I’ve spent two days on this ski now to give myself plenty of time to see how I like it, and my verdict is in:
It’s a great ski.
Why? It can do it all. It rides the ice like it’s on rails. It has a huge shovel so it can go in the chop, the crud, and in several inches of pow without a hitch. It’s stable, steady, but with great energy. And it has a huge sidecut, so it turns like nobody’s business.
The dimensions: 129-78-99. I have it in the 156. I’m an advanced skier, 110 lbs, 5’1″.
The Tierra has Volkl’s new Bio-Logic system which they say puts a female skier in a more neutral stance. According to the rep I spoke with a while ago, traditional bindings have the heels jacked up. When you combine that with the higher ramp angle you typically find in a woman’s boots, you end up being tipped too far forward. To combat this, Volkl has raised the toe in the binding. The result is better balance of the hamstring and glutes and more efficient muscle use. They’ve also tapered the tail angle so it releases more readily at the end of a turn. The tip is a bit wider, and they gave the ski a more consistent flex pattern.
To be honest, I’d be hard put to evaluate the difference between the old and new Volkl technology, unless I skied the two back to back. What I will say is that I had no problem with it. I felt comfortable, in balance, and in control.
The ski is fun, fun, fun. What could be better than that?