2021 Volkl Kanjo 84
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Ski Stats

Sidecut 125/84/107
Radius 25m/17m/20m@ 175cm
Lengths 161,168,175,182
Weight TK
MSRP $700
FIND
Power Score:

Finesse Score:

4
1
1
The new Kanjo 84's 3D Radius Sidecut is like an onboard coaching tool: the better the skier’s technique, the more often he’ll activate the Kanjo 84’s tighter turning center section. The more the skier can load the ski at the turn’s apex, the greater the rebound off the edge and across the fall line. This level of performance “would not disappoint an advanced skier,” observes ski coach and tuning technician extraordinaire Theron Lee. “Smooth and easy turning, it’s able to carve with technique but just as happy to slarve into turns. Its fairly big sweet spot allows for a wide range of abilities, from solid intermediate level on up.” Almost any model priced at the Kanjo 84’s $700 MSRP will satisfy the low-bar demands of intermediates. The beauty of the Kanjo 84 is it won’t overwhelm the first-time ski buyer yet has the performance ceiling of a much more expensive model. For a skier who can only get out a few times a year and is likely to spend that time on groomers, the Kanjo 84 is an outstanding value.

You have to salute the doughty Kanjo 84. For years Völkl sent it into the ring against a much stronger Frontside field. Pick the parallel that you think best describes this confrontation:

  • David vs. Goliath
  • Christians vs. Lions
  • Chuck Wepner, aka the Bayonne Bleeder, vs. Ali
  • Russian infantry charging German machine guns with garden tools

Suffice it to say, the Kanjo of yore was ill equipped to go toe-to-toe against skis costing hundreds of dollars more. Not anymore. For 20/21, Völkl imbued the Kanjo 84 with two signature features that substantially elevated its performance profile: Glass Frame and 3D Radius Sidecut.

Glass Frame mimics the placement of metal in Titanal Frame but uses fiberglass instead. This makes a ski that is not only lighter but also more responsive. The Kanjo 84 feels quicker and more agile than its 17m radius underfoot (@175cm) would suggest: it earned its highest scores for its facility at short-radius turns.

The 3D Radius Sidecut is like an onboard coaching tool: the better the skier’s technique, the more often he’ll activate the Kanjo 84’s tighter turning center section. The more the skier can load the ski at the turn’s apex, the greater the rebound off the edge and across the fall line.

This level of performance “would not disappoint an advanced skier,” observes ski coach and tuning technician extraordinaire Theron Lee. “Smooth and easy turning, it’s able to carve with technique but just as happy to slarve into turns. Its fairly big sweet spot allows for a wide range of abilities, from solid intermediate level on up.”

Almost any model priced at the Kanjo 84’s $700 MSRP will satisfy the low-bar demands of intermediates. The beauty of the Kanjo 84 is it won’t overwhelm the first-time ski buyer yet has the performance ceiling of a much more expensive model. For a skier who can only get out a few times a year and is likely to spend that time on groomers, the Kanjo 84 is an outstanding value.

Although the Kanjo 84 is most likely to serve as a step-up ski for someone on the way up the ability ladder, its strong response to light pressure shouldn’t be reserved for the young. For the way it injects just the right amount of liveliness into a ski that responds to a light rein, we award the Kanjo 84 a Silver Skier Selection.

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