Don’t let the model name fool you: Völkl still calls this ski the Mantra 102, but the addition two years ago of Tailored Titanal Frame, Tailored Carbon Tips and a tweaked sidecut has totally transformed its personality. The Mantra 102 circa 2022 was a barely tamed beast, subduing all in its path; the latest incarnation is a pussycat that readily bends to its pilot’s will. It behaves like a different ski.
One measure of a ski’s steering facility is the skier’s perception of width. In its first incarnation, the Mantra 102 was notable for feeling wider than it measured; the 2024/25 version “skis narrower than indicated, making it very easy to turn,” according to veteran tester Theron Lee.
The combined effect of a triad of new features is what made the Mantra 102 suddenly so tractable. Like every Big Mountain ski in Christendom, the Mantra 102 is double rockered, but it imparts the sensation of full, tip-to-tail contact, in part because Tailored Carbon Tips keep the entire rocker zone quiet. Tailored Titanal Frame keeps the mass in the forebody proportional to the ski’s length, facilitating earlier turn entry. The slightly wider tip encourages more pull into the turn, opening up the short-radius spectrum, while the skinny tail helps the skier stay close to the fall line, making crud and powder a hell of a lot easier to plunder.
A big contributor to the Mantra 102’s outstanding performance on any snow surface is its first-in-class rebound coming out of the turn. Part of the magic of the Titanal Frame design is the freedom its three-piece top sheet has to flex and compress a full-length glass layer that reacts to this pressure like a coiled spring. Now that the Titanal Frame is tailored by size, the whole ski is more responsive. The Mantra 102 naturally rises as it uncoils during the turn transition, so it’s unweighted while crossing the fall line.
Regardless of how relatively narrow it feels underfoot, the Mantra 102 is still a wide and torsionally stiff ski, so it’s not ultra-quick edge to edge, but that’s its only performance limitation. In mid- to long-radius turns, it’s as secure as a Swiss bank account. “Without a doubt one of the most versatile and fun skiing skis ever,” exulted Jim Schaffer of Start Haus after putting the new Mantra 102 through its paces in a mix of soft snow conditions. “Excellent all-mountain, all-conditions, all-fun all the time! This model is becoming closer and closer to the perfect one-ski quiver. I could do anything on this ski,” he concluded.
When conditions are wildly variable, as they often are in the spring, navigating through slush piles interspersed with patches of wind-swept boilerplate can be tough sledding. The Mantra 102 is so secure through thick and thin, the skier can just relax and attack with confidence. This “Mantra über alles” attitude is unusual in a Big Mountain genre where Finesse skis are in the majority. Other brands try to make their Big Mountain models more forgiving by softening and radically rockering both the tip and tail, which does make such models easier to pivot. But this also shortens the effective platform the skier has underfoot and generally compromises edge grip.
The Mantra 102 opts for a different approach to forgiveness, adding Titanal at both extremities, where other brands are removing it. This may make the Mantra 102 slightly more difficult to swivel, but it radically improves carving power when conditions are sketchy. After all, what’s more relaxing to ski, a short platform with inert ends, or a solid beam that oozes security over every centimeter?
Lighter skiers might prefer the floaty, smeary variety of Big Mountain models, but big boys need some beef under them. If you’d had difficulty finding a Big Mountain ski that’s able to support your mass and your mojo, your search has ended. I’m sure that someone whose nickname is Mongo or Moose will use the Mantra 102 as his everyday ski, but its glory is a wide-open crud field where it can cut loose like an extra-large GS race ski with anger issues. The only other ski in the genre that can match its bottomless power reserve is its big bro, the Katana 108, which, sadly, we’ve never reaped enough test data to review. Maybe next year.