Kenja
The Völkl Kenja has been the go-to model for expert women for what seems like a generation of skiers. While the spotlight this season shines on the new Secret, the Kenja continues to offer elite performance for skilled skiers who are on the hill in all conditions. Despite its twin sheets of metal, the Kenja is a lively and nimble. Its mass is more bonus than liability, particularly when the snow is either very hard or very chopped-up, and always when charging the fall line. More than any other trait, it’s the Kenja’s stability in all conditions that give advanced to expert women the confidence to go for it, and less skilled ladies the opportunity to move into their league.
Deacon 76
Whoever at Völkl came up with the model name “Deacon” deserves some recognition, like a better parking spot perhaps, for applying a moniker that matches the demeanor of the new series. The Deacon 76 moves with a serenity that comes from inner peace, one way to describe the calm that pervades every move the Deacon makes. All the Deacon models (there are four), use 3D.Glass, giving them a deep energy reserve that can be tapped by more aggressive skiing, and Titanal to amplify edge grip. Full sidewalls assure accurate communication with the edge. So the Deacon has all the power a smooth cruiser could ever need, but it doesn’t flaunt it.
100 Eight
The Völkl 100 Eight didn’t change between last season and whenever you’re reading this sentence, but it did the year before, and therein lies the tale. Prior to its transformation, the 100 Eight already was sculpted into Völkl’s signature 3D.Ridge shape that seems to pare away every extra atom of ski. 3D.Ridge first appeared on the V-Werks Katana, where it was – and continues to be – pressed from layer upon layer of carbon. As applied to the 100 Eight, 3D.Ridge is formed from fiberglass, with carbon relegated to the role of stringers through the wood core. The original 100 Eight mimicked the Katana’s structure, but didn’t match its gripping power. Last year Völkl added 3D.Glass to 3D.Ridge and a perfect union was formed. The transformation couldn’t be more dramatic, like the nerd in high school who overnight evolves into a rock star.
RTM 86
The Volkl RTM 86 is at heart an XL Frontside ski that outgrew the rest of its class, landing it in the All-Mountain East genre, where it’s a little out of place. It tries to fit in with the rest of the AME family, adopting the de rigeur tip and tail rocker that is deemed essential for off-trail skiing. But just as fat skis with floppy tips beg to be taken off-piste, the RTM 86 longs to gallop down groomers where it doesn’t have to worry about irregular terrain breaking up its beautiful carves. If we were to classify skis by their predilections instead of their dimensions, the RTM 86 would be a Luxury Carver, with the silky ride of a six-figure sedan. If it acts uninterested in slower speeds and shorter turns, it’s because it can’t wait to get up to speed and show off what it does best. After all, who buys a car with five forward gears based on how it performs in first?