Wildsnowers, below is the official take from Salomon re the substandard tech fittings in their Quest backcountry skiing boots. I just got off the phone with them, and as I suspected they’ve been scrambling on this for several days but of course had to get their ducks in order before making an official announcement or recall. While this is a sad situation and appears to have already resulted in one injury, a plus is that according to Salomon there are only 13 pair of the Quest boots with tech inserts out in the wild (North America), and 14 sets of pads. They are making an effort to get every last one of those items returned (sans my testers of course), whether they still be at a retailer or in public hands. So if you know anyone with the Quest boot with tech inserts sole, encourage them to contact Salomon via the number below.
Salomon has been informed of a potential incompatibility when using Salomon Quest Pro Boots and low tech touring bindings (ex: Dynafit, G3 Onyx model, Plume, ATK Race). The same applies to the touring pads which were designed to allow other Quest boots to be compatible with low tech touring bindings.
Salomon Quest Pro Boots are compatible with the other touring bindings compliant with ISO9523 standard. Salomon started an investigation concerning the compatibility of its Quest Pro Boots with low tech touring bindings, immediately after being alerted to this potential problem and these investigations are still ongoing.
As a precautionary safety measure, Salomon announces that Salomon Quest Boots having a metal tech-fit for low tech touring bindings (Quest Pro boots) should not be used until further notice, and should be immediately returned to Salomon. For returns, contact Salomon at (801) 624-7581. The same return request applies to the touring pads which were designed to allow other Quest boots to be compatible with low tech touring bindings.
There are very limited quantities of these boots and pads in the market. While most of these products were distributed without charge for trial purposes, a very small number may have been sold. In either case, the Quest Pro boots and touring pads should be returned to Salomon by retailers and skiers. Appropriate replacements or credits will be arranged.
Any further questions should be directed to Salomon customer service at the number above, or Mike Aicher, Senior Product Category Manager at 801-624-7568
Salomon USA
2030 Lincoln Ave
Ogden, UT 84401
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
