Volkl Kenja 88 Design Changes?

[tika55]

I found a screamin deal on a pair of Kenjas recently. I was told they were from model year 2022/2023 but it looks like they may actually be 2019/2020. Were there any major changes in the design over that period?

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I'm an older Kenja lover. My favorites were 2015. I also liked the 90 underfoot ones from 2016-2019. I think the 19/20 year is the series I ddin't like. I owned a pair of 2021s and I didn't care for them at all. i sold them pretty quickly. I actualy am interested in the 23s and newer because they made changes in them back more towards what the older ones were like. To quote my friend "they are back baby".

I don't want to speak for everone, that's just my take. Have you ever demoed any Kenja? As a whole they aren't for everyone.

How screaming of a deal? I'm always for a great deal because selling them will be easy enough if you don't like them.

 

[tika55]

I'm an older Kenja lover. My favorites were 2015. I also liked the 90 underfoot ones from 2016-2019. I think the 19/20 year is the series I ddin't like. I owned a pair of 2021s and I didn't care for them at all. i sold them pretty quickly. I actualy am interested in the 23s and newer because they made changes in them back more towards what the older ones were like. To quote my friend "they are back baby".

I don't want to speak for everone, that's just my take. Have you ever demoed any Kenja? As a whole they aren't for everyone.

How screaming of a deal? I'm always for a great deal because selling them will be easy enough if you don't like them.

Good to know! I've demoed the Yumis but could not find the Kenja in my size. They were $291 for skis and bindings.

 

[Trailside Trixie]

Good to know! I've demoed the Yumis but could not find the Kenja in my size. They were $291 for skis and bindings.

That's a fabulous deal. Snag them. You might like them and if you don't you'll be able to turn them easy enough and might even come out ahead.

 

[mustski]

2020 was the year they changed the construction on the Kendo/Kenja line. It really comes down to whether or not they are 2019 or 2020. Generally skis are identified by the new year and not both numbers.


2019 is green and black



2020 is red and black

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I think they went down in width too to 88 since the Kenja was 90 underfoot for 3 years starting in 2016

 

[Magnatude]

I have the Kendo (same construction as the Kenja) from 2021, and have been very happy with it. It's the perfect all-mountain ski for me, versatile in all sorts of situations. I never demoed any of the earlier Kendos/Kenjas so can't make any comparisons there, but previously I had an early Blizzard Brahma, and the Kendo (in the same length) is definitely less tiring to ski. It's easier to flick into shorter turns, while still stable in longer turns and cruddy snow. Jack of all trades, probably.

 

[tika55]

2020 was the year they changed the construction on the Kendo/Kenja line. It really comes down to whether or not they are 2019 or 2020. Generally skis are identified by the new year and not both numbers.

View attachment 23261
2019 is green and black


View attachment 23262
2020 is red and black

Oh thank you for these! They're the 2020 (red and black). I saw pictures of the actual skis to confirm.

 

[Trailside Trixie]

Oh thank you for these! They're the 2020 (red and black). I saw pictures of the actual skis to confirm.

Since these are 88 underfoot this is the beginning of the 3 year change that was very different than the older/newest ones. I didn't care for these but that's probably because I was so used to my older ones. I'm looking to purchase a pair of '23s as they were modified to be a little more like the older style.

These might be the ski for you. The price is certainly right. I say go for it. It's a win win. Great color too.

 

[santacruz skier]

They were 86 underfoot when I had these in 2012 with the pretty top sheets. Much stiffer than the current kenja.

Volkl Kenja Skis - Women's 2011

Read or share reviews of the Volkl Kenja Skis - Women's 2011 or shop similar Skis

www.evo.com

 

[DebbieSue]

They were 86 underfoot when I had these in 2012 with the pretty top sheets. Much stiffer than the current kenja.

Volkl Kenja Skis - Women's 2011

Read or share reviews of the Volkl Kenja Skis - Women's 2011 or shop similar Skis

www.evo.com

Love that topsheet!

 

[scandium]

2019 (green) to 2020 (red and black) was a redesign from 90mm to 88mm underfoot and more accessible as they went from full titanal sheets to u-shape to make the turning easier. I'm told that the full sheets in the earlier models didn't scale so well in the shorter lengths, so the shortest Kenja lengths tended to be relatively very difficult to flex and more plank-like, the combination of being very stiff and generally skiied by lighter/smaller women with less leverage. I think 2020 and 2021 were similar and still fairly stiff, but they put carbon into the tip at some point and progressively made it more accessible and "playful" (to me, more unstable) through 2022-2024 (grey and purple). I didn't really feel that the 2024 was any more solid than previous years and have faithfully stuck to my 2019s, but I think I would like to get on a pair from 2020 again and see if I remember rightly!

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I loved my 2015s and even the 16s and HATED the 2021s and sold them pretty quickly. My 15's were me favorite but even with the 90 width of the 16 thru 19 years they were still great. The 2020 thru 2022 series didn't have the hard snow chops of prior years. I feel like making them more accessible to the masses ruined them for the folks that really loved the ski. Unstable is a great way to describe them.

I'm told by a long time kendo lover that the '23s and beyond fixed the unstableness and what was wrong with the 20-22 cycle.

Looking forward to buying a pair of '23s or '24s.

 

[tika55]

2019 (green) to 2020 (red and black) was a redesign from 90mm to 88mm underfoot and more accessible as they went from full titanal sheets to u-shape to make the turning easier. I'm told that the full sheets in the earlier models didn't scale so well in the shorter lengths, so the shortest Kenja lengths tended to be relatively very difficult to flex and more plank-like, the combination of being very stiff and generally skiied by lighter/smaller women with less leverage. I think 2020 and 2021 were similar and still fairly stiff, but they put carbon into the tip at some point and progressively made it more accessible and "playful" (to me, more unstable) through 2022-2024 (grey and purple). I didn't really feel that the 2024 was any more solid than previous years and have faithfully stuck to my 2019s, but I think I would like to get on a pair from 2020 again and see if I remember rightly!

I'm on the bigger side for a woman (5'9" and 160) so I generally like a burlier ski so I hope this fits the bill. I love love my Mindbender 98ti.

 

[Trailside Trixie]

Yours will be the 2020 which is the modified version construction wise. I'm not a small gal so personally am not a fan of something that feels unstable to me but we're all different.

Looking forward to your review of them.

 

[tika55]

Yours will be the 2020 which is the modified version construction wise. I'm not a small gal so personally am not a fan of something that feels unstable to me but we're all different.

Looking forward to your review of them.

We will see.

 

[scandium]

Yours will be the 2020 which is the modified version construction wise. I'm not a small gal so personally am not a fan of something that feels unstable to me but we're all different.

Looking forward to your review of them.

I think the stability feel is definitely different depending on what size you ski as well since they didn't have the tailored tip for a while - so I wonder if the scaling back of the stiffness may not have been as much for the 149/156 (my usual length range) as for the 163/170

 

[lisamamot]

I'm on the bigger side for a woman (5'9" and 160) so I generally like a burlier ski so I hope this fits the bill. I love love my Mindbender 98ti.

Are they the 2020 163 or the 170? Although I have not been on this iteration I cannot imagine it would be unstable at all in the 170.

 

[Trailside Trixie]

My 2021s were 163 and didn't have the hard snow chops the older ones had. Found them unstable. I suspect a lighter person might have felt differently.

 

[mustski]

I’m 5’2” - 135 lbs- the 163 is my usual size in a Volkl. I have never found a Volkl ski that felt unstable. I suspect choosing something too short is the issue and not the construction of the ski.