Our Editor’s pick as Big Mountain Ski of the Year in 2014, the Völkl V-Werks Katana is still the avatar of excellence.  Völkl must have been impressed with the V-Werks Katana as well, for they extended its 3D.RIDGE design to a new slew of All-Mountain and Big Mountain skis.

What sets the V-Werks Katana apart is a Big Mountain ski girth and a Technical ski’s affinity for burying its edge into whatever surface you care to put in its path. Blend this capacity with eye-popping stability at speeds that would sink a less stalwart ship, and you have an elite skier’s magic carpet ride.

Made from 11 layers of carbon compressed into a stiff blade that cuts through powder from zero to forty-eight inches deep, it’s eerily light for its girth, which usually indicates trouble in Crud City.  But the Katana is as mellow as Kenny G when pounding through broken pow. The things this New Age Katana aren’t particularly good at are attributes its intended owner isn’t particularly concerned about, such as hold-your-hand ease at lollygagging speeds.