RRP: £520 including bindings

Lengths: 155, 160, 165, 170, 175

Turn radius: 15m @ 170

Dimensions: 121-73-104

Weight per pair (without bindings): 4190g

More Info: Salomon

Super-fun, grippy and playful, the Salomon S Max 10 is made for the groomer groover who wants exciting performance at a great price. Part of Salomon’s brand new S Max piste range, its central feature is new Edge Amplifier technology, whereby the slightly inset binding transmits power out and down at 45 degrees directly to the edges. The ski has a woodcore, full sandwich sidewalls and is reinforced with titanium.

Fall-Line tester Ian Davis said:

“The technology makes it an incredibly grippy ski but superbly smooth. There’s good drive out of the turn and enough stiffness for high-speed comfort. It’s also smooth at slow speeds.”

The 10 has a cruisier little bro, the 8, and a meatier big sis, the 12, both of which we liked too. The daddy of the range is the S Max Blast, which costs a couple of hundred quid more and was less versatile, we felt.

We ripped all over the mountain on the 10, and the upshot was pure edge-to-edge joy. It feels precise and stable, while also whippy and responsive. It didn’t ‘run away with us’, nor did it wobble at speed. It powered through end-of-day chop, skidded through moguls and handled short turns on steeps as confidently as it carved on first-lift corduroy. And that’s the key here: confidence. You can ride this ski all over, all day, with a big, satisfied grin.