Of all the skis I checked out at the Outdoor Retailer 2011 Winter Market, Volkl wins, hands down, for topsheet design. Their killer new skis are part of the backcountry touring line, which features a bunch of lightweight skis with hollowed-out wood cores. Of course Volkl is known for their racing, carving machines, and they’ve had huge success with all-mountain powder skis like the Gotama. So what does Volkl have in store for us backcountry denizens?
Each backcountry ski is unique – from the wide, fully cambered Nunataq, the tip-rockered Nanuq, the fully cambered Amaruq, to the skinny guy of the group called the Inuk.
Most impressive is the ski I wish was under my plastic-booted feet, called the Volkl Nunataq. It’s the powder ski of Volkl’s backcountry stable, with a waist at 107 underfoot. They’re built from a poplar/beech multi layer core and power/tough box construction. Plus, these girls are fully rockered for excellent powder float. Come to Daddy.
The other ski worth mentioning is the Amaruq. It’s a ski with full camber that is also surprisingly light thanks to a hollowed out paulownia/poplar wood core. But there’s a version called the Amaruq Eco, which is made entirely of wood, even the topsheet, which is built with interlocking pieces like an old fashioned wood puzzle. It looks and feels very nice, as if you’re holding a handcrafted piece of ski art. Seems hardly ethical to risk a core shot in these beauties.
To understand how Volkl builds their skis to be such feather weights, it helps to take a look at a cross section of the wood core in their backcountry skis. They call it Core Light, and it makes, for example, the wide Nunataq a mere 3 pounds, 15 ounces.
Volkl also has a unique way of attaching climbing skins to their skis, with this hole in the tip that acts as a lock around a plastic knob built into the skin. You simply push the knob through the hole, and twist to secure the skin in place.
Expect to see these skis released as part of Volkl’s 2011/2012 winter season. For more from Volkl, visit them online at www.volkl.com
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