Mantra

Over the unusually long arc of its existence, the Mantra has morphed every few seasons, putting on a few mm’s of girth one year, adding a dab of early rise to the tip another. The latest stage in its evolution, which debuted two seasons ago, was also the most dramatic, resulting in a significant change in the Mantra’s personality.

Völkl didn’t change the Mantra’s composition – it’s still a classic combo of wood and Titanal – but they changed everything else, going from a fully cambered ski to a double rocker design that is bone-flat underfoot and rockered at tip and tail. The alterations allow the new Mantra to swivel around in soft snow, making it much more forgiving in the off-piste conditions. The premium previously placed on pilot proficiency and precision no longer pertains.

Monster 108

[The test results and review for the Monster 108 are from 2016; its only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.] When we say a Big Mountain ski “behaves like a carver,” we mean that even though its wide dimensions favor powder, it still works best at the high speeds and edge...

Marksman

I’ve never met Pep Fujas, the big mountain athlete whose fingerprints are reputed to be all over the Marksman. No doubt he’s a jaw-dropping exhibitionist, capable of descents I can’t imagine even as I’m watching them on film. I’m equally certain his anything-goes...

Powertrack 84

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Power Instinct Ti Pro

This year’s jury was unequivocal: the Power Instinct Ti Pro belongs on the Power podium. Its everything-including-the-kitchen-sink construction isn’t impressed with any snow condition found on this planet, tearing into terrain like piranha with edges. A wide circle of skier types is able to steer it, in part because it adds a dab of Graphene™ – how do you measure a material reduced to atoms? – through the midsection of the ski, making the tip and tail more pressure-sensitive.