The new Völkl Kanjo is an off-trail ski in a Frontside body, geared down to suit an intermediate skier who isn’t ready to graduate to the Kendo or Mantra. Lighter skiers who want to explore the backside of the mountain without committing to it would be well matched with the Kanjo. Tweeners who have the ability to ski all terrain but don’t yet have the heft to bend an adult Frontside ski are another constituency well suited to the latest Völkl.

Skiers just this side of advanced ability might cast a suspicious glance at the Kanjo’s long sidecut radius, but the Kanjo’s ample tip and tail rocker make it easy to maneuver. Adept at short to mid-radius turns at an unhurried pace, the Kanjo is a lightweight, stepping-stone ski that enables groomer-bound intermediates to blossom into off-trail aficionados.