (not-so-patiently) waited..

Conditions today were fantastic, especially for this early in the season: 18" of fresh, untouched, cold, snow that was not too dense but heavy enough that I never hit bottom or found anything underneath to do any damage. It was a full day of soft untracked and then more progressively heavily cut up soft snow.

The first thing I noticed about these skis today is that they are super light. I had taken a half dozen or so runs with my MX74 to start the day and get my legs back under me, and moving from those to the Stance 84 was very noticeable. This light weight makes them super maneuverable. For such a light feeling ski, they also feel surprisingly stable. Not rock-solid damp and glued to the snow, but they did inspire confidence and held up to everything I could find, including some decent-sized death cookies and some cut up cat tracks I ended up on at one point.

On the soft groomers, they hold an edge very well. They've got a 16m turn radius, but very easy to go longer and then even drive them into very short turns. Again, maneuverable. Firmer groomers were comfortable, but I didn't find any real ice today.

The real treat with these was what I had really bought them for, though: soft snow, bumps, and trees. Woohoo! What a blast. I was very impressed with their ability to handle the soft snow we had today. These tips have a fair amount of early rise and not a lot of shape (they're wide and square-ish), and I found that they seem to be very good at getting up on the snow. At only 84mm underfoot I wasn't expecting perfect float, but I am very pleased with what they had. In the fresh, it was a blast to take long sweeping turns through the powder, and in the density that we had, they did a great job in helping push through and over the cut-up. In the trees and more regular bumps that formed in some areas they were a hoot. Again, maneuverable, light, and stable. Easy to slither through and the light weight really helps when you have to jump turn or throw them sideways quickly. I do wonder how much they'll get tossed around in heavier cut-up, but today they did great.

I don't see these being a daily driver for me. New England skier, primarily ME and NH. I prefer a more damp, stable carver that feels more directly connected to the snow (a la my MX74) for the conditions I normally ski. But they will fit the bill as the soft snow off-piste ski of choice for me.

 

[Peppermint]

I demoed the 2024 version today and I thought they were a light - but not too light, stable ski that was easy to get on edge. It pushed thru the light crud with no problem. Then I asked the rep the price and was pleasantly surprised. I'd be interested in how/where you got the deal on these. I may be tempted...

 

[FlyNavy]

@Philpug it would be helpful to know the tester’s stats (height, weight, ability, preferred lengths) when talking about sizing up or down.

I am taking a look at the Stance 84 as a mogul ski, but I am unsure on the length. The 169 I rode seemed to want to be on edge a lot and was snappy, but maybe too much. I was not able to demo the 177, but I was looking at that or the women’s 2023 in 175 for the longer turning radius, but I want to make sure I am not going too long.

I am 52yo, 175cm and 190lbs, advanced on groomers, but not good in the bumps. I ski mostly Northeast in Vermont.