The Völkl Yumi is what we in the retail trade refer to a “step-up” ski. It isn’t a top-of-the-line charger but neither is it as frail as fettuccine, like so many entry-level package skis. It’s called a step-up ski because it’s bound to be an improvement over whatever is serving this skier at the moment, be a rental ski, a hand-me-down, a buying mistake or something fished out of a bargain bin at a ski swap.
As for where this first-new-ski buyer is stepping to, the Yumi leaves that entirely up to her. Equipped with an all-wood core and partial topsheet of Titanal, the Yumi has the intestinal fortitude to cope with life on groomers, where its gift for short-radius turns encourages intermediates to get their act together. At 84mm underfoot, the Yumi is fat for a Frontside ski, so it can manage its business in a foot of fluff without becoming verklemmt.
As befits a mid-market model, the Yumi prefers everything in moderation: speed that’s not too fast, groomers that aren’t too hard, loose snow that isn’t too heavy. In return for respecting her needs, the Yumi works diligently to make life easier for her owner by being easy to steer. Longtime instruction professional Liz Elling agrees, picking the Yumi user as an “intermediate skier that wants an easy-turning, stable cruiser.”
The following customer profile we provided last year still pertains. “Not to pigeonhole its possibilities but to better define its ideal partner, the Yumi is a perfect fit for the mid-teen lass who has stopped growing and graduated out of rental and leased equipment. She’s not interested in racing and not into backcountry, but would go off-trail more if it weren’t so arduous.”
The need to have a transitional ski as one’s skills develop isn’t restricted to youth. For it’s gentle demeanor and relatively soft flex, we again award the Völkl Yumi a Silver Skier Selection.
