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.
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.
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.
Over the past few seasons Völkl has been extending its 3D.Ridge design to encompass almost all of its RTM, All-Mountain and Big Mountain collections. Last year, Völkl significantly upgraded what is now its signature design with the addition of 3D.Glass. An added base layer of prepreg fiberglass hardly sounds newsworthy, but its impact can scarcely be over-stated. The special sauce in 3D.Glass consists of flaps in its center section that fold up and over the sidewall, interlocking the base with the rest of the 3D.Ridge. For an on-trail ski like the RTM 81, 3D.Glass is transformative. When the RTM 81’s long front and rear rocker blend with the camber zone underfoot as the ski is flexed, the security on edge is first rate.
If you live at the base of a big western mountain and still possess the strength and stamina of youth, you might want to make the Völkl Confession a daily ritual. Lord knows it has the strength to lay down rails on hardpack, thanks to a top sheet of Titanal that doesn’t run the full length of the ski because it doesn’t have to. The Confession dominates just fine as is, aided by a camber pocket underfoot that instills life into this powder-devouring glutton.
