Video Transcript

How's it going? My name is Leo and I am your curated.com ski expert, coming to you live from my home here in Denver where I've been in the industry for over 10 years. Today, I'm going to give you a side-by-side comparison of two skis: the Rossignol Sender 90 and the Salomon QST Spark. I'm going to tell you how they're similar, how they're different, what they're good for, what they're not good for, and which skiers might like them best. So, let's go ahead and dive in here.

Rossignol Sender 90 Pro Skis + Xpress 10 GW Bindings

Starting with the Salomon Sender 90 Pro with Xpress 10 Grip Walk bindings, this is what's called a system ski. The binding is included with the ski, which offers a lot of value. The binding is on a track so it's adjustable to any boot size. This is typically what we see on the beginner to intermediate entry-level ski package if you're looking for value. If you're looking to get into a ski at your lowest price, look for a ski that includes bindings as it's going to help keep the cost down.

This is one of my favorite beginner skis or intermediate skiers in the west who are skiing greens, who are maybe starting to approach the blues, but they're not going very fast. They're not seeing anything very technical. What's so nice about this ski though, is that it's 90 underfoot, which is a dimension we talk about a lot to understand how quickly it goes from edge to edge, as well as how well it floats in soft snow because it's 90 underfoot. This ski is capable of handling a lot of variable snow conditions like powder, like the few days after powder where the snow is a bit rough and skied out. This allows that beginner-intermediate skier to tackle that variable snow terrain really confidently in a ski that's not going to overpower them.

This is a simple wood core ski. It doesn't have any metal or carbon reinforcing it, so it is very lightweight. It's very flexible. It's very forgiving. It's got a lot of rocker in both the tip and the tail and that makes the ski really nice and easy to turn. However, it's not going to excel specifically at carving. This ski is definitely going to find its limits at top speed. It's going to find its limits for heavier skiers and it's going to find its limits skiing beyond the basic areas.

So this is really good for that first-time ski buyer, who is still getting the hang of things, but wants to get out of rentals.

Salomon QST Spark Skis + M10 GW Bindings

If we come over here to the Salomon QST Spark, it's a nearly identical ski. It is also a system ski, but instead of the Xpress 10 bindings, this one has the M10 Grip Walk binding. So this is a Salomon binding versus a Rossignol binding, same brand. The only real difference is that it's 85 mm underfoot. So it's a little narrower which just means it might be slightly easier to turn and slightly less capable in soft snow. But that difference between an 85 and a 90 on skis like this is really, really small. It's not something that you're going to notice as a skier.

Similarities and Differences

So overall, both of these skis are really similar. They're going to be great for that first-time ski buyer, looking for an inexpensive pair to get them all over the mountain at moderate to low speeds, but give them the opportunity to explore. Either one's going to do a great job, so it can come down to color, price, or brand preference. No matter which one you choose, you're going to be really happy with it.

If you're looking for that first ski to get you out of rentals on the more beginner-intermediate side, which one is the best for you? Well, talk to a curated expert right here on curated.com and we'll be happy to get you dialed into the right one.

Comparison Table