Any time a brand introduces a fundamentally new technology, it takes a couple of years to learn how to optimize it. Now that Völkl engineers have tinkered with Titanal Frame for a few seasons, testing countless iterations, they’ve found a way not only to perfect the benefits of Titanal Frame, but to magnify its virtues with a couple of complementary components. The marriage of the new Tailored Titanal Frame with 3D Radius Sidecut and Tailored Carbon Tips has created a new benchmark for the genre, that will, in all probability, soon be recognized as one of the greatest all-terrain skis of all time.
Let’s dive into the details. The key to Titanal Frame is breaking what is normally a uniform topsheet of metal into three sections. The fore and aft sections of Titanal are shaped like an elongated “U”, with metal concentrated around the perimeter. The alu alloy here is .7mm thick, much thicker than usual, which accentuates the tip and tail’s connection to the snow, somewhat counterintuitive for an all-terrain ski.
The center section, which doesn’t mesh with the tip and tail pieces, is .3mm thick, a brilliant touch as it makes the center of the ski more flexible without losing its damping qualities in the critical underfoot area. This feature matches up perfectly with 3D Radius Sidecut, which we’ll get to in a moment.
New for 2021/22 is Tailored Titanal Frame, that trims the width of the front section of Titanal to fit each size. This has the direct effect of making longer lengths noticeably beefier than their shorter kinder. If you’re used to skiing a 184cm, you might consider dropping to a 177cm to maximize the M6’s versatility.
Tailored Titanal Frame has essentially rounded off the rough edges of the M6’s shorter lengths so they’re easier to handle. Even an ambitious intermediate can contemplate acquiring an M6 for its expansive upside, minus the torturous learning curve. “Its floor is low and its ceiling is high,” notes Bobo’s tester John Hume.
Compared to the M5, the M6 Mantra has a kinder, gentler personality in sizes below 184cm. While it’s certainly not the softest flexing ride in the All-Mountain West category, its shorter lengths don’t require high energy to activate, which is why I’ve awarded the M6 a Silver Skier Selection.
The key to the Mantra M6’s off-the-charts versatility lies in its 3D Radius Sidecut, a feature that isn’t new to Völkl but is new to the Mantra, and boy, does it make a difference. Variable radius sidecuts aren’t new, but Völkl’s version is particularly clever. The front section, left to its own devices, would cut a long radius turn; the rear section is likewise long-radius, albeit a bit tighter than the forebody, and the center section’s radius is considerably shorter.
This may sound like the pilot needs to be careful about how he goes about pressuring the ski, but that’s exactly what you don’t have to do. I made the mistake of over-thinking 3D Radius when I went out on a 184cm M6, trying to imagine how I should access the tight-radius center. Dumb. The whole point of 3D Radius is you don’t have to think about it to activate it. Just go skiing. When you want to make a short turn, ask for one the usual way; otherwise the M6 is happy to motor along on a very secure edge at speeds that make your lips flap.
Notice I said “lips,” not “tips.” Not content with all the forebody stability delivered by Titanal Frame, Völkl added a delicate braid of carbon fiber to the shovel, part of the ski most other all-terrain models leave floating inertly in space. Völkl made 100’s of iterations of Tailored Carbon Tips, searching for just the right response. The patch of fleece containing the carbon matrix has to be hand-laid into the mold, a level of artisanship that many skiers assume is the exclusive province of luxury brands.
Despite all these embellishments, the MSRP for the Mantra M6 is the same as it was last year for the Mantra M5 ($825). During a Zoom call, I asked product manager Andreas Mann how it was possible, in an age when many brands strive to cut costs, Volkl ownership allowed R&D to increase their costs, to make a better, rather than a cheaper ski. His reply was the design team had the full confidence and support of upper management. This is what happens when product comes first.
All that attention to detail pays off big time once skis hit snow. The Mantra M6 has the end-to-end connection that true experts – those who know how to use a ski – crave. You don’t need three feet of rocker on a five-foot ski if you know how to turn. Similarly, you don’t need a crutch in crud if you know how to keep the hammer down. The M6 skis a lot like a recreational GS ski, content to stay close to fall line as it builds speed and stores energy. When you drive into the tip, it into curls into an arc like a cutting horse. The more steeply you set the edge, the faster it comes around, without ever feeling jerky or calling attention to its multi-radius sidecut. It’s calm as a cucumber in a crisis, yet it’s livelier – by far – than the norm in its genre.
With its ultra-secure snow connection, the M6 behaves like an obese Technical carver, with an on-trail bias despite its off-trail girth. Yet the M6 is only as carve-obsessed as its pilot is: it can drift into a turn as readily as any ski its width and its extremities are modestly rockered. And don’t let its carving chops fool you into thinking it will balk at track-riven crud. The Mantra M6 fears nothing; it’s the crud that should be afraid of it. All that Titanal gets busy when the going gets rough, so the M6 purrs through clumpy snow that would deflect a lesser ski.
While I’m trying to wean some of my Dear Readers off their dependence on test scores, it is interesting to note that when all scores were tallied, the M6’s Power and Finesse scores were identical. Great skis are like that: they aren’t just powerful; they’re also simplicity itself to ski. It’s an irresistible amalgam and what makes the Mantra M6 a star that will shine for many seasons to come.
