The Bash 116 is the top model in Völkl’s twin-tip series. This conjures images of swimmy baselines and flopping tips, and there’s some validity to these apprehensions, as the Bash has a fully rockered baseline and a tapered tip. But everything else about this powerhouse is as solid as cement. Once you put it in motion, there’s no sensation of its twin-ness; it behaves 100% like a directional ski. Why anyone would want to throw a freight train like the Bash in reverse is beyond my understanding.

But slarving and schmearing from a centered stance is something I can grok, and the Bash exudes stability whether it’s slicing on an edge or beating the snow aside with its bases. The Bash 116 isn’t nervous about charging the fall line and keeps its cool in ornery crud. It’s a big, brawny ski for strong, athletic, young bucks who treat the mountain as their terrain park.