2025 Volkl Secret 102
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Ski Stats

Sidecut 140/102/123
Radius 23m/14m/21m @ 163cm
Lengths 156,163,170,177
Weight 1970g @163cm
MSRP $849.99
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As was the case with its men’s counterpart - the Mantra 102 - last year, the latest bundle of modifications to the Secret 102 has infused it with a complete personality transplant. As succinctly summarized by former US Ski Team member Edie Thys Morgan in her review of the 2023 Secret 102, “This is not the ski for the faint of heart or of flex.” The 2025 Secret 102 has shed its hell-bent ways. It no longer seeks to subdue whatever gets in its way, instead responding to its pilot’s subtle suggestions with grace and poise. What happened to turn a barely tamed bronco into a well-trained show pony? Two factors did most of the heavy lifting, Tailored Titanal Frame and Tailored Carbon Tips. In the original Secret 102, the forward section of the 3-piece Titanal Frame was a one-size-fits-all affair; as of the 2024 iteration, each size received its own part. This is of particular importance in the smaller sizes women prefer. Every aspect of the Secret 102 is size-specific, so shorter skis aren’t saddled with over-sized components. Part of the reason that the double-rockered Secret 102 rips groomers like a fully cambered ski is the manner in which Völkl applies an extra dose of carbon to the shovel. Most carbon that goes into skis are either thin stringers or weaves in a pre-set orientation. To get exactly the pattern they wanted, Volkl engineers created hundreds of prototypes, stitching carbon thread into a fleece matrix to arrive at just the right dosage to keep the tip quiet.

As was the case with its men’s counterpart – the Mantra 102 – last year, the latest bundle of modifications to the Secret 102 has infused it with a complete personality transplant.  As succinctly summarized by former US Ski Team member Edie Thys Morgan in her review of the 2023 Secret 102, “This is not the ski for the faint of heart or of flex.” The 2025 Secret 102 has shed its hell-bent ways. It no longer seeks to subdue whatever gets in its way, instead responding to its pilot’s subtle suggestions with grace and poise.

What happened to turn a barely tamed bronco into a well-trained show pony?  Two factors did most of the heavy lifting, Tailored Titanal Frame and Tailored Carbon Tips.  In the original Secret 102, the forward section of the 3-piece Titanal Frame was a one-size-fits-all affair; as of the 2024 iteration, each size received its own part. This is of particular importance in the smaller sizes women prefer. Every aspect of the Secret 102 is size-specific, so shorter skis aren’t saddled with over-sized components.

Part of the reason that the double-rockered Secret 102 rips groomers like a fully cambered ski is the manner in which Völkl applies an extra dose of carbon to the shovel. Most carbon that goes into skis are either thin stringers or weaves in a pre-set orientation. To get exactly the pattern they wanted, Volkl engineers created hundreds of prototypes, stitching carbon thread into a fleece matrix to arrive at just the right dosage to keep the tip quiet.

The net result of Tailored Titanal Frame and Tailored Carbon Tips is they seem to augment the positive effects of Völkl’s 3D Radius Sidecut, both in terms of how willing the ski is to bow into a tighter arc and the liveliness of its response.   Now all the adept skier has to do to conjure a short turn is crank the ski up to a high edge and step on it.  The more pliable center of the ski can engage the tighter radius of the ski’s mid-section, and the fiberglass laminate just below the Titanal segments can release the load with energetic propulsion.

While the Secret 102 definitely displays a larger dose of Finesse in its overall comportment, it’s still a Power ski with the best hard-snow edge set of the Women’s Big Mountain category. Just because the 2025 Secret 102 is a lot easier to steer doesn’t make it a wise option of the so-so skier.  Its ideal pilot is a strong woman who is also a strong skier. Less skilled women looking for an appropriate Big Mountain model would be better served on Völkl’s recently upgraded Blaze 104 W, also reviewed in these pages.

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Women’s Test Data Advisory

Please be advised that our 2022 women’s ski reviews do not show any test data, on either our public or members’ sites. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we haven’t been able to collect sufficient test results to justify showing a statistical summary.

While Realskiers members won’t be able to see stats on women’s reviews, they will see a longer, more in-depth narrative than what’s posted on our public site.

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