Brand Feature: Salomon

Most brands do one thing well. Salomon do most things well. That is a rarer achievement in the ski industry than you’d think, and it’s why they come up so often when people ask me where to start.

Who they are

Salomon were founded in Annecy, in the French Alps, in 1947. The original business was making ski edges and steel cutting tools. They pivoted into ski bindings in the 1950s — a logical move given where they were based and what their manufacturing capability was — and from there expanded steadily into boots, skis, and eventually the full range of equipment and outerwear you see today.

Annecy is relevant. Being based in the Alps means proximity to the mountains, to real skiers, and to the feedback loop that actually matters when you’re developing equipment. Salomon are not a distant corporation guessing at what skiers want. They have been part of the French ski industry for nearly eighty years.

They are now owned by Amer Sports, the same parent company as Atomic and Armada. This matters if you care about the corporate structure. For practical purposes, the brands operate largely independently and Salomon’s product quality has not visibly suffered from the arrangement.

What they make

Skis, boots, bindings, helmets, goggles, and outerwear. That is the full kit, all under one roof. You can, in theory, walk into a shop and leave with a head-to-toe Salomon setup without making a single compromise on quality in any category. Very few brands can honestly say that.

Boots

This is where Salomon is strongest, and where I’d point most people first.

The S/Max series is the intermediate sweet spot. Comfortable enough to ski all day, stiff enough to transfer power properly when you push into a turn. They are not a beginner boot that you’ll grow out of in two seasons and they’re not a race-spec boot that will punish you for being human. They occupy exactly the right position for someone who skis a week or two a year and wants to improve without suffering.

The X Access range sits slightly softer, aimed at skiers who prioritise comfort over performance. The flex ratings are lower, the fit is more forgiving, and they work well for recreational skiers who have no particular ambition to become expert. There’s nothing wrong with that. Most skiers on the slopes on any given week are recreational and they need a boot that won’t ruin their holiday.

For skiers pushing harder, the X Pro series steps up in stiffness and precision. Not race hardware, but proper performance boots that respond when you ask them to. Worth looking at if you ski more than a fortnight a year and you’re comfortable with a firmer fit.

One consistent strength across the Salomon boot range is the buckle and strap system. They close cleanly and stay closed. It sounds like a low bar but it isn’t — cheap buckle mechanisms are one of the things that make budget boots genuinely frustrating to use.

Skis

The QST line is the all-mountain range and the one most relevant to skiers reading this. The QST 92 and QST 98 cover the majority of intermediate to advanced skiers who ski mostly on-piste with some excursions into softer snow. They’re not the most exciting skis ever made, but they are honest and competent and will not let you down.

For on-piste focused skiing, the Stance series has replaced some of the older carving lines and is worth looking at if you spend most of your time on groomed runs and want something that rewards clean technique.

If you’re at the point of buying your own skis for the first time, the QST range is a sensible starting point. Not the cheapest option available, but you won’t be buying again in two years because you’ve outgrown them.

Helmets and goggles

The Pioneer and Brigade helmets are solid mid-range options. MIPS versions are available, which I’d always recommend for the marginal safety improvement. Nothing groundbreaking but well made and comfortable.

The S/View goggles have a good lens-change system if you ski in variable conditions and want to swap from a dark lens to a bright-light lens without significant faff. Magnetic quick-change systems are useful in practice, not just as a selling point.

Outerwear

Salomon make ski jackets and pants and they are perfectly competent. The specs are honest, the construction is reliable, and the fit is designed for skiing rather than streetwear.

That said, I wouldn’t necessarily buy Salomon outerwear over Dope Snow or Montec at the same price point. The outerwear doesn’t represent the same step up over the competition that the boots do. You’re paying partly for the Salomon name, and the name adds more value on a boot than it does on a jacket.

If you’re building a Salomon setup from scratch and you want to add their outerwear for simplicity, you won’t be making a mistake. If you’re shopping outerwear independently, you’ll likely get better value elsewhere.

Who Salomon is for

Intermediates buying their first proper kit are the clearest fit. The S/Max boot, a QST ski, and a set of Salomon bindings is a complete, coherent setup that will serve you well for several seasons without any awkward mismatches in performance or compatibility.

Salomon also suits people who want to stick with one trusted brand rather than researching five different companies for five different product categories. That is a legitimate approach. Spreading your research and buying across brands can yield a technically better setup, but it takes more time and requires more confidence in your own knowledge. Salomon makes it straightforward to do well without doing all of that.

They’re less interesting to experienced skiers who know exactly what they want and are prepared to mix brands to optimise each category. At that level, you might prefer Fischer or Lange for boots, or look at Volkl or Head for skis depending on your discipline. Salomon are not the niche expert’s choice. They are the sensible, reliable, consistently good choice.

The honest verdict

Salomon are one of a small number of brands where I don’t feel the need to add significant caveats. The boots are excellent. The skis do what they say. The helmets and goggles are properly made. The outerwear is fine but not the priority purchase.

If someone asks me where to start when buying ski kit for the first time, Salomon comes up in the answer. That is not a complicated or hedged recommendation. They’ve earned it over a long time and they continue to earn it.

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Prices and specific model availability vary by retailer and season. Check current stock before buying.