I reviewed a few new skis from Volkl last spring. This is the third post in the four-part review series. The first one was about Volkl Katana and the second was about Volkl Mantra. In this post, I will discuss Volkl Tigershark 10FT Power Switch. The review was done last spring in northern Finland as soon as these skis were available. Check out the review conditions and skier details in the Volkl Katana ski review.

175 cm Volkl Tigershark 10 FT Power Switch ski review results

Now, this is something completely different. The Volkl Tigershark 10FT Power Switch is the ski with which you can self-tune the stiffness. I won’t go into the full details but the idea is that the ski has some loaded carbon bands in it, and you can switch the bands to being “ON” (=stiff) or “OFF” (= softer, more forgiving flex).

The dimensions of Volkl Tigershark 10FT Power Switch are fairly standard (I guess): 121-73-105mm. The funny thing is that a few years ago, this would have been classified as a “mid fat”, but these days this seems to be one of your piste-oriented carvers…

07/08 Volkl Tigershark 10 FT Power Switch – a good ski for well prepared slopes

I had mixed feelings about this ski. It felt pretty powerful. I had the dial in “off”, giving softer flex for the slush. The “on” position felt too stiff for the conditions. Still, the sidecut and flex didn’t allow for easy cruising. You had to be on top of the ski all the time, otherwise it would punish you. The slush and very variable surface was not for this ski, I especially felt the inside ski wandering all the time – whether this was due to my old school outside ski dominating technique or the conditions, I’m not sure. But I’ve got the feeling that Volkl Tigershark 10FT Power Switch is for the really well-prepared slope, not for the varying spring conditions and deep, wet slush. On a few harder patches the skis felt fine, and for me still better in the “off” mode. I guess if you like very fast gs turns on hard slopes, this is the ski for you.

On the good side, the switch thingamabob didn’t seem like just a gimmick. It really affects the flex and/or feel of the ski. Also, my review of this ski would probably be totally different if the test were performed in the concrete-ice conditions of the same hill on a typical very-cold January day. This said, I don’t want to report anything final now – clearly the conditions were too far from optimal for this type of ski.