V-ski

For the coming season the Völkl’s whole freeskiing line, called V-ski, is divided into three groups, rather than two as before (freestyle and freeride). For 2008/2009 there is three subcategories: freeride, backcountry freestyle (tricks off natural terrain and on the soft snow) and “pure” freestyle (park skiing, urban rails, half pipe, “jibbing”). The lines include the following skis:

• Freestyle: four adult models, Bridge, Wall, Ledge, Pearl and 2 juniors: Bridge Jr. Mini Pearl
• Backcountry Freestyle: 3 Models, Chop Stick, Gotama, Cosmo (women)
• Freeride: Five adults models,  Kuro, Katana, Mantra, Kiku (women), Aura (women) and 1 for juniors – Mantra Jr

On this post we will concentrate on the Freestyle line: park/pipe skis (freestyle line) and backcountry freestyle line.

Backcountry Freestyle Line

The crown of this line is obvioysly the modern cult classic / benchmark ski Völkl Gotama. Lots can be said about this ski. And even if there have been some minor complaints about the construct/durability of some earlier models, most of the comments and reviews regarding skiing characteristics of the Gotama have been very positive.

The Gotamas has served me very well and I think the new model will be as good or even better. Völkl has made some minor tweaks to the design: the angled sidewalls changed to the square ones, resulting stronger construction and better power transmission to the edges (this all according to Völkl). You can believe it, but I guess those changes won’t change the ski much. The ski is said to be again just a tad stiffer underfoot. This is also good for some, bad for some. At least I think it is a bit misleading to name Gotama a purely “backcountry freestyle ski” – because in the real world its use happens to be mostly solid all-mountain, all conditions ski. I guess jibbers will pick up more the likes of K2 Hellbent and Line EP Pro. You can do freestyle moves on Gotama for sure but it is not a “buttery”, very playful ski but more of an solid allrounder.

The Chop Stik then is a ski that should be very interesting to the skiers that like to go bi-directional in any condition. I guess this ski is going to get some mixed reviews – ski this wide, with symmetrical sidecut and (recommended) centered mount point, is not for everyone. But if you ski like Pollard… but maybe even faster (heh, remember Völkl skis tend to be on the stiff side), this might the ski for you.

Cosmo is basically the same ski as the freestyle line’s Bridge with lenghts and flex customed to the women. Measurements are 130-92-112 mm. And lenghts offered 153cm (14.3m turn radius), 169cm (16,1m turn radius) and 169cm (17,9m turn radius).

Freestyle Line

Bridge is the only model in this line with non-symmetrical shape. This tells about the idea of the ski – it is supposed to be, well, a bridge between freestyle and backcounty freestyle lines. Versatile geometry of 130-92-112 mm should offer enough flotation in the deep without being a total tank in the park or on the groomed slopes. I really dig the shape and idea of this ski…

However, when testing 07/08 Völkl skis, I was told by the local Völkl representative that “meh, that ski is too new school for you…“.  Well, I don’t know, I’d like to think I can still ski some park too but maybe the guy was just suggesting that the flex of the Bridge is quite soft and the recommended mount point way forward. So, if you are a big hard charging person, this ski is not probably for you. But lighter weight, versatile skiers that like to mix it up a bit should love this ski. Lenghts are offered in 161, 169, 177 and 185 cm. I also like to think that with Marker Duke this ski would make a nice (spring) touring set-up.

Wall has a symmetrical shape of 115-87-115mm. In the first look you would think the ski is similar to the older, very versatile,  Karma model. However, I guess the true twin shape of the ski moves the Wall closer to the hard core park/pipe/jib stick while Karma was even at home on the mogul runs. Probably very fun ski on soft kickers, spring slush and all kind of softer snow jibs. Lenghts are 161, 169, 177 and 185 cm.

Ledge. Well, I had some bad experiences with this skis predecessor, the Dogen. Anyway, Dogen was a very fun ski to jump and make tricks etc. – I hope Völkl has fixed the Dogen’s common quality issues with the Ledge – because I guess otherwise this is probably a very good park ski that can also make some decent turns in the slopes. Shape is 111-84-111mm and lenghts are offered in a wide range of 148cm to 176cm.

Pearl is  basically a softer flexing, women’s version of the Ledge. With lenghts of 148, 155, 162 and 169cm.

Luckily the Internet is full of useful information these days (if you know what you are looking for!). Our russian neigbours have made great overview of the whole Völkl 08/09 line-up. You can find the original version here - great if you know russian… However, someone at Epicski posted a version translated by the Google for the rest of us (= english speaking/reading web ski community, which I guess consists of a quite large amount of people these days?)

The original translation is so-so, and partly hard to understand (read here, if you are interested – at least the photos and figures are nice). I’ll try to do my best to pick up the important facts from text, combined with the information I’ve searched from other sources (mostly TGR and Epic sites)

V-ski

For the coming season the Völkl’s whole freeskiing line, called V-ski, is divided into three groups, rather than two as before (freestyle and freeride). For 2008/2009 there is three subcategories: freeride, backcountry freestyle (tricks off natural terrain and on the soft snow) and “pure” freestyle (park skiing, urban rails, half pipe, “jibbing”). The lines include the following skis:

Freestyle: four adult models, Bridge, Wall, Ledge, Pearl and 2 juniors: Bridge Jr. Mini Pearl

Backcountry Freestyle: 3 Models, Chop Stick, Gotama, Cosmo (women)

Freeride: Five adults models,  Kuro, Katana, Mantra, Kiku (women), Aura (women) and 1 for juniors – Mantra Jr

Freeride line

On the freeride line Katana and Mantra stay almost unchanged (see also my 07/08 review: Katana, Mantra). Gotama is said to be again just  a tad stiffer and gets vertical sidewall instead of angled. This is said to add some durability and there is also some speculation that the power transfer to the edges is slightly more efficient with that construction (believe who want to believe…)

Kuro is something that got my attention from the first time I heard of it. See what I wrote eariler this winter, in the general 2008-2009 new ski/innovation article, here. Kuro was one of the skis I was most interested about (along the new Armada JP vs. Julien, which was my clear favorite of the bunch!).

The russian guys really seemed to dig that ski.  Read the (well) translated review from this thread. I like the personal tone on that review btw. – gives you some more perspective!

All in all seems like the freeride line has three well thought and tested, proven designs and one new (very strong) contender. If the Kuro works as well as the first tests let us believe, I think it must be one of the real hits for the upcoming years (think about the original Gotama as a “benchmark” case!).

I’ll continue this overview with a part II post soon – concentrating more on the offers in the freestyle lines. Some really interesting stuff on that side too, even for someone who mostly tends to stay on the solid ground while skiing.

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.

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.

177 Volkl Mantra 07/08 ski review results

These were probably a bit small for me…or so I thought at first. I normally ski 06/07 190cm Volkl Gotamas and/or 189cm older (green) Seth Pistols, and some 180cm park skis.

The dimensions of the Volkl Mantras are a very versatile 133-96-116mm. On the slopes, I was really surprised how well the 177cm Volkl Mantra behaved: I’d say predictable and stable but still somehow unforgiving. Both Volkl Mantra and Katana have a little bit softer flex and a somewhat “lazier” feel, whereas Gotama is very “snappy” but at the same time a bit more demanding.

My groomer technique needs some updating, and I was actually getting some tips from a ski-instructor friend while testing these skis. We both laughed at how I was much more comfortable on Volkl Mantras than on some real “carvers” and managed to do much better two-footed carves on these wonderful masterpieces of German ski engineering. Conditions probably played a role here: skinnier skis really started to “boot out” in the bottomless slush (yes, really weird conditions…you kind of had to surf the slush in a way just slightly resembling real pow skiing).

Volkl Mantra 07/08 is a good all-around ski

I’d say Volkl Mantra is a real all-around ski. I especially dig the fact that there’s almost a “pintail” design put into the ski: while the tip is as wide as in Gotama, the tail is much narrower. So even with a slightly narrower waist the ski lets you plane as the tip goes up and the tail goes down on the snow. Brilliant, don’t you think? Still there’s enough sidecut for quick carves on the harder stuff. The narrower tail also lets you finish the turn as you like, skidded or carved.

My only gripe with the 177cm Volkl Mantra length was that the tail felt really short (ok, let’s admit that a slight back seating is one of my normal bad ski habits). Seems like the standard binding mounting for these is pretty “traditional”, i.e. really far back on the ski, like it usually has been in the Volkl lineup. But I also think that on the 184 cm version, I wouldn’t have even noticed this. I also think that the longer length would rock in some longer turns, and I’d really like to test the 191cm model on some creamy windbuff or just on some groomed long gs-run…hmmmmm, can you say speed!

Overall impression: 07/08 Volkl Mantra is a very good and well thought-out ski. Also, it is suprisingly forgiving for Volkl – this might even be considered a drawback for some people though. These skis are probably not the best ones for any particular condition but I’d say that if you suck on these, don’t bother blaming the equipment…

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!