Völkl didn’t actually invent the notion of quality control, but denizens of our little corner of the universe can be forgiven for thinking so. They have set the standard for base finish for so long, if someone gave a trophy for the best QC they’d have to name it the Völkl Prize. Yet this noteworthy achievement probably plays only a minor role in why skiers who buy Völkls never buy just one pair; instead, they become Völkl junkies. Not that they become dissolute, as it takes an athlete to happily co-exist with a Völkl, but they do become dependent. Mama, don’t take my Mantras (or Auras) away!
During Völkl’s ascension to market preeminence, they earned a reputation as powerful, technical skis with a small sweet spot and an unslakable thirst for speed. Völkl came to regard their experts-only-need-apply reputation as a stigma that limited their sales potential, so they set in motion a long-term plan to change how the brand was perceived by changing, sometimes radically, how they made skis.
The trick in this transformation was how to wean their public off their ultra-traditional, thick, fully cambered skis without losing their established base among the sport’s elite. They began by tampering with the Gotama, an off-trail ski that served as a logical place to excise an Old School, arched baseline and substitute a fully rockered baseline. The process begun then has finally wrapped up this year, as the Kendo and Kenja are brought in the New Age fold. The power that was once the exclusive province of highly skilled athletes is now accessible to the nearly skilled, as well.