Ski: Salomon Depart .01

Reviewer height/weight: 5’9, 145lbs

Ski weights (per ski): 1906g/2001g

Length skied: 180

Actual length (with straight tape): 178.5

Dimensions: 140 - 106 - 128

Mounted: -3.5 cm from true center

Bindings: Tyrolia Attack 17

Locations: Saas-Fee

Conditions skied: Powder, sun-baked powder, groomers, park,

Days Skied: 10

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I wrote the first Roofbox Review back in 2014 when I had just started at Newschoolers as a wide-eyed park rat with a thesaurus and a dream. It’s crazy to think that in all the years since then, Salomon hasn’t released a new freestyle-focused ski. They ran a limited park program as their team’s contacts ran down but as a brand they made a clear step away from the game. And as both a huge name and one of the first to support the newschool skiing movement, they have been missed. After all, my first skis, like so many others, were the 1080 (not the original, sadly, but the yellow spaceframes). The first ski movie I ever saw, was a Salomon Adrenaline Hunters DVD.

Fast forward the best part of a decade and Salomon are back with a much-anticipated bang. This ski has been teased on riders’ Instagrams and clearly, it’s been in the works for years now (at least). I first skied a version of it ages ago, though it’s changed significantly since then. The Depart .01 is the first in a totally new series of skis from Salomon and it does do the name justice. It’s a clear departure from both what Salomon, and other ski brands, are doing right now. Read more about that from one of the masterminds, Sämi Ortlieb, here.

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Shape/Flex/Construction:

These are pretty unique skis in terms of shape, with the pointed tip and squared-off tail, they look like nothing else out there. They also aren’t very symmetrical on paper, with the tip flaring out to 140mm but the tail only a more modest 128. There are pretty deep rocker lines, especially in the tip but also plenty of rocker in the tail too. There’s a smidge of camber underfoot, but just a few mm.

According to Sami, the final production model will be 15% softer than what I skied, but the version I have is certainly not a soft ski, and none of the versions I’ve tried/handled have been soft in the way a Line Bacon or Vishnu Wet is soft. Sure, the team makes them look easy to flex but it wouldn’t be the first time a ski looked a lot softer than it is in the hands of the pros (all ON3Ps for example, the K2 Poacher…). I’ll update this if I ski the final ski but on my version, the flex is fairly smooth and fairly stiff. There’s no hinge point which I really like, just a smooth, solid ski throughout (similar to the K2 Poacher). There’s no metal in them, but a decent layer of basalt, enough to make mounting them a workout. Otherwise, the construction seems fairly standard, but solid. The tips are pretty beefy, the ski has full sidewall throughout and you can feel it. Edges are hard to measure accurately but I think these are 2.2x2mm. They seem slightly thicker than standard but they are not a full-on fat edge.

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On snow:

Groomers/Resort:

It took me a minute to get a feel for these skis on groomers and hard snow. They actually carve nicely once you get used to them, but they do require some input. The radius on them is pretty short (15m) but the shape overall is fairly surfy, so you do need to find the line where the skis carve vs drift. To me, it almost felt like I had to exaggerate the motion of turns to get them to bite and carve a smooth turn, but once you find that point… damn they feel good. There is quite a lot of rocker in these too, but the midsection is so stiff that they hold a good edge, even on really hard snow. The full vertical sidewall transmits power to the edges really well, and they hold a smooth turn. The width and the flex mean they don’t bend into super short carved turns naturally (flex plays a huge role in actual turn radius vs stated radius), but they are a powerful ski on hard snow. They aren’t as easily engaging as something softer, and I didn’t find them the most intuitive groomer ski, but once you figure them out, they do a good job for 106mm ski.

Soft Snow:

The shape of the ski performs ridiculously well in soft snow for a ski of this width/length/flex. The pin tip planes sideways really easily and they have plenty of rocker for float. The stiff, squared-off tail doesn’t sink as easily as some, and this is where the mounting point comes in a bit. Regardless, at 140mm in the tip and 128mm in the tail, they have enough of a float differential between the tip and tail to ski quite naturally in powder but I wouldn’t center mount IMO (more on that later, but if you mount too far forward I could see it really hurting performance).

They aren’t a soft ski, so it’s not like they flex and the tip will float on the surface no matter what, but the shape feels very soft snow-inspired, and they ski it well and with plenty of power. You can land switch as long as you’re pretty on it… and for the size, not many skis do better in this width category. However, size is an issue. The longest length of the ski, for now, is the one I rode; a 180cm ski that is a bit shorter than that. And there was no getting around the fact that they did feel a little short to me in soft snow.

Crud etc:

These skis are quite close to doing it all. Perhaps closer than any ski I can think of. They ski groomers well, they ski pow and they handle crud with aplomb. These are a pretty stiff ski, and combined with that knife tip, they cut through mixed conditions better than any freestyle-focused ski I’ve ever skied. Ultimately, they aren’t as damp as something with a lot of metal, but the basalt does its job, and the full sidewall extends right to the tip so there isn’t a lot of chatter. These things charge pretty happily and never felt unsettled by any conditions I skied them in.

Park/Jibbing:

Despite the all-conditions chops, the Depart .01 is very much a ‘freestyle’ ski. On paper, it’s not particularly remarkable for park skiing (-5cm recommended mount, big tip/tail differential, etc) but it defies those numbers. The mounting point is key. That pointed tip doesn’t weigh much, so you can almost ignore it in terms of swingweight. I mounted at -3.5cm from true, because when I eyeballed it, that was pretty much the center of the contact points. It feels pretty close to center mounted like that, even if it doesn’t look it. I've heard some of the team go as far as -1, but I wouldn't personally. Even at -3.5, they feel fairly balanced in the air and easy enough to spin for the size, even though the tips are pretty chunky (both width and profile). They aren’t remarkably light, nor do they feel notably heavy, which for me, is fine. Don’t buy them if you compete or want to throw crazy spins. But then the new Depart brand threw the FIS rulebook in the trash, literally, so I suspect if that’s your thing, you won’t want to anyway. I like a wider ski on rails, so these felt natural to me, and on jumps, they are super solid.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1088447/SalomonClip-mov

What is remarkable for a ski this stiff and with pretty damn good edging power, is how loose they can feel in the park. The rocker makes them easy enough to butter. I’ve heard feedback from the team that this stiffer layup sample is hard to butter, especially the tails, but I didn’t notice any issues. There’s lots of rocker there so I found them easy enough to lean into, and you can throw as much weight as you like and they won’t buckle. Despite the stiff flex they feel surfy and quick while at the same time being stable. There are, of course, more buttery, looser skis out there but nothing I’ve tried comes close to being both this surfy and at the same time incredibly stable.

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Durability:

These skis are CHUNKY but I haven’t had enough time on them to put them through the ringer. The Saas Fee park only has a couple of rails and they’re shit, so they haven’t spent much time on metal. That said, I’ve done a bunch of buttering (often a big cause for delams) and the landings have been pretty solid and the skis feel brand new after 10 days. From what I can tell, these will hold up pretty well. My one concern would be a head-on impact for the pointed tip. I feel like that wouldn’t do a great job of distributing the force in that kind of situation, but thankfully, I haven’t tested it. They don't have the fattest edges I've seen, but the sidewall is super chunky and vertical above, which in my recent experience almost matters more than edge thickness.

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Comparisons:

Vs ARV 106:

In terms of flex and profile, the ARV 106 is probably the closest ski to the new Depart. The ARV has slightly less tip rocker and to me, it’s about the same flex but less damp. They have very different ‘feels’ though, with the short turn radius on the Depart making it feel much quicker and more maneuverable. In the version I skied, the Depart feels less poppy than the ARV but even more stable on landings. The added tip rocker means it butters a bit better up front too.

In terms of choosing between the skis, I would say the Depart has more to give in terms of different turn shapes and feel quicker in the park. But the ARV is slightly better charging in soft snow because it tracks in a straight line better where the Depart gets a tiny bit twitchy. Both are really good, solid flexing all-mountain freestyle skis but for me, if you’re in a big variety of conditions, the Depart is a bit more versatile and it feels more ‘fun’ overall.

Vs Line Bacon 108:

The new Line Bacon is a lot more versatile than previous versions and in a 178 is a pretty similar length and shape to the 180cm Depart. The Bacon is MUCH softer in the tip and tail, and even a bit softer underfoot. While it has a longer radius than the Depart, because of the soft flex it has a similar feeling turn when you put it on edge. The Bacon has much more instant feedback when put on edge whereas the Depart doesn’t really feel energetic, it just makes the turn happen. However, when it comes to stability, the Bacon isn’t even close. The Depart is much beefier, stronger throughout, and damper, and you don’t lose that much playfulness as a tradeoff.

Simply Recreation:

The Recreation is sort of in the same market space as the new Depart .01, AKA short radius all-mountain freestyle skis. That’s about where the similarities end. The Recreation is much lighter and quicker to edge but it doesn’t have that bulk to push through crappy snow anything like the Depart. The Depart handles icier, harder snow better, despite being wider and it’s a bit better in pow as a result too. However, it’s definitely not as easy to throw around or nearly as poppy.

Dynastar MFree 108:

The MFree is here because it’s one of the best, most versatile skis I’ve ever skied. It is being marketed and skied entirely differently from the Depart .01 but strangely they end up being fairly similar, despite appearances. Both are fairly solid but still playful, both charge well and yet still go sideways easily. Both have a ton of power on edge when you lay them out. I haven’t skied the updated version at the time of writing, but the current model shares a lot with the Depart. The Depart is a bit smoother in butters and easier to hold presses, and the radius is shorter, so it’s happier in tight turns, whereas the MFree straight lines more naturally and has more energy, but for me, they are quite alike in terms of feel, just the MFree feels more directional.

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Conclusion:

It’s a huge testament to the Depart .01 that I feel it has a lot in common with the MFree 108, they are two of the best do-it-all skis out there right now. The Depart has more of a true freestyle feel to it, and for me, I think Salomon has come up with something special here. It took me quite a while to get used to the way the Depart skis. It wasn’t an intuitive ski that I just threw on and fell in love with, I had to learn them. And it wasn’t quite the ski I expected in my head, though I’m intrigued to ski a slightly softer layup as it might feel a little more intuitive in that guise. But once I figured it out, I enjoyed it for almost everything. It is quite stiff but I had fun buttering on it, because it provides such a stable platform. On edge, it doesn’t instantly feel the most grippy but it holds super well when you lean into the turn. What I liked the most was that when I took them out, they were never the wrong pair of skis to be on. Gun to my head, if I had to own one pair of skis for absolutely everything, I think these might be top of my list. But (like most guys) I wouldn’t say no to a couple more centimeters.