If all you did was look at its V-shaped baseline, you’d swear the Völkl Shiro was a swiveling disco stick.  The front rocker looks like it’s not going to end until it’s somewhere underfoot, where it runs into the pronounced rear rocker, which is slightly flattened this season for better stability on steeps. In the past, Völkl treated rocker they way kids react to cod liver oil: they may take it, but they don’t like it and aren’t convinced it’s good for you.

Apparently, they overcame their rocker allergy when they built the Shiro.  What’s amazing is that, with all that reverse camber, the Shiro is still at heart a directional ski.   In other words, it’s still a Völkl, geared to respond to a technical skier.  Should that technical skier find himself five feet from a sequoia and closing fast, he can pivot the entire operation sideways with virtually no resistance.  The ability to smear on demand is an enormous relief, especially as the day wears on and your personal power light starts blinking red.   The Shiro is a cross-generational ski with appeal for anyone who wants to preserve energy so they can – naturally – ski more powder runs.