Salomon QST Lumen 98 Review

Where some skis in our review stand out for their excellence in one metric or another, the QST Lumen 98 is highlighted for its accessibility to any level of skier. It's energetic and responsive, but you don't have to charge hard to appreciate the benefits of this well-designed, entry-level, all-mountain ski.

Performance Comparison

Stability at Speed

Our testers are mostly high-level skiers, and they all agree they would not opt to take the Lumen 98 out on a race course. But they all also agree that for the medium speeds at which intermediate-to-advanced skiers operate, the Lumen 98 tracks well and offers a reliable ride.

Salomon has manufactured this ski with their C/FX tech, where they weave carbon and flax fibers to improve strength and dampening without adding weight. For slow to medium-speed movement, the combination is excellent. The lightweight aspect of this design is apparent as the Lumen 98 can easily initiate a turn without getting hooked up. But the other side of the weight coin is that this ski does bounce around a bit at higher speeds.

Skis like the Lumen 98, with a large amount of tip rocker, tend to flap around at speed on hardpack snow. Salomon is on the right track using cork in the ski tips in an attempt to dampen the front part of this ski. We wish, if only for the sake of the brilliant moniker “Cork Damplifier”, that this design had worked. But at higher speeds, the tips still flap wildly. But again, for folks skiing at average speeds, the loss of rigidity in the tip is a non-issue.

Carving Ability

If you are just learning to lay over a ski onto its edge and carve a turn, the Lumen 98 has just enough grip to help you discover that incredible sensation. But for those already tipping and ripping, the Lumen 98 feels a bit too soft to push with enough force to cut a deep trench.

If we had to choose a style of turn, the Lumen 98 certainly leans towards skidding rather than carving. The progressive rocker profile – with rocker in the tips and tail and camber underfoot – makes it easier to pivot into a smeared turn than it does to initiate a carve. But this ski will still reliably provide that first-carve experience at slower speeds.

Turn Radius

Our testers concur that the 16-meter turn radius at the length we tested (176 centimeters) feels accurate. The Lumen 98 arcs a quick turn when set on edge, and the strong rebound at the end of the turn makes the whole experience feel quite speedy. It rolls from edge to edge fairly quickly, especially considering the 98-millimeter waist.

Salomon's “Double Sidewall Construction” is intended to aid edge grip. The edges of this ski hold well at low and medium speeds, but when pushed to the extremes – either fast speeds or very hard snow – the Lumen 98 starts to chatter and lose its grip. But again, the edge hold more than enough for intermediate and advanced skiers.

Powder Performance

The Lumen 98 has a prominently rockered tip, and Salomon purposefully pulled back the widest part of the ski to engineer some playfulness. Our testers expected that this would make for a powder hound of a ski – as was the case with the Salomon QST Lumen 99 that we previously tested.

Unfortunately, this newest version didn't shine as brightly as its predecessor. With only a 1-millimeter difference in waist width and a very similar rocker-camber profile, we can only attribute the Lumen 98's drop in powder performance to its new sidecut.

Waist Width

The 98-millimeter underfoot Lumen 98 is in the middle of the range for flotation in deeper snow. But, once again, our testers agree that for the depths of snow in which intermediate-advanced skiers would likely be skiing – most often under eight inches – Lumen 98 is more than capable.

The shape of the shovel and the early-rise rocker makes for an ideal intro-to-powder ski. Unlike other powder-specific skis we tested, the benefit of the lighter weight Lumen 98 is you don't have to manage the heft of a burlier ski once you're back on the groomers.

Crud Performance

If you're only just starting to dip your toes into ungroomed snow, the Lumen 98 makes for a reliable adventure buddy. It is lightweight enough to stay on top of chopped-up snow, helping a novice skier navigate mixed conditions without having to carry a ton of speed. The dampening characteristics of this ski are sufficient for moving at average speeds, but if you're trying to go Mach 2 through choppy snow, the Lumen 98 may come up short.

For folks who spend most of their resort days skiing off-piste, the Lumen 98 is a bit too soft to be supportive when the going gets tough. Despite the cork “damplifier”, the tips get jostled around at higher speeds and in more technical turns. Nevertheless, this ski smears a great turn, which will help an intermediate-to-advanced skier tackle smaller sections of chop at slower speeds, without feeling like this ski is unstable.

Terrain Playfulness

The Lumen 98 is a very playful ski that is fun for every level of skier. It isn't markedly lighter weight than other skis in the review, but it certainly has the feel of a lightweight, springy ski. It feels like air under your feet and encourages you to put some real air below them, too. Hitting features in the park and popping off rocks feels easy on the Lumen 98.

This ski also has a very nice rebound at the end of the turn. That kick-back comes fast and feels fun partly because of the tight, 16-meter radius (even tighter in the shorter lengths). Our testers were able to load and bounce the Lumen 98 through quick, snappy turns, which always makes a ski feel more playful.

The extended rocker profile and limited effective edge add agility, and the Lumen 98 feels very nimble, especially in tight spaces. Because such a small part of the ski is actually in contact with the snow, and because the tips and tails are so light, it is incredibly easy to whip this ski around in a quick turn.

Bumps

The sensation of buoyancy that had our testers squealing through the park also makes the Lumen 98 easy to maneuver around moguls. Pull your legs up at the top of a bump, and these skis oblige, because there isn't a heavy plank holding you down. It is quick and responsive, and given the dramatic rocker profile, there's really only a small portion of the ski touching the snow at any given moment. This makes it feel like it “skis shorter”, thus making bumps feel less constrained and easier to navigate.

Despite its width underfoot, the Lumen 98 moves quickly from one set of edges to the next. Generally speaking, any intermediate-to-advanced skier interested in learning to ski bumps is better off choosing a ski with much smaller measurements – smaller width, length, and turn radius – while they develop the movement pattern. But for a versatile ski, the Lumen 98 is by no means a bad choice to push into bumps for the first time.

Should you buy the Salomon QST Lumen 98?

Although the Lumen 98 likely isn't the best option in our lineup for advanced-to-expert skiers, it is a great choice if you are purchasing your first pair of skis or looking for an affordable upgrade to improve your technique and step out into ungroomed terrain. The Lumen 98 is a fun, agile, and responsive all-mountain ski that is accessible to folks still learning the art of skiing. It is an affordable bridge for the gap between groomed runs and the off-piste. Even though this ski is best suited for intermediates, that doesn't mean it's off the table for the more experienced crowd. If you're looking for an energetic ski that trends towards predictable at moderate speeds yet still allows you to play in the fluff, then the Lumen 98 is a great option.

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