shadoj
Angel Diva
I recently had a lucky opportunity to try out a couple pairs of Volkls over the course of a few days, courtesy of the local rep who wanted some feedback when my roommate picked up his Deacon 84s. (Thanks, Volkl guy!)
My stats: 4'10" (~147cm), ~105-110lbs (~47-50kg), athletic, BSL 265
Skill level: advanced (?)
My style: medium-fast speed, short-medium turns, mostly directional, versatile/dynamic, somewhat playful
Primary terrain: Midwest manmade hardpack, steeps, some bumps, baby jumps/rollers, moderate powder fluff, spring refreeze/thaw/3D ice chop, trees when there's enough cover. I also Mountain Host, which means tromping around on flats/uphill more than usual.
The Skis:
2021/22 Blizzard Black Pearl 82 (reference ski):
Bindings: Marker Squire ID
Length: 152cm
Weight/pair: ~10lbs w/ these bindings
Mount point: -10.9cm
Construction: wood + carbon + titanal binding plate
Category: All-Mountain
Dimensions: 119-82-103mm
Radius: 11.5m
2023/24 Volkl Kenja 88:
Bindings: Marker Squire Demo
Length: 156cm
Weight/pair: ~12lbs w/ these bindings
Mount point: -11cm (approx)
Construction: wood + carbon tips + partial titanal frame
Category: Freeride
Dimensions: 129-88-113mm
Radii (tip/mid/tail): 21/12/19m
2023/24 Volkl Secret 96:
Bindings: Marker Griffon Demo
Length: 156cm
Weight/pair: ~13.5lbs w/ these bindings
Mount point: -11cm (approx)
Construction: wood + carbon tips + partial titanal frame
Category: Freeride
Dimensions: 135-96-119mm
Radii (tip/mid/tail): 21/13/18m
The Test:
Location: Welch Village, MN
Conditions:
Day 1: 22F to 33F, sunny, firm snow softening throughout the day
Day 2: 45F to 39F, dark, chopped-up slush piles with standing water by lifts
Day 3: 11F to 14F, sunny, windy, ice under very-hardpack
Did not get to test the Volkls in fluffy powder, but I imagine they'd both do fine in several inches for a lightweight based on past performance by my Black Pearls in those conditions.
Methods/Notes:
Skied all three pairs of skis, all three days, starting with mine and then rotating between the others. Flat green runs through steep black runs, moguls (except Secrets), 3D piles, and baby rollers.
My arms are tired from equipment transport and skating uphill to the lift each time I swapped out models. Volkl skis are heavy!
The more-directional default mount points of all three of these skis allows my short legs to kick turn without a problem.
All skis here are rocker-camber-rocker, though the Black Pearls have fairly flat tails vs. partial twin tips on the Volkls.
Both models of Volkls are hefty, solid skis with a full sidewall and partial titanal laminates; they use Volkl's "3D Sidecut Radius" which allows access to different turn shapes & sizes based on how you pressure the ski.
All three skis make a distinct "metallic / wind-in-a-straw" noise on hard snow due to the carbon fiber in them, but both Volkls are noticeably louder than the BP82s.
2024 topsheets in this line have a "wintry geometric pastel" theme; the Kenja is purple-toned with purple text, and the Secret is sky-blue with (strangely) pink-copper text. Smaller text is a bit hard to read on both because it's printed over a moire background pattern. White sidewalls will always look dirty from first use onward... sigh. Gimme neon so I can find 'em in powder!
Available lengths in both Volkls: 149cm, 156cm, 163cm, 170cm. Secret 96 also in 177cm. Kendo 88 is the men's equivalent to the Kenja; Mantra M6 is the men's equivalent to the Secret.
The Verdicts:
Black Pearl 82 (reference):
Strengths: Forgiving, non-fatiguing. High performance ceiling. Skis track well for their weight. Very quick edge-to-edge. Great edge grip on ice/steeps. Tips pull smoothly into a carved turn; easy to vary turn shape. Easy to pivot despite fairly flat tail. Fun. Confidence-inspiring. Great in trees and bumps. Neon glowing-orange bases are groovy.
Weaknesses: Can get bogged down and/or kicked around by heavy/deep powder, 3D slush chop, 3D refrozen chop. Not solid enough for high-speed, high-edge-angle carving. Not super damp.
Notes: This is a good length for me on this ski. Medium-lightweight, average stiffness ski with great hard-snow performance. Sweet spot prefers a forward stance. I'd personally like it a tad stiffer, with a little less tip rocker.
Kenja 88:
Strengths: Playful, fun, can push into tight arcs or just smear and pivot. Well-balanced despite heavy weight.
Weaknesses: Strange vibration transmitting to my feet at speed on harder snow, along with vibrating tips. Not as good edge grip as the Black Pearl 82s nor Secret 96s on hard snow or at speed. Turn initiation felt a bit vague compared to the Secrets & BPs. Seemed a little catchy when trying to go from switch & back compared to the other 2 skis.
Notes: This is a slightly long length for me on this ski, noticeable in the moguls. Fairly heavy, somewhat stiff. Would be fun for me in maybe 154 with less tip rocker. The "3D Sidecut Radius" on these doesn't seem as intuitive/well-balaced as on the Secrets.
Secret 96:
Strengths: Confidence-inspiring. Cuts through heavy 3D snow like butter. Quick/easy to get on edge for the width. Easy to initiate a turn with subtle pressure. Easy to create precise and smooth dynamic turn shapes. Likes to go really fast, but can cruise along on the flats. Damp. Good edge grip -- flew across ice at speed on edge with no complaint. Good energy return between turns. Could push bigger arcs at high speed than the BP82s and Kenjas, especially in rough snow. Can still smear/release tails easily. If you do manage to catch air: nice solid suspended landing.
Weaknesses: Heavy. Fatiguing on hard snow or when riding lift. Not super-playful.
Notes: Wants to be driven with good technique, and rewards it with precise feedback. Even though they felt like pontoons when I first clicked in, they were never squirrely nor got in my way.
Summary:
None of these ski models really serve as direct competitors to one another, yet each could make a one-ski quiver depending on how/where you ski most! BP82s are great for harder snow, frontside carving, and non-tiring mogul/tree tight-corridor skiing. Kenjas are better in slightly softer snow, fun in the moguls, easy rotary drills, and have enough surface area to push against & smooth out some slop... or just hop off a pile. Secrets are trustworthy chargers, especially in crud... really fun to carve at speed in slightly soft snow, or just smoothly ride the less-steep areas in lazy arcs.
The Secrets best complement my current skis (if I could afford a quiver of 2), picking up where the Black Pearls fall short. The Kenjas kinda fall between the two, but with a softer-snow preference.
I'm returning the demos tomorrow, so y'all let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to try on a couple laps. Sunshine's out; photo coming soon
My stats: 4'10" (~147cm), ~105-110lbs (~47-50kg), athletic, BSL 265
Skill level: advanced (?)
My style: medium-fast speed, short-medium turns, mostly directional, versatile/dynamic, somewhat playful
Primary terrain: Midwest manmade hardpack, steeps, some bumps, baby jumps/rollers, moderate powder fluff, spring refreeze/thaw/3D ice chop, trees when there's enough cover. I also Mountain Host, which means tromping around on flats/uphill more than usual.
The Skis:
2021/22 Blizzard Black Pearl 82 (reference ski):
Bindings: Marker Squire ID
Length: 152cm
Weight/pair: ~10lbs w/ these bindings
Mount point: -10.9cm
Construction: wood + carbon + titanal binding plate
Category: All-Mountain
Dimensions: 119-82-103mm
Radius: 11.5m
2023/24 Volkl Kenja 88:
Bindings: Marker Squire Demo
Length: 156cm
Weight/pair: ~12lbs w/ these bindings
Mount point: -11cm (approx)
Construction: wood + carbon tips + partial titanal frame
Category: Freeride
Dimensions: 129-88-113mm
Radii (tip/mid/tail): 21/12/19m
2023/24 Volkl Secret 96:
Bindings: Marker Griffon Demo
Length: 156cm
Weight/pair: ~13.5lbs w/ these bindings
Mount point: -11cm (approx)
Construction: wood + carbon tips + partial titanal frame
Category: Freeride
Dimensions: 135-96-119mm
Radii (tip/mid/tail): 21/13/18m
The Test:
Location: Welch Village, MN
Conditions:
Day 1: 22F to 33F, sunny, firm snow softening throughout the day
Day 2: 45F to 39F, dark, chopped-up slush piles with standing water by lifts
Day 3: 11F to 14F, sunny, windy, ice under very-hardpack
Did not get to test the Volkls in fluffy powder, but I imagine they'd both do fine in several inches for a lightweight based on past performance by my Black Pearls in those conditions.
Methods/Notes:
Skied all three pairs of skis, all three days, starting with mine and then rotating between the others. Flat green runs through steep black runs, moguls (except Secrets), 3D piles, and baby rollers.
My arms are tired from equipment transport and skating uphill to the lift each time I swapped out models. Volkl skis are heavy!
The more-directional default mount points of all three of these skis allows my short legs to kick turn without a problem.
All skis here are rocker-camber-rocker, though the Black Pearls have fairly flat tails vs. partial twin tips on the Volkls.
Both models of Volkls are hefty, solid skis with a full sidewall and partial titanal laminates; they use Volkl's "3D Sidecut Radius" which allows access to different turn shapes & sizes based on how you pressure the ski.
All three skis make a distinct "metallic / wind-in-a-straw" noise on hard snow due to the carbon fiber in them, but both Volkls are noticeably louder than the BP82s.
2024 topsheets in this line have a "wintry geometric pastel" theme; the Kenja is purple-toned with purple text, and the Secret is sky-blue with (strangely) pink-copper text. Smaller text is a bit hard to read on both because it's printed over a moire background pattern. White sidewalls will always look dirty from first use onward... sigh. Gimme neon so I can find 'em in powder!
Available lengths in both Volkls: 149cm, 156cm, 163cm, 170cm. Secret 96 also in 177cm. Kendo 88 is the men's equivalent to the Kenja; Mantra M6 is the men's equivalent to the Secret.
The Verdicts:
Black Pearl 82 (reference):
Strengths: Forgiving, non-fatiguing. High performance ceiling. Skis track well for their weight. Very quick edge-to-edge. Great edge grip on ice/steeps. Tips pull smoothly into a carved turn; easy to vary turn shape. Easy to pivot despite fairly flat tail. Fun. Confidence-inspiring. Great in trees and bumps. Neon glowing-orange bases are groovy.
Weaknesses: Can get bogged down and/or kicked around by heavy/deep powder, 3D slush chop, 3D refrozen chop. Not solid enough for high-speed, high-edge-angle carving. Not super damp.
Notes: This is a good length for me on this ski. Medium-lightweight, average stiffness ski with great hard-snow performance. Sweet spot prefers a forward stance. I'd personally like it a tad stiffer, with a little less tip rocker.
Kenja 88:
Strengths: Playful, fun, can push into tight arcs or just smear and pivot. Well-balanced despite heavy weight.
Weaknesses: Strange vibration transmitting to my feet at speed on harder snow, along with vibrating tips. Not as good edge grip as the Black Pearl 82s nor Secret 96s on hard snow or at speed. Turn initiation felt a bit vague compared to the Secrets & BPs. Seemed a little catchy when trying to go from switch & back compared to the other 2 skis.
Notes: This is a slightly long length for me on this ski, noticeable in the moguls. Fairly heavy, somewhat stiff. Would be fun for me in maybe 154 with less tip rocker. The "3D Sidecut Radius" on these doesn't seem as intuitive/well-balaced as on the Secrets.
Secret 96:
Strengths: Confidence-inspiring. Cuts through heavy 3D snow like butter. Quick/easy to get on edge for the width. Easy to initiate a turn with subtle pressure. Easy to create precise and smooth dynamic turn shapes. Likes to go really fast, but can cruise along on the flats. Damp. Good edge grip -- flew across ice at speed on edge with no complaint. Good energy return between turns. Could push bigger arcs at high speed than the BP82s and Kenjas, especially in rough snow. Can still smear/release tails easily. If you do manage to catch air: nice solid suspended landing.
Weaknesses: Heavy. Fatiguing on hard snow or when riding lift. Not super-playful.
Notes: Wants to be driven with good technique, and rewards it with precise feedback. Even though they felt like pontoons when I first clicked in, they were never squirrely nor got in my way.
Summary:
None of these ski models really serve as direct competitors to one another, yet each could make a one-ski quiver depending on how/where you ski most! BP82s are great for harder snow, frontside carving, and non-tiring mogul/tree tight-corridor skiing. Kenjas are better in slightly softer snow, fun in the moguls, easy rotary drills, and have enough surface area to push against & smooth out some slop... or just hop off a pile. Secrets are trustworthy chargers, especially in crud... really fun to carve at speed in slightly soft snow, or just smoothly ride the less-steep areas in lazy arcs.
The Secrets best complement my current skis (if I could afford a quiver of 2), picking up where the Black Pearls fall short. The Kenjas kinda fall between the two, but with a softer-snow preference.
I'm returning the demos tomorrow, so y'all let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to try on a couple laps. Sunshine's out; photo coming soon
