New skis for my wife

[Sidewinder]

Hi all. My wife (5’5 130 lbs) currently has QST Lux 92 in 161 with Shift bindings, and Head Kore 93 in 171. For most days her preference is the Kore. She is a strong advanced skier. She uses the QST for resort uphill laps. We live in eastern Canada with trips to Quebec, Sugarloaf, Wildcat and Sunday River. I’d like to replace the QST with a similar (but a bit longer) ski for hardpack/groomer days, and she could either switch the shifts to the new ski, or use a regular binding and keep the QST’s for resort skinning. Was looking at the Black Pearl 88 in 165 at a local shop. Would this be an upgrade for her, or any other suggestions?
My other thought was to keep both current skis and get her something like a QST 99 or 106 for the odd days we get some fluffy snow, especially in Quebec.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[AmyPJ]

Your post has me confused. She is the same exact stats as me but has two skis that are 10cm different in length despite having much crossover as far as terrain usefulness. I can see why she prefers the Kore as an advanced skier just because the length is more appropriate. But, why the huge difference in lengths? Also, what year Lux 92? That ski underwent a pretty dramatic change two (??) seasons ago. I found the previous version to be pretty meh with the more updated version to be a lot more fun overall.

I'm also confused because a hardpack/groomer ski IMO is not 88 under foot. That's only 4 mm narrower than the current 92 she has. A hardpack/groomer ski would be 80-ish mm underfoot or narrower, and the east coasters would say even narrower than that. Then you throw in getting a wider, more powder-focused ski. Which does she want, narrower or wider? (I'd go narrower due to where you ski and the fact that neither of her current skis are narrow.)

Channeling @Philpug here, but does she want a narrow all-mountain ski or a wide carving ski? One will be slightly better in offi-piste type conditions, one will be better for a skilled carver or an aspiring carver on groomers and firm snow. After that, does she like a lively ski or a more damp ski that absorbs more of the terrain feedback while still being maneuverable? There are some excellent offerings in the 80mm ish width range that would complement the Kore very well. Atomic Cloud 12 or 14, Rossignol Experience 82ti, for example. Plenty of others out there. I own the Experience 82ti and skied the Clouds and loved loved loved them.

 

[Tricia]

For starters, yes the Black Pearl 88 is a stronger ski than the QST, however, if she's a strong skier she may like the next size up in that ski a bit better.

If you're looking for something that has more performance than the QST but still in a similar width, you may consider the 2024 Salomon Stance 94 in 168. I've reviewed both the 88 and 94. Here's the video review of the 88.
The improvements in the Stance line up have definitely added a level of performance that she may really enjoy.

 

[Jilly]

As an east coast skier I have to agree @AmyPJ . Under 80 for our "eastern powder". The Cloud's are a front side carver. The Exp 82ti, might be a better fit for all mountain. I'll be demo'ing this winter as I've sold my SA 88's. Not my type of ski.