Volkl

100Eight Ski

Volkl's brand spanking new 100Eight Ski doesn't look a whole lot like most other skis in the all-mountain freeride category. Sure, it has a 108mm waist that's comfortable mobbing through powder, blasting through chop, and dicing up sections of hardpack, but the rest of the ski isn't really what you'd consider traditional. For starters, it's fully rockered—you read that right—which isn't something that generally says, "all-mountain crusher." It also features a full sidewall construction 3D Ridge design, which isn't found anywhere outside of Volkl's lineup.

OK, how does a fully rockered shape work for a ski that's designed to do it all? By being combined with a host of other design features, that's how. While the rocker helps the 100Eight float through pow, smooth out choppy snow, and make short work of wet 'n' heavy mank, the sidewall construction employs a strong, energetic, and torsion-resistant carbon stringer that allows you to put plenty of power into the ski's edges without worrying that they'll be flimsy or unstable. The full sidewall is wrapped around a multi-layer wood core, which features burly ash underfoot for stability and edging power and springy poplar towards the tips and tails for a lively, quick, and energetic feel that helps you scoot through tight trees, pop off terrain features, and open it up when the mountain allows.

The core construction is also designed to work with Volkl's new 3D Ridge construction. Basically, Volkl created a raised center section fore and aft of the binding and tapered it dramatically towards the edges, which gives the ski unreal edge-to-edge quickness and smooth flex without adding weight or sacrificing stability. Combined with the moderate taper found in the tips and tails, 3D Ridge gives the 100Eight a ridiculously smooth and predictable feel in soft snow, on hardpack, and in evverything in between, so you can push your speed limit without feeling like your tips are going to fold up or catch and send you flying.