2022 Volkl Deacon v.werks

Last season, I speculated that the freshly minted Deacon v.werks wouldn’t have the same downstream impact as the Katana v.werks, but I may have spoken too soon. One of the most esoteric features of the Deacon v.werks was a lattice-work of carbon fibers crisscrossing the tip, which inspired the Tailored Carbon Tips of the new M6 Mantra. Working in concert with Titanal Frame, Tailored Carbon Tips give the M6 Mantra the same clear connection to the front of the ski found in the Deacon v.werks. Several factors work together to make the Deacon v.werks easy to steer into a tight-radius turn without a lot of encouragement from the pilot. The cambered center section of its 3D Radius Sidecut is slalom-turn tight (14m@172cm); all the skier has to do to activate it is tilt the edge to a high angle, a normal move for anyone who knows how to carve. To make it easier to depress into a deep carve, the abbreviated camber line underfoot is fairly shallow and soft. The tip and tail rockers are long and gradual so the long-radius zones at front and rear don’t interfere with the ski’s quickness edge to edge. The absence of metal and low elevation of the Marker system give the Deacon v.werks a clarity of snow feel and lively energy that’s relatively rare among elite carvers.