Best Backcountry Features

Salomon MTN Carbon S3 - Review 2026

By: Melissa Stevens & Annie Gunton - Updated: April 2025

About this guide

We gave our Gear Lovers one job:
Find the best and most popular products and review them.

Our review team always considers durability, price, quality, and value in their reviews.

Our review team:

Melissa Stevens

Collaborator at SlopeMagazine.com

Born in New Hampshire, Melissa grew up skiing on the east coast before moving to Utah in 2013 to seek out the so-called best snow on earth. In 2019 she set out to New Zealand to be a ski instructor for the season and loved it so much that she immediately started a second season of instructing upon returning to Park City. Melissa still resides in Utah for most of the year and loves to ski and mountain bike.

Annie Gunton

Editor at SlopeMagazine.com

Annie has lived on 4 continents and traveled through 6. Spending her time in places as different as London and the Kalahari she has adapted how she gets out and enjoys what’s around.

Disclosure: We are reader supported, and earn affiliate commissions If you find a good deal on Slope Magazine, you click to the retailer, and you buy the product, we get a commission of the sale. That's how we pay ourselves. It does not make the product pricier for you. when you buy through us.

Where to buy Salomon MTN Carbon S3:

Backcountry

Evo

With the help of pro skier Cody Townsend, Salomon set out to design the ultimate freeride touring pole, and now these poles have gotten even better.

Features such as the easy height adjustment system, foam grip extension, and S3 autorelease strap make these backcountry ski poles stand out. Even through the most challenging terrain, we were able to maintain a firm grip thanks to the long EVA ball grip. The adjustment system has proven seamless to use, while the S3 safety feature is effective and nice to have in avalanche terrain.

Another nice aspect of this pole is the plastic ring that allows you to change out the baskets, though some people have complained of losing baskets with this system. Another downside is that although this pole is made of lightweight carbon, it isn’t the lightest on the market, weighing in at 0.55 lbs for the 100-135cm length.

At the end of the day, these poles aren’t perfect, but they are still a solid option for any serious backcountry skier. Packed with well-thought-out features and improving over past versions, these poles are tough to disappoint.