Two years ago Völkl resurrected its beloved Mantra by concocting a new technology called Titanal Frame; last season, Völkl applied the Titanal Frame touch to its Frontside family. The new pater familias is the Deacon 84 and like the M5 Mantra, it represents a return to traditional Völkl values.
Compared to the RTM 84 it replaced, the Deacon 84 has more edge-gripping power, more energy out of the turn and an overall bigger performance envelope. It’s not just better than its predecessor; it out-scored the entire Frontside field in the primordial technical criteria of early turn entry and short-radius turns, as well as earning the top Finesse score in the category, not bad for what is inherently a Power ski.
What is it about the Deacon 84 that allows it be all skis to all (Frontside) skiers? It’s the alluring combination of a fiberglass torsion box and tactically placed Titanal parts that nullify shock without stifling the glass structure’s naturally springy nature. It’s exceptional rebound – it will lift you right off the snow if you punch it – derives from the Deacon 84’s 3D Glass, top and bottom glass laminates that come together above the sidewall to create a torsion box. The 3-part Titanal Frame anchors the forebody and tail while allowing the center to react to pressure, so the glass can compress and load up energy for the turn transition.
When the Powder ski genre was just gaining traction, Völkl’s Snow Ranger stood head and shoulders above the field, largely because it was so powerfully built. Völkl has made many sorts of Powder skis since, including the legendary Katana – perhaps the studliest Powder ski ever – the infinitely rockered Shiro and the twin-tipped Bash. The Confession, the German brand’s current Powder specialist, is perhaps closest in spirit to the Snow Ranger. It’s lighter than the Katana, cambered so its more connected than a Shiro and most definitely directional.
The Confession is so stable through its midsection that it can be railed on hardpack, but steering its 23.8m-radius sidecut and tilting its 117mm of waist width high enough to lock on a carved turn is no connection for old men. It’s so strong that with a little muscle it can be steered through anything, but it does require a firm hand at the controls and abiding faith in the power conferred on those who attack the fall line.
The new Völkl Secret 102 should not be mistaken for a set of training wheels. If you don’t have the requisite technical skiing skills, the Secret 102 can sense this shortcoming the way German shepherds can smell fear. As you digest the contents of Perry Schaffner’s critique of the Secret 102, cited below, please remember she’s fresh from a collegiate racing career and is an active coach who crushes every turn as if it owed her money.
“This is a great powder/off piste ski. Really carries speed well. I skied the top in the choppy powder [at Snow Basin, UT] and it cut through it fairly well. Additionally, it was surprisingly lively on the groomed snow. Obviously a little more challenging to ski it in groomers since it is fairly wide under foot. I think this is a great ski if you mainly ski powder with some random days of groomers thrown in there.”
