It’s been several years since Völkl set the Frontside category on its ear with the introduction of the first RTM 84, a hard snow ski with a fully rockered baseline. At the time, camber was king, Völkl ruled the carving ski roost and the rule-bending RTM 84 achieved instant stardom.

Now the revolutionary ski has itself been overthrown by a new generation of carving tool that restores camber underfoot (to the delight of traditionalists who like an energetic ski) and adds a dollop of extra damping in the form of UVO, a shock-settling gizmo that’s mounted on the forebody. The net effect is to make the new RTM 84 a more accurate ski that’s also more responsive to skier input; the skier works less, the ski does more.

Whether on piste or off, the new RTM 84 UVO is ready to bow into a round arc that uses its coiled camber to assist the turn transition. As reliable as an atomic clock, the RTM 84 has morphed into a ski that is both more interesting for an expert and more accommodating of an intermediates transgressions.