Maybe I am, inexplicably, a Volkl girl (Volkl Yumi review)

[maggie198]

[QUOTEi"SkadiSkiGrrl, post: 282875, member: 4455"]Tell him, "Yes, a lot of ski, for a lot of woman. Gotta problem with that?" So, what didn't you love about the Yumi? Just curious.

The Yumi were fun on the easiest trail. Sadly, I chose to bail onto a cutoff to the terrain park rather than ski them on the little pitch on the second run. They felt noodley. They did not have nearly the edge hold that the Kenjas had and I did not trust them to get me through the icy stuff yet to come. Disappointing, as I had such high expectations based on magazine rankings.....

The Pures lasted just one run....Meh.... The Vivas lasted three. None of them were an improvement for me on the Kenjas as far as stability, edge hold and fun factor.

For what its worth, the Wild Belle is the only ski that I have ever demoed that I went straight to the tough (for me) stuff, without an intermediary step. It was that confidence-inspiring! The WBs replaced the Kenjas and the RX8s. For me, the WB had as good edge hold as the Kenjas, was more stable, more nimble, more forgiving and more fun! It became my new benchmark ski.[/QUOTE]

The Yumis are pretty soft, and definitely felt noodly to me too. I've always felt the Volkls were too stiff for me, so I was quite surprised by how underwhelmed I was by the Yumi. For a lightweight skier, in soft snow, maybe a different story. No edge hold like the Kenjas, that's for sure!

 

[maggie198]

Tell him, "Yes, a lot of ski, for a lot of woman. Gotta problem with that?"

Yeasterday, my boyfriend and I were riding the lift with an older, kind of grizzled ski patroller. We're chit-chatting. He says to me, about my Hells Belles - "those are nice looking skis you have there. Pretty graphics." I felt kind of dissed, like what do you think, I buy skis 'cuz they're pretty? I retorted back, "I guess so, I just like the way they ski." Both he and my boyfriend laughed their a$$es off.....

My boyfriend said, "Well I guess she told you!"

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I demoed the Yumi, the Atomic Pure, and the Viva last year on an icy day at Sugarloaf....
For what its worth, the Wild Belle is the only ski that I have ever demoed that I went straight to the tough (for me) stuff, without an intermediary step. It was that confidence-inspiring! The WBs replaced the Kenjas and the RX8s. For me, the WB had as good edge hold as the Kenjas, was more stable, more nimble, more forgiving and more fun! It became my new benchmark ski.

We're talking December, 2013, right? I was there, demo'ing several of the same skis! Wondering if you made it over to the just-0pened, freshly blown whales on GondiLine (lower, from xcut) -- benchmark test of any demo for me, and that's the proving ground where the Wild Belles earned their stripes.

Didn't dislike Yumi as much as you did - just wasn't particularly inspired, found them semi-lifeless.

As to the ski shop comment, yikes. Noted you are in Toronto region so just hoping none of this BS came from ANY shop around here, or I'd have their necks - and ALL are proponents of longer skis anyway, wouldn't be like anyone at Depot or Happy Tunes to diss longer skis.

Looks like you are close to the minimum posts to get into divas only section so we can private message and hopefully get together! Feb coming up, big snow bearing down here!

 

[BeSki]

We're talking December, 2013, right? I was there, demo'ing several of the same skis! Wondering if you made it over to the just-0pened, freshly blown whales on GondiLine (lower, from xcut) -- benchmark test of any demo for me, and that's the proving ground where the Wild Belles earned their stripes.

Didn't dislike Yumi as much as you did - just wasn't particularly inspired, found them semi-lifeless.

As to the ski shop comment, yikes. Noted you are in Toronto region so just hoping none of this BS came from ANY shop around here, or I'd have their necks - and ALL are proponents of longer skis anyway, wouldn't be like anyone at Depot or Happy Tunes to diss longer skis.

Looks like you are close to the minimum posts to get into divas only section so we can private message and hopefully get together! Feb coming up, big snow bearing down here!

 

[BeSki]

Ha ha! Yeah....Tote, King's, Sluice to Gondi....that's my test.

Yikes! I want to make it clear that I am a HUGE fan of Happy Tunes. They are extremely accommodating! We use them for tuning, demoing, consignment and purchasing. L and J are real assets to Sugarloaf and the skiing community.

Ski Depot too, although I haven't purchased skis ( just clothing) from them....yet!

Most of my new skis come from the mountain store, mainly because of the demo fee reimbursement, the season pass discount and Boyne Rewards. In fact, T in the tuning shop remounted the Squires for me after I was unhappy with the Nordica bindings on the WBs!

 

[maggie198]

Sugarloaf does have a good on-mountain shop. Many skis to choose from for demoing, too.

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

Yeasterday, my boyfriend and I were riding the lift with an older, kind of grizzled ski patroller. We're chit-chatting. He says to me, about my Hells Belles - "those are nice looking skis you have there. Pretty graphics." I felt kind of dissed, like what do you think, I buy skis 'cuz they're pretty? I retorted back, "I guess so, I just like the way they ski." Both he and my boyfriend laughed their a$$es off.....

My boyfriend said, "Well I guess she told you!"

What an jerk. Sorry you were put through that. My partner tries to put me in my place too. The other day a group of very loud women standing behind us told him I didn't look like a woman who needed babysitting. Snap!

Don't let lesser men succeed in diminishing you or what you are about. Only lesser men need to diminish women like that because they've got nothing. These are the guys who when they get older can't keep up without a little blue pill, but are constantly talking about how they need a younger woman. Yeah. I tell these guys that I need a man who can keep going without the little blue pill, on the hill and off, which is why the gods made much younger men. And a lot of times they CAN'T keep up with women their own age, and they know it. They can kiss my YUMIs.

I recently took a black diamond clinic with my daughter and the other people in the group were all men, and they were all FDNY and NYPD. They were so awesome and supportive of us. They didn't talk down to us or take the high road. They were super respectful and treated us like one of them. We need more men like that. The cop was asking me for pointers. That is a man who knows who he is.

Afterwards I met one of them with his wife who was in the intermediate clinic. He was so supportive and was like, "Yeah, she's getting it, she's getting it." and asked her how she was doing and what she learned. He didn't need to talk down to her to build himself up. Great guy, so they are out there.

 

[maggie198]

What an #######. Don't let lesser men succeed in diminishing you or what you are about. And only lesser men need to diminish women like that because they've got nothing.

I actually found it kind of funny, because it was a remark that seemed out of character for a grizzled old(er) ski patroller. I really didn't know what to say at first. So I said the first thing that came to my head, which may have sounded flippant. But I meant it.

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

The Yumi were fun on the easiest trail. Sadly, I chose to bail onto a cutoff to the terrain park rather than ski them on the little pitch on the second run. They felt noodley. They did not have nearly the edge hold that the Kenjas had and I did not trust them to get me through the icy stuff yet to come. Disappointing, as I had such high expectations based on magazine rankings.....

The Pures lasted just one run....Meh.... The Vivas lasted three. None of them were an improvement for me on the Kenjas as far as stability, edge hold and fun factor.

For what its worth, the Wild Belle is the only ski that I have ever demoed that I went straight to the tough (for me) stuff, without an intermediary step. It was that confidence-inspiring! The WBs replaced the Kenjas and the RX8s. For me, the WB had as good edge hold as the Kenjas, was more stable, more nimble, more forgiving and more fun! It became my new benchmark ski.

The Yumis are pretty soft, and definitely felt noodly to me too. I've always felt the Volkls were too stiff for me, so I was quite surprised by how underwhelmed I was by the Yumi. For a lightweight skier, in soft snow, maybe a different story. No edge hold like the Kenjas, that's for sure![/QUOTE]
Oh, oh. Now I'm worried, except the snow is looking pretty deep right about now! Can't wait to get out there. Did you ever demo Salomon Origins Lavas? Just wondering what how you would rate it in terms of flexibility and edging in hard snow.

 

[maggie198]

Sorry, because of my bad editing, the first part of BeSki's post shows under my name. This is my comment:

"The Yumis are pretty soft, and definitely felt noodly to me too. I've always felt the Volkls were too stiff for me, so I was quite surprised by how underwhelmed I was by the Yumi. For a lightweight skier, in soft snow, maybe a different story. No edge hold like the Kenjas, that's for sure!"

They just weren't enough for me, your results may differ.

 

[lisamamot]

The Yumi is rated medium on the stiffness scale (similar to the Salomon Q-Lux and the Nordica Wild Belle), whereas the Kenja is very stiff. I am a somewhat lighter weight skier and have this ski in a size too short for my height; while I do find it softer, I don't find it a noodle. Can it charge down hard pack and grip on ice with total stability? Nope....it is so not the Kenja in that category, but it isn't meant to be as Volkl already has, well, the Kenja. It is great they make both skis to accommodate different people's preferences and uses.

Yeasterday, my boyfriend and I were riding the lift with an older, kind of grizzled ski patroller. We're chit-chatting. He says to me, about my Hells Belles - "those are nice looking skis you have there. Pretty graphics." I felt kind of dissed, like what do you think, I buy skis 'cuz they're pretty? I retorted back, "I guess so, I just like the way they ski." Both he and my boyfriend laughed their a$$es off.....

My boyfriend said, "Well I guess she told you!"

I notice a good looking top-sheet too and would express my appreciation for the aesthetics, right after I asked how they liked the ski from a performance perspective. I love that he laughed with your boyfriend....that clearly shows his intent wasn't to diss. It is a ski you love to ski, and bonus, they DO have pretty graphics On the other hand, if he had said something like "a pretty ski for the little lady" that would have been a clear insult!

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

The Yumi is rated medium on the stiffness scale (similar to the Salomon Q-Lux and the Nordica Wild Belle), whereas the Kenja is very stiff. I am a somewhat lighter weight skier and have this ski in a size too short for my height; while I do find it softer, I don't find it a noodle. Can it charge down hard pack and grip on ice with total stability? Nope....it is so not the Kenja in that category, but it isn't meant to be as Volkl already has, well, the Kenja. It is great they make both skis to accommodate different people's preferences and uses.



I notice a good looking top-sheet too and would express my appreciation for the aesthetics, right after I asked how they liked the ski from a performance perspective. I love that he laughed with your boyfriend....that clearly shows his intent wasn't to diss. It is a ski you love to ski, and bonus, they DO have pretty graphics On the other hand, if he had said something like "a pretty ski for the little lady" that would have been a clear insult!

Maybe he should have started the conversation with "How do like those skis? Are they working for you?" and then "Oh, and, by the way, they look great!" And the "Well, I guess she told you comment." A little ambiguous--his lame sexism is no laughing matter. Back in the 70s men didn't know that their attitudes toward women were sexist until they had it pounded into their heads. Sorry, I am not so forgiving. Some guys just do not get it. Even now.

 

[lisamamot]

Maybe he should have started the conversation with "How do like those skis? Are they working for you?" and then "Oh, and, by the way, they look great!" And the "Well, I guess she told you comment." A little ambiguous--his lame sexism is no laughing matter. Back in the 70s men didn't know that their attitudes toward women were sexist until they had it pounded into their heads. Sorry, I am not so forgiving. Some guys just do not get it. Even now.

I am quite sure I say enough things that don't come out the way I meant them, and as such I tend to be pretty forgiving. People make mistakes, but he likely won't make the same one again! Live and learn, no harm no foul - we can all continue learning no matter our age. If I read it properly it was maggie198's boyfriend who said "Well, I guess she told you". And yes, she told him, without really telling him, that she chose the skis for their performance not their top-sheet. Well done.

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

Yes, well done on her part. We will have to agree to disagree on the conduct of the men. But, I wasn't there, so, a lot of the situation was probably "lost in the translation" so to speak.

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

I am quite sure I say enough things that don't come out the way I meant them, and as such I tend to be pretty forgiving. People make mistakes, but he likely won't make the same one again! Live and learn, no harm no foul - we can all continue learning no matter our age. If I read it properly it was maggie198's boyfriend who said "Well, I guess she told you". And yes, she told him, without really telling him, that she chose the skis for their performance not their top-sheet. Well done.

Yes, well done on her part. We will have to agree to disagree on the conduct of the men. But, I wasn't there, so, a lot of the situation was probably "lost in the translation" so to speak, I might interpret it much differently had I been there.

 

[maggie198]

The Yumi is rated medium on the stiffness scale (similar to the Salomon Q-Lux and the Nordica Wild Belle), whereas the Kenja is very stiff. I am a somewhat lighter weight skier and have this ski in a size too short for my height; while I do find it softer, I don't find it a noodle. Can it charge down hard pack and grip on ice with total stability? Nope....it is so not the Kenja in that category, but it isn't meant to be as Volkl already has, well, the Kenja. It is great they make both skis to accommodate different people's preferences and uses.



I notice a good looking top-sheet too and would express my appreciation for the aesthetics, right after I asked how they liked the ski from a performance perspective. I love that he laughed with your boyfriend....that clearly shows his intent wasn't to diss. It is a ski you love to ski, and bonus, they DO have pretty graphics On the other hand, if he had said something like "a pretty ski for the little lady" that would have been a clear insult!

What I did like about the Yumi is that Volkl came up with something very different in their line-up from their other stoic german ice-biters. It will broaded the market for them, something that I think they needed. I've always preferred softer skis. I bought Rossi Bandits when I returned to skiing 10 years ago. But I guess improved technique and (ahem) a little more meat on the bones changed the way a ski's stiffness feels to me. I would still swear to you that I don't like a stiff ski. Yet I love the Hells Belles, and the Volkl Aura I tried. They aren't stiff to me.

We are fortunate to have such a great variety of skis to choose from these days. I demoed 6 different skis two weeks ago, and though they all had very different characteristics not one was a bad ski. It just came down to skier preference.

 

[BeSki]

I do get comments on the lift by fellow skiers....men and women. Usually women comment and I say thanks and tell them how they perform, and that they might like them and that they should go demo them. When men comment, I usually try to relate them to some sort of male equivalent. Like, yeah these Hell's Belles are kinda like the Steadfast. Or, these Kenjas are kinda like the Kendos. Really, most men don't know women's skis, but they do tend to know men's. So, it may not mean anything.....

When I ride a lift with someone, male or female, who has newish skis, I ask them how they like them. It's just a conversation starter for me. I had a woman comment on my WBs, a purplish, flowery ski with neon green sidewalls (that I think looks great!) ask me what they were and then told me that they were the ugliest ski she had ever seen. ???? ha ha! I told her they rip like stink, go demo them!

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

What I did like about the Yumi is that Volkl came up with something very different in their line-up from their other stoic german ice-biters. It will broaded the market for them, something that I think they needed. I've always preferred softer skis. I bought Rossi Bandits when I returned to skiing 10 years ago. But I guess improved technique and (ahem) a little more meat on the bones changed the way a ski's stiffness feels to me. I would still swear to you that I don't like a stiff ski. Yet I love the Hells Belles, and the Volkl Aura I tried. They aren't stiff to me.

We are fortunate to have such a great variety of skis to choose from these days. I demoed 6 different skis two weeks ago, and though they all had very different characteristics not one was a bad ski. It just came down to skier preference.

Just to lighten up the talk about gender bias on the slopes: https://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/boss-witch#.ogz8gdKBd

 

[SkadiSkiGrrl]

I do get comments on the lift by fellow skiers....men and women. Usually women comment and I say thanks and tell them how they perform, and that they might like them and that they should go demo them. When men comment, I usually try to relate them to some sort of male equivalent. Like, yeah these Hell's Belles are kinda like the Steadfast. Or, these Kenjas are kinda like the Kendos. Really, most men don't know women's skis, but they do tend to know men's. So, it may not mean anything.....

When I ride a lift with someone, male or female, who has newish skis, I ask them how they like them. It's just a conversation starter for me. I had a woman comment on my WBs, a purplish, flowery ski with neon green sidewalls (that I think looks great!) ask me what they were and then told me that they were the ugliest ski she had ever seen. ???? ha ha! I told her they rip like stink, go demo them!

I like pink and purple and neon green. And I think it is just as unacceptable for a woman to put her nose up at another woman's choice to wear pink on the slopes. I have earned the right. Generations of feminists have fought for my right to like and wear PINK without apologizing for it!!!!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I had a woman comment on my WBs, a purplish, flowery ski with neon green sidewalls (that I think looks great!) ask me what they were and then told me that they were the ugliest ski she had ever seen. ???? ha ha! I told her they rip like stink, go demo them!

Good reply!
Who says stuff like that? Wow.