Ms Mia
Angel Diva
These are not really three comparable skis, since they're aiming at different conditions and ski styles. There are other reviews of a couple of these already by other Divas, Im just adding my thoughts as an intermediate skier. Since Volkl was doing a free demo day at my local mountain, I decided to try a few out.
My ski level: strong intermediate
My height and weight: 5' 7" and 138 lbs (the skis I tried were 163 or 166)
Mountain: Mt Sutton, Québec
Conditions: hard pack with fresh snow on top
Mantra 86 I've read some really positive reviews by some Diva's who love this ski. They are nice and light, and very responsive, and certainly add some fun on bumps and in trees, which is exactly what I'm looking for. I also really like how much they absorb changes in terrain and feel like they want to play.
But the metal construction all around the sides and tips somehow made them super noisy and chattery. The snow was a bit chopped up in places, and where it was thinner it meant skiing on real hard pack, and in both conditions the metallic noise really bothered me. I mentioned it to the Volkl team and their response was that it's really meant to be ridden as a freestyle ski and not on-piste. I note that Volkl themselves describe it as a freeride all-mountain.
The Mantra line replaces the old Yumi, Secret and Kenja lines, to combine into a simpler range of skis. Makes it easier to follow changes they make and simpler for ski shopping! They have the unisex and also a women's range (with a W added to the name) but the only real difference is the lengths offered. (Unless someone has info to add about other differences?)
Blaze 94 I I had REALLY REALLY wanted to try the the Blaze 86, but they didn't have one available. The 94 was suggested to me by more than one of the reps, even though the extra width meant it wasn't going to fit in the niche I was looking for (bumps and trees!). I was left feeling a bit meh. But probably because of the hard pack I was skiing on. This would be a great ski for more powdery conditions. It's forgiving if you don't have perfect technique, easy in and out of the turns for longer turns but a bit harder to get into a good rhythm for shorter turns.
This ski is damper than the Blaze, so wasn't at all chattery. Lots of women like this as a touring ski and I can see why. It has almost no metal in the construction, so it's light withiut loads of flex but still very responsive. Gentle rise in the tip and tail. But it wasn't the ski I was looking for.
Ironically, the rep who asked me for my feedback said "oh you should really try the Blaze 86, it's ideal for conditions here!" To which I muttered under my breath "then why didn't you bring them with you for a demo day?"
Flair 79 I'm totally cheating by including this ski as it's my daily driver! But I tried theirs just for laughs. And was reminded why I fell in love in the first place. It's not a ski that appears much in people's recommendations, even among Volkl fans, but it's such a great all-mountain ski, particularly for typical Eastern conditions. Not as light as the Blaze but still fairly light because it has minimal metal. It has good flex, but a very flat tail which is great in the hardpack conditions I'm used to skiing. A nice "goldilocks" ski for those who want a bit of fun but also stability, so really good for a progressing intermediate.
The reason Im shopping to expand my quiver is because the flat tail and family flat camber of the Flair are a bit harder to bounce around on bumps and in trees. A slightly longer radius than my next ski desire! But super easy in and out of turns and very forgiving for less than perfect technique, yet it also rewards good technique. It really wants to carve, so it's been teaching me how to get on edges more but doesn't punish me when I skid.
All in all, I'll hope to have another chance to try the Blaze 86 another day.
My ski level: strong intermediate
My height and weight: 5' 7" and 138 lbs (the skis I tried were 163 or 166)
Mountain: Mt Sutton, Québec
Conditions: hard pack with fresh snow on top
Mantra 86 I've read some really positive reviews by some Diva's who love this ski. They are nice and light, and very responsive, and certainly add some fun on bumps and in trees, which is exactly what I'm looking for. I also really like how much they absorb changes in terrain and feel like they want to play.
But the metal construction all around the sides and tips somehow made them super noisy and chattery. The snow was a bit chopped up in places, and where it was thinner it meant skiing on real hard pack, and in both conditions the metallic noise really bothered me. I mentioned it to the Volkl team and their response was that it's really meant to be ridden as a freestyle ski and not on-piste. I note that Volkl themselves describe it as a freeride all-mountain.
The Mantra line replaces the old Yumi, Secret and Kenja lines, to combine into a simpler range of skis. Makes it easier to follow changes they make and simpler for ski shopping! They have the unisex and also a women's range (with a W added to the name) but the only real difference is the lengths offered. (Unless someone has info to add about other differences?)
Blaze 94 I I had REALLY REALLY wanted to try the the Blaze 86, but they didn't have one available. The 94 was suggested to me by more than one of the reps, even though the extra width meant it wasn't going to fit in the niche I was looking for (bumps and trees!). I was left feeling a bit meh. But probably because of the hard pack I was skiing on. This would be a great ski for more powdery conditions. It's forgiving if you don't have perfect technique, easy in and out of the turns for longer turns but a bit harder to get into a good rhythm for shorter turns.
This ski is damper than the Blaze, so wasn't at all chattery. Lots of women like this as a touring ski and I can see why. It has almost no metal in the construction, so it's light withiut loads of flex but still very responsive. Gentle rise in the tip and tail. But it wasn't the ski I was looking for.
Ironically, the rep who asked me for my feedback said "oh you should really try the Blaze 86, it's ideal for conditions here!" To which I muttered under my breath "then why didn't you bring them with you for a demo day?"
Flair 79 I'm totally cheating by including this ski as it's my daily driver! But I tried theirs just for laughs. And was reminded why I fell in love in the first place. It's not a ski that appears much in people's recommendations, even among Volkl fans, but it's such a great all-mountain ski, particularly for typical Eastern conditions. Not as light as the Blaze but still fairly light because it has minimal metal. It has good flex, but a very flat tail which is great in the hardpack conditions I'm used to skiing. A nice "goldilocks" ski for those who want a bit of fun but also stability, so really good for a progressing intermediate.
The reason Im shopping to expand my quiver is because the flat tail and family flat camber of the Flair are a bit harder to bounce around on bumps and in trees. A slightly longer radius than my next ski desire! But super easy in and out of turns and very forgiving for less than perfect technique, yet it also rewards good technique. It really wants to carve, so it's been teaching me how to get on edges more but doesn't punish me when I skid.
All in all, I'll hope to have another chance to try the Blaze 86 another day.
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