M6 Mantra
Any time a brand introduces a fundamentally new technology, it takes a couple of years to learn how to optimize it. Now that Völkl engineers have tinkered with Titanal Frame for a few seasons, testing countless iterations, they’ve found a way not only to perfect the benefits of Titanal Frame, but to magnify its virtues with a couple of complementary components. The marriage of the new Tailored Titanal Frame with 3D Radius Sidecut and Tailored Carbon Tips has created a new benchmark for the genre, that will, in all probability, soon be recognized as one of the greatest all-terrain skis of all time.
New for 2021/22 is Tailored Titanal Frame, that trims the width of the front section of Titanal to fit each size. Compared to the M5, the M6 Mantra has a kinder, gentler personality in sizes below 184cm.
The key to the Mantra M6’s off-the-charts versatility lies in its 3D Radius Sidecut, a feature that isn’t new to Völkl but is new to the Mantra, and boy, does it make a difference. Variable radius sidecuts aren’t new, but Völkl’s version is particularly clever. The front section, left to its own devices, would cut a long radius turn; the rear section is likewise long-radius, albeit a bit tighter than the forebody, and the center section’s radius is considerably shorter. The whole point of 3D Radius is you don’t have to think about it to activate it. Just go skiing.
Vantage 97 C
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There are two opposing archetypes for a wide, all-terrain ski: light and smeary or beefy and more connected. Salomon had the surfy side covered with the OST 99; its new Stance 96 is meant to wrestle with wood-and-metal powerhouses like the Blizzard Bonafide and Nordica Enforcer 100.
Salomon wasn’t going to win this battle with a cap construction, so the Stance 96 uses square sidewalls. To match up with metal you have to use Titanal, so the Stances are equipped with “Twin Frame” Ti laminates. You can’t get a wood core feel without a wood core, so all the unisex Stance models have an all-poplar center.
All that said, the Stance 96 doesn’t strictly imitate the benchmark skis that it presumes to supersede. Its rockered tip works better when buffering blows against loose snow; it feels a little loose on groomers and consequently a bit late into the top of the turn. But when it’s fully laid over it grips confidently regardless of the snow surface.
The Stance 96 handles speed well, which is a good thing, as it likes to hew closely to the fall line. Its long turn shape is the product of an narrow tail that helps keep the skier oriented downhill. A rectangular cutout in the Titanal topsheet pares off a few ounces so the Stance 96 feels more agile than its girth measures.