All Things Volkl Thread

[Bandit Man]

Yesterday I gifted myself some Christmas Volkls.
VW Katana 191 with flawless top sheets and slightly scratched bases, were mounted once with Griffons. Immediately put ATK FR14 at +2 due to hole overlap. M6 in 184 was previously mounted for tele, probably 3-5 days on snow, will be mounted with Griffons that I pulled from VW Katanas, would have done it today but ran out of plugs and bamboo sticks.


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Merry Christmas to you! You’re going to love them both.

[Shorty_J]

Oh man... I'm trying hard not to gift myself some kendo's right now.

Totally don't need but kinda want.

And it's so low tide around my parts these days it's even more tempting.

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[Merlyn]

Yesterday I gifted myself some Christmas Volkls.
VW Katana 191 with flawless top sheets and slightly scratched bases, were mounted once with Griffons. Immediately put ATK FR14 at +2 due to hole overlap. M6 in 184 was previously mounted for tele, probably 3-5 days on snow, will be mounted with Griffons that I pulled from VW Katanas, would have done it today but ran out of plugs and bamboo sticks.


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I gifted myself some M102s for Christmas and ended up with something similar:

[Bandit Man]

I gifted myself some M102s for Christmas and ended up with something similar:

Almost looks Christmas themed! [emoji319]


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[spanky]

I just added the Blaze 106 to the quiver (to replace the delaminating 100Eights).

TigerShark 11 ft 175
Kendo 184
Bridge 179 (rock skis at this point)
Blaze 106 186
100Eight 181

The Kendos are my daily driver east coast ski. The TigerSharks are pretty much relegated to the “skating rink” days. The Blaze will be for the softer EC days and my “small” ski for any western trips (small because I’ll bring my OG Pontoons if there’s a chance I can use them).

[TheArbez]

Anyone have any experience with the Rise Beyond 96 and/or the Blaze 94 as a dedicated touring ski? I'm trying to decide between that and the Blaze 94 as a new, dedicated touring ski. I'm a fairly big human (6', 215+) and want to have a light setup that isn't going to totally for the downs. I plan/hope to do moderate length tours, but realistically I don't tour that often and don't do super long days in the BC.

I would mount the Rise with a Vipec for now (because I have them on hand) or do an Alpinist/Trab on the Blaze (because that ski is cheaper so I'll have the extra money) so weights would be similar. I like the idea of the Rise for the up, but I'm worried I'll overpower the ski and/or it will be an annoying light touring ski. Conversely, I like the shape and weight of the Blaze, but my touring nerd friend tells me that ~1550g is far too heavy for walking.

Thoughts? Am I crazy for doing Alpinists on the Blaze?

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[1000-oaks]

Skied M102 last season and loved it, tried M5 today and also dug it. Great skis.

[Mountain Relish]

Am I crazy for doing Alpinists on the Blaze?

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As luck would have it I have the Blaze 94 with Ski Trab Vario 2 bindings, so I might be able to help a bit. Due to the lack of snow here at the moment I have been using this setup quite a lot, even within the resort (I don't want to trash my Kendos). It skis really well for the weight, and the Blaze is very versatile in a wide range of snow conditions.

I am a couple of inches taller than you, but quite a bit lighter, and I find the Blaze to be a nice compromise of weight and strength for touring. I do have a lighter touring set-up for spring and for fitness, but for enjoying the ski down the Blaze is a different world (though the boots contribute to this as well).

I have not skied the Rise 96. I would love to try it, as it might work well as a way to thin down my quiver when I need to replace the Blaze, but I suspect that at that point I will have to give up ever using it inbounds.

Ultimately if the overall weight of the set-up will be the same I would go with the Blaze, especially when you are a fair bit heavier than me. I think that you will apreciate the extra strength on the down. If you could get the Rise and combine it with the lighter binding then maybe it would be worth having another conversation, but if the weight is the same I would go with the stronger ski and save the weight on the bindings.

A lot of people do big days touring with much heavier set-ups than you are looking at, so I would not stress too much.

One last thought would be whether you have done much research about Alpinist vs Ski Trab. My friends who have had Alpinist talk about them having their quirks, and certainly the Ski Trabs do as well. I love the Ski Trabs (I've just bought a second pair), but they have fairly low risers, and when used with the brake they do not have a flat mode. They work for me, but it just depends upon your needs.

Good luck.

[MD12]

2023 mantra 102 - Has anyone been on it yet? I love the og m102. The og in 184 (with forza pivots - looks sick) has been my favorite ski the past few years, but thinking of adding the new version for slower skiing and bumps, with kids, east days. IÂ’m on east coast but also thinking of using it as my low tide ski for trips out west to replace a kastle fx 96/106 ti (would bring a 115 underfoot too).

[Djongo Unchained]

^^^
I hope to have my new sticks' clamps on today.

Will report back...2023 M102 191.

[Bandit Man]

^^^
I hope to have my new sticks' clamps on today.

Will report back...2023 M102 191.

Exciting! Looking forward to your impressions.

[SnakeMagnet]

2023 mantra 102 - Has anyone been on it yet? I love the og m102. The og in 184 (with forza pivots - looks sick) has been my favorite ski the past few years, but thinking of adding the new version for slower skiing and bumps, with kids, east days. IÂ’m on east coast but also thinking of using it as my low tide ski for trips out west to replace a kastle fx 96/106 ti (would bring a 115 underfoot too).

Not different enough to warrant it. Go trash your 1st gen on some rocks first. Like I did.

[TheArbez]

As luck would have it I have the Blaze 94 with Ski Trab Vario 2 bindings, so I might be able to help a bit. Due to the lack of snow here at the moment I have been using this setup quite a lot, even within the resort (I don't want to trash my Kendos). It skis really well for the weight, and the Blaze is very versatile in a wide range of snow conditions.

I am a couple of inches taller than you, but quite a bit lighter, and I find the Blaze to be a nice compromise of weight and strength for touring. I do have a lighter touring set-up for spring and for fitness, but for enjoying the ski down the Blaze is a different world (though the boots contribute to this as well).

I have not skied the Rise 96. I would love to try it, as it might work well as a way to thin down my quiver when I need to replace the Blaze, but I suspect that at that point I will have to give up ever using it inbounds.

Ultimately if the overall weight of the set-up will be the same I would go with the Blaze, especially when you are a fair bit heavier than me. I think that you will apreciate the extra strength on the down. If you could get the Rise and combine it with the lighter binding then maybe it would be worth having another conversation, but if the weight is the same I would go with the stronger ski and save the weight on the bindings.

A lot of people do big days touring with much heavier set-ups than you are looking at, so I would not stress too much.

One last thought would be whether you have done much research about Alpinist vs Ski Trab. My friends who have had Alpinist talk about them having their quirks, and certainly the Ski Trabs do as well. I love the Ski Trabs (I've just bought a second pair), but they have fairly low risers, and when used with the brake they do not have a flat mode. They work for me, but it just depends upon your needs.

Good luck.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Blaze and the Varios! Super helpful to hear about how the skis have worked for you. I will look into the Alpinist quibbles - do you mind sharing a synopsis of what your friends have experienced?

Anyone else have experience with the Rise?

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[Mountain Relish]

I will look into the Alpinist quibbles - do you mind sharing a synopsis of what your friends have experienced?

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I am sorry but it was quite a while ago, so I cannot remember all the details. I just remember low risers and annoying brakes were both been mentioned.

I think that you’ll find lots of useful info in the 300g binding thread on here [emoji106]

[chicken feathers]

Anyone have any experience with the Rise Beyond 96 and/or the Blaze 94 as a dedicated touring ski? I'm trying to decide between that and the Blaze 94 as a new, dedicated touring ski. I'm a fairly big human (6', 215+) and want to have a light setup that isn't going to totally for the downs. I plan/hope to do moderate length tours, but realistically I don't tour that often and don't do super long days in the BC.

I would mount the Rise with a Vipec for now (because I have them on hand) or do an Alpinist/Trab on the Blaze (because that ski is cheaper so I'll have the extra money) so weights would be similar. I like the idea of the Rise for the up, but I'm worried I'll overpower the ski and/or it will be an annoying light touring ski. Conversely, I like the shape and weight of the Blaze, but my touring nerd friend tells me that ~1550g is far too heavy for walking.

Thoughts? Am I crazy for doing Alpinists on the Blaze?

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I've got Blaze 94 in a 186 as a 50/50 ski mounted with light telemark bindings. I wouldn't hesitate to mount them with a light AT binding as a dedicated touring ski either.

They'd ski real nice with vipecs too I would think.

The Blaze weighs about the same as the BMT 94 putting touring bindings on it makes more sense than resort bindings IMO.

[Choucas]

Chiming in on the Blaze 94. I got a pair of last year's in a 179 (6" 180lbs., old) and put Zed 12's on them which I were previously mounted on a pair of 177 Mantra V Werks. Using the Blazes as my dedicated touring ski. I haven't skied them all that much (Vermont skiing 22-23 no bueno so far) but I like them better than the V Werks Mantras in that they are much easier going. They are lighter and 6 mm narrower than the Mantras and a lot easier to get into and out of the turns (softer and none of the stiff carbon feel). Ski very nicely on piste and great in the one day of soft snow. I've got a couple of touring trips to the Alps coming up in March and April and am feeling really good about my gear set up for that.

[Shorty_J]

Just bought a pair of blaze 86 for $349 CDN... will either put some super light touring bindings on them for fitness and longer tours, or some attack2s for low tide / moguls / teaching my son / taking it easy in the resort.

Narrowest ski I've owned in years but it still has the mild rocker profile and triple radius that I love on other volkls.

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[Karl_H]

How are folks liking the “new” Volkl 3D radius side cuts for skiing the steep and not-so-deep?

I have had some bad experiences in the past with multiple-radius skis not tracking in parallel, when skiing across the fall line. However, it was only a major issue on steeper slopes when my downhill foot was weighting the middle of the ski and my uphill foot was weighting the back of the ski.

I am currently considering the Blaze 86 or 94 for a spring couloir ski, however I am thinking that 3D radius side cut may not be ideal for that application.

[Shorty_J]

^^^ what do you mean by "new"?

My blaze 106 and katana 108 and last years model and I absolutely love the 3D radius. It's a game changer for me, in a good way.

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[Karl_H]

By “new”, I mean since ~2019. It seems like the vast majority of Volkl skis have been revised since 2019 to include a 3D radius side cut.

Last Volkl skis that I skied were the 2017 Mantras and BMT 108s, both of which were full rocker and single radius.

[swissbro]

By “new”, I mean since ~2019. It seems like the vast majority of Volkl skis have been revised since 2019 to include a 3D radius side cut.

Last Volkl skis that I skied were the 2017 Mantras and BMT 108s, both of which were full rocker and single radius.

I have the K108, M102, M6, and the new Kendo. I’ve used all of them on steep, hard snow traverses without incident or problematic edging problems.


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[SoVT Joey]

How are folks liking the “new” Volkl 3D radius side cuts for skiing the steep and not-so-deep?

I have had some bad experiences in the past with multiple-radius skis not tracking in parallel, when skiing across the fall line. However, it was only a major issue on steeper slopes when my downhill foot was weighting the middle of the ski and my uphill foot was weighting the back of the ski.

I am currently considering the Blaze 86 or 94 for a spring couloir ski, however I am thinking that 3D radius side cut may not be ideal for that application.

Don’t ski with that much weight on your uphill foot would probably be a start.

[Shorty_J]

I am currently considering the Blaze 86 or 94 for a spring couloir ski, however I am thinking that 3D radius side cut may not be ideal for that application.

The blaze would be a perfect application for that use in my opinion.

A long effective edge available to you but not hooky or punishing.

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[MD12]

And don’t size down.

[The Tortoise]

Anyone have any experience on a 2014-2015 Kendo?

I blew up my Fischer Motive 86's on Saturday and found a pair of lightly used Kendo's locally for $150 (CAD).

I'm thinking they will be a good place holder until I can sort out what I want next.

The only hitch is that the bindings are mounted for a size bigger so I may be 0.5 forward, they are the 184s.