I reviewed a few new skis from Volkl last spring. This is the final post in the four-part review series. The first one was about Volkl Katana, the second was about Volkl Mantra and the third post was about Volkl Tigershark 10 FT Power Switch. In this post I will discuss 07/08 Volkl Gotama ski review. 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.
07/08 Volkl Gotama ski review results
I only got to ski this beauty really briefly but I’ve rocked 06/07 Volkl Gotamas for a season now, and what I’ve heard from the Volkl rep (and also felt myself), the ski is essentially the same for the 07/08 season. Only the golden Buddha design is much cooler IMHO. And besides, white pow skis are kind of a stupid invention anyway…
Otherwise, what can I say? 07/08 Volkl Gotamas simply rock. The 190cm model is maybe a tad long for our (Lapland) mole hills but perfect for me in the Alps. (Btw. I put the bindings in a 1,5cm + position from the FR line, which also seems perfect for me).
I never got to test the earlier black Volkl Buddha Gotama but everybody seemed praise it. The newer ones are about 10~15% stiffer throughout the ski. Herein lays my only complaint for the ski: it could be just a tad softer actually, especially in the tip. On the other hand, these destroy the crud too without being total tanks like some even stiffer and beefier skis (like my old Head Im 103’s at 193cm, those had only one speed: full ahead, and if you were tired or lazy, they just killed you, no questions about it). On newer Volkl Gotamas there’s just enough sidecut for lazily “rolling” from edge to edge on the groomers but still not too much for the tricky off-piste situations. A near-perfect mix of characteristics you need in the all-day, every-day big mountain skis and you can still enjoy the groomed slopes back to the village/hotel/your car etc. I guess every skier who wants to ski in a place like Chamonix, for example, needs a ski just like this. Maybe, just maybe, the newer, more radical designs are even better on the really deep stuff but the versatility of these skis is what makes them a real winner.
This article was written by Janne but published by Marko because Janne, the proud father, was busy with kids while the ladies took it easy…
6 Responses
[...] Also, the stack height is lower than on most current touring bindings (Dynafit excluded),still a bit higher than on alpine bindings without lifters. But this didn’t bother me at all actually. One could even argue that a slight lift helps edging on hard pack with skis like Gotama. [...]
[...] snowboarding. See the powder fields around 2:30 seconds. Fantastic! I would love to step in my Volkl Gotama skis and ride that face but I guess I would be dead scared just before landing on the [...]
[...] skiing characteristics of the Gotama have been very positive. You can read my take on the issue here. The Gotamas has served me very well and I think the new model will be as good or even better. [...]
The Gotamas are mind blowing. Trees are easier to dodge than anything I have been on. And its tight in the east. Balls out!
Cool.I guess the Gotama was/still is a “benchmark” ski on its class?(meaning you pretty much can’t go wrong skiing them)
The new ones (09/10) are going to be interesting…a bit wider, still a bit stiffer, and with early rise/rocker tip. I wonder if they are as versatile as the current design though?
[...] I only skied these for two runs and didn’t jump at all.The flex is rounder than e.g. on Völkl Gotamas (current version, which hasn’t changed that much from [...]