I reviewed a few new skis from Volkl last spring. This post starts the four-post series of the review results. This first one is about Volkl Katana (183 cm). In my future posts in this series I will discuss the other skis as well: Gotama, Mantra and Tigershark 10FT Power Switch. The review was done last spring in northern Finland as soon as these skis were available.

A few words about the reviewer of 07/08 Volkl Katana skis

Height/weight: 184cm (~6″) 83kg (~160lbs)
Ability: very experienced, not the best/most modern carve/on-piste technique though.
Age: 34
Days/year: currently ~30/year (but skied several years over 50 days a year)
Conditions: Very soft spring groomers (groomed slush basically) with around 5cm (2inches) of new natural wet spring snow.
Resort: Pyhätunturi, Finland, around 250m (~800feet) of vertical, nothing very steep but variable, high speed groomed runs, even some short off-piste routes
Skis tested: 183cm Katana, 177cm Mantra, 175 cm Tigershark 10FT Power Switch, 190cm Gotama

Volkl Katana 07/08 skis in review – Review results of Volkl Katana 07/08

Let’s move on to the most interesting stuff first. Volkl Katana is marketed as the newest and most innovative big mountain and powder weapon of the Volkl line-up. The dimensions are hefty 140-111-130. Very fat but still not as ridiculously fat as some of the other offerings these days.

But width is not the be-all, end-all character of the ski anyway. Volkl Katana has some nice details that keep things even more interesting. The ski is said to have a “rocker” design (which means negative camber at least for part of the ski). The ski also has a unique powder channel, which is kind of a mix of normal twin tip and swallow tail design (see the picture above). Last but not  least, the sticks are offered now also in the “real men’s” length, 197 cm! Finally, skis are getting longer again as there is a clear trend for fatties in the length of +194 cm (e.g. Salomon X-Wing Lab, Dynastar Pro Rider XXL, DP Skis Lotus at 198 cm and 200 cm etc.)

Ok, now let’s move on to the action. In practice Volkl Katanas looked/felt totally flat. It seems like there is no “rocker” actually but the ski is just totally flat, no camber whatsoever. Or at least the “rocker” is so small that you won’t notice it when the skis are laying flat on the ground.

The first feeling on the slope was “damn these skis are wide and somehow lazy getting onto the edge”. When I started to get some speed and make turns I didn’t feel the flat camber actually having that much effect on anything. Also, the slow and sluggish feeling was gone after just a few runs. You would think the 111mm middle skis require more input to get on to the edges, after all. At least in these conditions the width was actually a real strength: where skinnier skis started to “boot out” (into the ~25-30cm of wet slush), the Volkl Katanas skied round, nice turns and you could really lie down and carve the soft surface.

Ok, this is not an SL ski but I was able to do carved medium-sized turns with ease. There was one steeper north facing part where you actually hit a hard/icy surface. At speed, when hitting harder patches, I noticed some tip flapping. That’s maybe the only negative sign of the zero camber /”rocker” design. On the other hand, these skis let you surf the softer snow with great control and feel – I can just imagine these skis on a couple of feet of nice, light fresh snow…

On Volkl Katanas there is enough twin on the “powder-channel” to (at least) land silly little 180′s from rollers to deep slush – if that’s your thing. Anyway, those were really fun because the 111mm middle body felt really nice and stable when landing fake (a.k.a backwards).

Volkl Katana ski was a bit disappointing

If you’re familiar with the Volkl Mantra feel and like it, this is the ski for you. It really felt like a bigger Mantra on the slopes. IMHO Katana and Mantra would make a nice “quiver”. Still, on the other hand if you already have an “all mountain/mid fat” with around 100~105mm middle (e.g. Gotama), you might want to look elsewhere: in the end the difference between my Gotamas and these skis wasn’t so great that I’d like to buy a pair of Volkl Katanas immediately. If you already have something like Gotamas and like to buy something even bigger then why not to go on and have a full reverse camber (and even reverse sidecut) ski for those big days? Not to say Volkl Katana was a disappointment but I was maybe expecting a more radical design/feel (=more rocker). After this test ride, I’m really eager to test some more radical new design like the original Volant Spatula, Armada ARG, K2 Pontoon or Hellbent, Praxxis Powder…the list goes on.

And finally a word about the length: if you really feel you’re man (or woman!) enough for the 197’s, go for it! But if you have even a slightest hesitation, my advice is to opt for the more “mortal” 190 or even 183 cm. I felt like I could go everywhere with the 183 (and my normal pow skis are 190cm Gotamas).

My next post in this review will discuss Volkl Mantra (177 cm). Stay tuned!

Oh, and if you are going to purchase new skis, check out our tips for defining the right length for your skis!