volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
About the tester: 49 yr old heavy weight with a love for junky snow and high speeds. Lapsed PSIA L2 certified, NASTAR/beer league gold/platinum racer. Current quiver ranges from 168 cm unisex carvers to 177 mid-fats and powder skis with a mix of women specific and unisex skis.
The conditions: Day 1 was a high of 32 degrees with perfect packed powder groomers and a bit soft cut-up soft snow under blue skies. Day 2 was a high of 30 degrees with a bit of wind and cloudy skies. Perfect groomer, cut up soft snow, and snow fall later on. Day 3 was a high of 5 degrees with howling wind and sunny skies.
The All Mountain/Powder boards 92-112 (by waist width):
* Denotes unisex ski
* Line Soulmate 92, 165 cm, 127-92-115 (R 16.5 m):
I should have held out for a longer length in this one as the 165 felt too short for me. The Soulmate is a calm, dependable, stable ski without a lot of pop. It held steady in medium and long turns at high speeds, even at this too-short length. Loading the tails for power out of the carve and releasing the tails to skid were both equally easy. I expected better short turns at this length given its listed turn radius, but found, instead that they were a lot of work. Best for skiers who prefer bigger turns at speed without any fuss.
* Armada Invictus 95 Ti, 185 cm, 133-95-123 (R 20.5 m):
This ski is another one that completely wowed me. It wasn’t surprising, given the listed turn radius, that short turns weren’t its forte, but it totally rocked medium and long turns at super-silly speeds. The tail is stiff enough to really power through cut-up crud and it was damp enough to even out the manky stuff under the wind-crusted powder. This is a big, burly ski, best for power skiers who like to put pedal to the metal regardless of conditions. The Metallica-inspired graphics are super subtle and stunningly beautiful (plus, they’re sparkly!), an added bonus.
* Elan Spectrum 95 Carbon, 180 cm, 136-95-111 (R 17.5 m):
Yee Haw!! This one is a speed demon!! Stable and with decent rebound, this is a stiff ski that is rock solid at speed. It’s light weight, but doesn’t lose any stability because of it. Short turns can be made to happen with some work, but I found breaking the tails loose to skid a bit tricky. Best for strong skiers and high speeds.
Blizzard Samba, 166 cm, 131-98-116 (R 19.0 m):
My “Surprise!!” ski of the test! The Samba exudes confidence at any speed, even in cruddy conditions. For a “women’s” ski, this one is surprising burly and confidence inspiring. I think I had one of my fastest runs on this ski, something I certainly never expected. Strangely, It handled slow speeds with equal grace and ease. Best for high advanced and expert women looking for a deeper snow and back side conditions ski with groomer performance to spare. No need to go longer with this one as the 166 cm was super stable, even for me.
Head Great Joy, 163 cm, 140-98-123 (R 13.3 m):
The Joy series just didn’t wow me at all, maybe due to my weight. I found the Great Joy to be too light weight and too stiff, making it really get rattled around in the cut-up snow and a bit scary on the steeps. This is not a very forgiving ski, either and despite its width I found stability to be lacking for me as well. Some type of damping device or a change in construction might make this more enjoyable for me. I know many women love this line, but it totally isn’t my style at all. Best for lighter weight, strong skiers? The one thing I did love about it was the stunning purple color with the see-through honey comb and wood grain underneath.
Volkl Aura, 163 cm, 132-100-118 (R 19.3 m):
As a long-time Aura owner and lover, when I heard the Aura had been widened to 100 mm under foot and given full rocker for 2016, I was worried about the new Aura’s suitability as a one ski quiver for the East coast and Midwest. Turns out it’s still the same old Aura, only better. The rocker and added width has made it quite a bit more forgiving and accessible to a wider range of skiers without losing any of the death-grip and go-for-it qualities that has made it such an outstanding ski in the past. Best for strong and advancing intermediates through experts looking for solid performance in all conditions everywhere on the mountain (yes, even bumps). Really strong and heavy skiers should look to go up a size in this one, although I had no issues on the 163 cm (I currently ski the fully cambered version in a 177 cm).
* Elan Spectrum 105, 180 cm, 142-105-120 (R 18.1 m):
While I loved the 95 Carbon, I found the 105 to feel planky and a little balky. Short turns were a total no-go for me, and I found forgiveness and rebound lacking. This is a big, burly ski for high speeds and big turns. This one just felt like work all the way around. Best for big, strong skiers on big mountains.
Volkl 100Eight W, 165 cm, 141-108-124 (R 16.7 m):
The 100Eight is totally new for 2016, with “3D Ridge” no metal construction. While I fully expected to love this ski, I really, really didn’t. There’s something about this light weight carbon construction that just makes the skis feel unstable and rattly for me. It has tons of rebound and is fairly forgiving for a Volkl. Surprisingly nimble for a ski of this width, it really ripped through short and medium turns, both carving and skidding with equal skill and I was able to actually creep down the steeps as slow as I could possibly image going with very little effort. I would guess the 100Eight would excel in softer snow and powder. Best for strong and light skiers looking for superior soft snow performance in a very light weight ski.
* Volkl V-Werks Katana, 184 cm, 143-112-132 (R 25.8 m):
The V-Werks is another Volkl with the 3D Ridge construction and I experienced the same issues as the 100Eight on it while my husband absolutely loved it. I found it very stiff and unforgiving, requiring lots of work to really get it to perform. I was completely surprised by this as I have the current standard construction Katana and love it. I was also surprised to find Volkl chose to drop the standard Katana as it’s one of the best and strongest crud-busting skis on the market and they don’t seem to have a ski of equal skill in their new line-up. Best for soft snow and strong, heavy skiers with the skill to make it shine.
The conditions: Day 1 was a high of 32 degrees with perfect packed powder groomers and a bit soft cut-up soft snow under blue skies. Day 2 was a high of 30 degrees with a bit of wind and cloudy skies. Perfect groomer, cut up soft snow, and snow fall later on. Day 3 was a high of 5 degrees with howling wind and sunny skies.
The All Mountain/Powder boards 92-112 (by waist width):
* Denotes unisex ski
* Line Soulmate 92, 165 cm, 127-92-115 (R 16.5 m):
I should have held out for a longer length in this one as the 165 felt too short for me. The Soulmate is a calm, dependable, stable ski without a lot of pop. It held steady in medium and long turns at high speeds, even at this too-short length. Loading the tails for power out of the carve and releasing the tails to skid were both equally easy. I expected better short turns at this length given its listed turn radius, but found, instead that they were a lot of work. Best for skiers who prefer bigger turns at speed without any fuss.
* Armada Invictus 95 Ti, 185 cm, 133-95-123 (R 20.5 m):
This ski is another one that completely wowed me. It wasn’t surprising, given the listed turn radius, that short turns weren’t its forte, but it totally rocked medium and long turns at super-silly speeds. The tail is stiff enough to really power through cut-up crud and it was damp enough to even out the manky stuff under the wind-crusted powder. This is a big, burly ski, best for power skiers who like to put pedal to the metal regardless of conditions. The Metallica-inspired graphics are super subtle and stunningly beautiful (plus, they’re sparkly!), an added bonus.
* Elan Spectrum 95 Carbon, 180 cm, 136-95-111 (R 17.5 m):
Yee Haw!! This one is a speed demon!! Stable and with decent rebound, this is a stiff ski that is rock solid at speed. It’s light weight, but doesn’t lose any stability because of it. Short turns can be made to happen with some work, but I found breaking the tails loose to skid a bit tricky. Best for strong skiers and high speeds.
Blizzard Samba, 166 cm, 131-98-116 (R 19.0 m):
My “Surprise!!” ski of the test! The Samba exudes confidence at any speed, even in cruddy conditions. For a “women’s” ski, this one is surprising burly and confidence inspiring. I think I had one of my fastest runs on this ski, something I certainly never expected. Strangely, It handled slow speeds with equal grace and ease. Best for high advanced and expert women looking for a deeper snow and back side conditions ski with groomer performance to spare. No need to go longer with this one as the 166 cm was super stable, even for me.
Head Great Joy, 163 cm, 140-98-123 (R 13.3 m):
The Joy series just didn’t wow me at all, maybe due to my weight. I found the Great Joy to be too light weight and too stiff, making it really get rattled around in the cut-up snow and a bit scary on the steeps. This is not a very forgiving ski, either and despite its width I found stability to be lacking for me as well. Some type of damping device or a change in construction might make this more enjoyable for me. I know many women love this line, but it totally isn’t my style at all. Best for lighter weight, strong skiers? The one thing I did love about it was the stunning purple color with the see-through honey comb and wood grain underneath.
Volkl Aura, 163 cm, 132-100-118 (R 19.3 m):
As a long-time Aura owner and lover, when I heard the Aura had been widened to 100 mm under foot and given full rocker for 2016, I was worried about the new Aura’s suitability as a one ski quiver for the East coast and Midwest. Turns out it’s still the same old Aura, only better. The rocker and added width has made it quite a bit more forgiving and accessible to a wider range of skiers without losing any of the death-grip and go-for-it qualities that has made it such an outstanding ski in the past. Best for strong and advancing intermediates through experts looking for solid performance in all conditions everywhere on the mountain (yes, even bumps). Really strong and heavy skiers should look to go up a size in this one, although I had no issues on the 163 cm (I currently ski the fully cambered version in a 177 cm).
* Elan Spectrum 105, 180 cm, 142-105-120 (R 18.1 m):
While I loved the 95 Carbon, I found the 105 to feel planky and a little balky. Short turns were a total no-go for me, and I found forgiveness and rebound lacking. This is a big, burly ski for high speeds and big turns. This one just felt like work all the way around. Best for big, strong skiers on big mountains.
Volkl 100Eight W, 165 cm, 141-108-124 (R 16.7 m):
The 100Eight is totally new for 2016, with “3D Ridge” no metal construction. While I fully expected to love this ski, I really, really didn’t. There’s something about this light weight carbon construction that just makes the skis feel unstable and rattly for me. It has tons of rebound and is fairly forgiving for a Volkl. Surprisingly nimble for a ski of this width, it really ripped through short and medium turns, both carving and skidding with equal skill and I was able to actually creep down the steeps as slow as I could possibly image going with very little effort. I would guess the 100Eight would excel in softer snow and powder. Best for strong and light skiers looking for superior soft snow performance in a very light weight ski.
* Volkl V-Werks Katana, 184 cm, 143-112-132 (R 25.8 m):
The V-Werks is another Volkl with the 3D Ridge construction and I experienced the same issues as the 100Eight on it while my husband absolutely loved it. I found it very stiff and unforgiving, requiring lots of work to really get it to perform. I was completely surprised by this as I have the current standard construction Katana and love it. I was also surprised to find Volkl chose to drop the standard Katana as it’s one of the best and strongest crud-busting skis on the market and they don’t seem to have a ski of equal skill in their new line-up. Best for soft snow and strong, heavy skiers with the skill to make it shine.
