All Things Volkl Thread

[cmsummit]

FWIW I mounted my 186cm Blaze 94's at +1. After a day or two of eyeballing it, standing on the ski's barefoot, moving my binding and boots around on the ski, +1 looked best to me as far as the rocker & camber were concerned.

I like to drive the front of the boots and ski too, and have always favored directional skis w/ traditional mounts like many of Volkl's free ride skis. I'm happy with how they ski at +1 and will be leaving them there.

ETA: Mine are mounted for telemark. I would have mounted at the same spot for alpine.

Cool....thanks. Further validating my original thoughts.

[Benneke10]

Thanks for the encouragement about mounting BMTs. I know that people have been using non-marker bindings with them since they were released but I've been a bit nervous about using a relatively narrow-mount skimo race binding with them. I'd love to use an ATK SL World Cup on them since they're pretty cheap from Europe right now to compensate for their heavier weight (relative to other skinny touring skis).

[Tailwind]

Just bought my wife a set of Secret 102’s with Bindings for $400 shipped from Corbetts. She has primarily only had powder skis for the last few years so I’m curious to see what she thinks of these. Went with a 163 compared to her more normal 168-169cm setups.

[Shorty_J]

I picked up some 186cm Blaze 106 to be mounted with ATK FR14 as a dedicated touring setup. Wondering where I should mount these? Recommended is at -11.9cm, which is pretty far back and I'm curious if I should go +1 or +2cm? I would really love to only mount these once. I have the 184 V-Werks Katana w/G3 Ions and originally mounted them at recommended (-13.9cm).......didn't care for them mounted that far back and moved them up +2cm. MUCH better there......quicker, easier to pivot and I feel like I didn't lose any float or stability. I'm a pretty 'traditional' skier.....I ski the front of the boot and drive my tips. I'm currently leaning towards +1cm on the Blaze. Thanks!

I like +1.5 to +2cm on my pair in a 179 and I had demo bindings on to play around with that before I mounted touring bindings at +1.5.

I didn't like +1. I felt like they could be driven from there but also needed to be... Needed more attention and felt less intuitive. Further forward they felt more intuitive for me.

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[Shorty_J]

Just bought my wife a set of Secret 102’s with Bindings for $400 shipped from Corbetts. She has primarily only had powder skis for the last few years so I’m curious to see what she thinks of these. Went with a 163 compared to her more normal 168-169cm setups.

Bought the same skis for my intermediate level wife after she skied my 177 K108 for a day and didn't have a single issue with them.

I went with the 170... Maybe a little long for her? But I'll borrow them too so that's good for me. [emoji38]

Edit to add: my wife's new secret 102 are noticably stiffer that my Katana 108... Like more than a little.

I hope this was a good choice.
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[kid-kapow]

Thanks for the encouragement about mounting BMTs.

I've mounted Tectons/Vipecs (90,94,109x2,122x2), Pivots (BMT122s), Shifts (122), MTN/Backlands (94,109, 122) and soon Crests (90 and possibly 109, and/or 94s if I can source some) on various BMTs, zero issues across all of them. Admittedly none of the listed bindings have super narrow footprints, so perhaps not the correct medicine for not overthinking it.

I would not be hesitant to mount any type of binding on BMTs though - including tele. I would not mount tele on VTAs.

eh, I've never thought about it before, but re the list above - I think I can say that I've never had as many skis from series of skis as from the BMT line. I should get some kind of BMT accolade for being such a dedicated BMT fanboi/idiot. )All have been bought with steep discounts though)

[cmsummit]

I like +1.5 to +2cm on my pair in a 179 and I had demo bindings on to play around with that before I mounted touring bindings at +1.5.

I didn't like +1. I felt like they could be driven from there but also needed to be... Needed more attention and felt less intuitive. Further forward they felt more intuitive for me.

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Thanks, decided to go +1.5cm.

[cat in january]

I bought a pair of 186 bmt 90 cheap last year as my low tide ski. definitely hit a lot of Vermont rocks before I bought them but held up well and edges too. Small crack at tip put a couple pieces of glass and gflex patch on top. Bit long for me touring. Put some marker alpinist bindings on them. Bought mid season and primary touring skis zero g 105 were grabbed. Pretty stoked to ski them hearing how well the design has aged

Onlyshortcoming I saw was being tricky in spots like that

[Benneke10]

Only shortcoming I saw was being tricky in spots like that

The BMTs are fantastic on icy traverses due to their straight sidecut and elite construction. Check out this video my friend made of skiing the Success Couloir on Rainier on BMT 109 with a heinously exposed icy traverse at the top https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnK_qPrO_Zo

[cat in january]

Thanks for the correction. I was looking and thinking the reverse camber was leading to less edge. Good to know and really looking forward to giving them a spin

[Norseman]

^ that's some real survival shit. Big line, bad snow. Oof/props. Good gawd I hate those fucking poles.

[Fred Pabst]

^ that's some real survival shit. Big line, bad snow. Oof/props. Good gawd I hate those fucking poles.

Was just thinking the same thing about those poles. They look clumsy AF! I blame Cody.

Cool video though. Class 5+ sort of fun.

[Norseman]

Yeah it's rad as hell. I've been looking at that line for years.

[FlimFlamvanHam]

Just bought my wife a set of Secret 102’s with Bindings for $400 shipped from Corbetts. She has primarily only had powder skis for the last few years so I’m curious to see what she thinks of these. Went with a 163 compared to her more normal 168-169cm setups.

So you've hand flexed them and that makes sense to put your wife on? Not being an asshole, but there is a reason that Secret 96's and 102's are always leftover. Heck, the Mantra 102's are always leftover. Because the Secret 102 is a Mantra 102, and in the case of the 163 just shorter, so it flexes even stiffer. If your wife has raced gates in the past or has demanded this ski, then carry on.

The M102 would never enter my mind to put an intermediate or lighter skier on.

[1000-oaks]

Yep, if doing this so skier can grow into them, definitely skew shorter to make them less of a dead, un-fun plank at low speeds.

[Tailwind]

I’ve never flexed them… but I’m also not doing the ‘buy your lady sendy skis and hope she sends move”.

I’m honestly viewing this as ‘gathering data’ and hopefully she likes them. She hasn’t had a pair of frontside skis in…. years and nothing like this. I think she’ll get 8-10 days on them and if needed we’ll sell them for a couple hundred bucks. This is ski 5 in the quiver so only some resorts and snow conditions.

No race background but skis 60ish days per year. I think this is season 8-9 and she doesn’t have a problem skiing the fall line on hard terrain (with the exception being shitty snow). She 5’5” and maybe like 125lbs.

I think the main application I hope these do well at are a week after it’s snowed making frontside runs a bit more fun. They’re a lot lighter than some of her other skis and she’s skied stuff with a longer radius and liked them… I think they’ll be a solid addition but we’ll see if she gets bounced by the flex.

So you've hand flexed them and that makes sense to put your wife on? Not being an asshole, but there is a reason that Secret 96's and 102's are always leftover. Heck, the Mantra 102's are always leftover. Because the Secret 102 is a Mantra 102, and in the case of the 163 just shorter, so it flexes even stiffer. If your wife has raced gates in the past or has demanded this ski, then carry on.

The M102 would never enter my mind to put an intermediate or lighter skier on.

[johnnyg82]

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-ski/ottawa/2...ngs/1628423046

[SoVT Joey]

That line is sick. But those poles. Jesus. The snow is even worse then the poles though that’s for sure. Well done.

[Djongo Unchained]

Just formed a pair of Mantra 102's in the 191. Hope it's not too much.



Stoke level 11.

[Bandit Man]

Just formed a pair of Mantra 102's in the 191. Hope it's not too much.



Stoke level 11.

Strong move. Like many have shared in the M102 thread, consider going forward of the rear (recommended) line on the 191, unless you are a big guy.

[Benneke10]

PSA: 191 full rocker mantras for sale in slc https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...2111112l%22%7D

[Djongo Unchained]

Strong move. Like many have shared in the M102 thread, consider going forward of the rear (recommended) line on the 191, unless you are a big guy.

Hmmmm, interesting.

I'm around 5'10" and between 205 and 220 in a season. Charging the firm on these up to maybe 4-10" of fresh.
As a FOG, I never come off the reco line. Doubt I'd do that. I put a ski through it's flexing paces so I tend to steer clear of boards with multi mounts. Try to keep it to one set, so testing out fore/aft placement has rarely appealed to me.
Not set in stone tho...

[Bandit Man]

Hmmmm, interesting.

I'm around 5'10" and between 205 and 220 in a season. Charging the firm on these up to maybe 4-10" of fresh.
As a FOG, I never come off the reco line. Doubt I'd do that. I put a ski through it's flexing paces so I tend to steer clear of boards with multi mounts. Try to keep it to one set, so testing out fore/aft placement has rarely appealed to me.
Not set in stone tho...

Keep in mind that I also have a 295-mm BSL, which may also be a factor. Mounted on the line, the 191 M102 feels like I cannot get forward enough to really get that ski to bend into a turn the way I like. First ski in a long while that felt really long in the shovel. Coincidentally, I also have a 191 K108. It has a wider shovel, but isn’t a challenging to get to bend into a turn. Same Warden 13 demos on both skis. Go figure.


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[naedward81]

Just heard that Revolt 114 is coming. Eder was on the Blister Review podcast and mentioned it, 114mm waist, directional charger. Got my rep to confirm. Must have been what the pics last winter of Mac and Eder were testing.

[Djongo Unchained]

@bandit - yeah, my bsl is 326 so that may well be a factor. I prefer to ski the shovel but use the tails pretty extensively.
I kinda felt the k108 hand flexed pretty damn stiff but expect the m102 to be a classic big mountain charger. Volkl has a long history of building skis popular with the jh locals. As stiff or more than most gs models imo.