Volkl Kuro info?

I'm looking for a video of somebody skiing the Volkl Kuro's and failed. I'm really interested in watching how they ski.

Do you have any info? 

I'm headed out west tomorrow to ski and I'll be taking a set of Kuros and will post a review if I get to use them in some pow.

 

A couple of posts have mentioned a "Slarve" technique, also braking with your tails while staying centered. Most of the posts I have read seem to recommend staying centered and experimentation.

For what it's worth, I have a friend who did a week cat ski trip in Canada earlier in the season, when they had a lot of new snow.  She said the Kuros worked well but she never got used to the constant forward/back rocking feeling.  It sounds like they do not feel anything like traditional powder skis.   Another friend has tried the Black Diamond Megawatts, which have a similar large rocker fore and aft. He said that if you lean forward they never really hook up to a solid platform, you just keep going forward.  I would love to hear some more personal reviews of the Kuros.  It sounds like the rocker resolves the tip dive issue but substitutes the need for a different fore/aft balancing act than traditional powder boards.  In any event, sounds like they definitley have a very loose feel to them.

I have skied the Kuro and I think it is the best of the Rockered K2's. The loose feeling is sort of generic to the breed but the Kuro feels less different than the Toon/Bent. I'm a touch under the weather but with any luck, I may get out for some crud turns today. Todays menu is the '10 Elan 1010 and Boomerang with possibly the Huge Trouble as a control.

Wadd ya say?
 

 Must be the cold medicine. He sells the skis. I believe he meant to say like the rockered K2 Pontoons and Hellbents.

Here's some info from last year:

 

http://www.epicski.com/forum/thread/66333/volkl-kuro

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Originally Posted by HarkinBanks 

 OK, here we go.....


I skied the 185 Kuro this week for a couple of hours in 18-24" of pow and chowder.

First of all, it was mounted for a 315 boot sole length with a Jester and I have a 304, so I was quite a bit more forward than I'm used to. Also realize that my everyday ski is a 190 Katana mounted with a Duke.

My first run couple of runs were down John Paul lift line in the chowder.

The ski was effortless. It blasted through anything and everything I pointed it at. Nothing stopped or deflected it and it ran right over everything. The low profile tip never dove and it felt like I was doing slalom turns on a groomed run. Now, because of the where it was mounted (315 vs 304 boot sole), it turned significantly quicker than my 190 Katana's. After the first half of the first run, I knew where I had to be on the ski. But, again nothing stood in its way.

Next runs were in powder - the Snowbasin Patrol had just opened up the bowls up and climber's left of the JP lift. 10 minutes worth of sidestepping gained 5-600' vertical of untracked snow. It was hard not to make great turns here. Again, no tip dive, just drive the ski through the turn.

The bottom half of these runs ended on packed runs. Not groomed, but skier packed. The Kuro just wanted to go faster and faster and I could anything from an slalom to a SG turn.

The most impressive part of riding the Kuro was the way it handled the chowder. Just effortless. I have never been on a ski that handled those type of conditions so well.

I'm looking forward to getting on one that is mounted boot center for me - or maybe even a little back.

HB 

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 Quote:Originally Posted by spindrift  

[Bold is original]

 

Here's my initial (and probably overly detailed) review of the Kuro:

The skis: 185 Kuros mounted on the suggested line with Dukes (in hopes of employing these for sidecountry some day)

The "summary": this is the ski the Pontoon wants to be when it grows up. IMO it is, at least at the moment, the answer to the majority of the "what ski should I get if I want to start skiing inbounds powder" questions asked here at Epic. It is a great powder ski that will give you no cause to complain on groomers. It is the best ski I've seen for days where you'll have to mix up your time on powder, cutup, cat tracks and groomers over the course of a day. I agree with Harkin Banks that these are a "quiver" ski -- but will add that they are a superior choice for the powder and soft snow end of any two ski quiver. As I noted in another thread, if the "official" reviewers out in the world do not have a reaction along the lines of "how the heck did they do that?", they are asleep at the wheel.

Me: I'm 6'1", about 220 pounds, 52 years old. Enthusiastic, but middle of the road skier who likes powder & fresh snow in general. I have spent a bunch of time on rockered and reverse camber skis including Pontoons, Hell Bents, Praxis and DP 138s. I am a "funshape" believer. Note that Harkin Banks, who started this thread, is a substantially stronger skier than I am - so the view here is from someone who does not drive a ski as fast and hard and confidently as he does. I am much more "average" in what I can/will ski comfortably.

Conditions: I spent 2.5 days on the Kuros. One at Crested Butte with 3 or 4" reported and snow conditions including a few inches on smooth groomers, cutup chowder, soft bumps, a couple inches on ice+cookies, and some ankle to shin deep pockets both in the open and in trees. Specific terrain ranged from mellow groomers, trees and little bowls off of East river, Red Lady, etc. - up to a run down the chutes & trees to skiers left of Silver Queen (effin CO rocks...). Then one and a half days at Monarch in a variety of powder & soft snow ranging once again from ankle deep smooth stuff on groomers to cutup, to varying depths of fresh snow in bowls and trees. It was a random assortment of terrain off all the lifts there.

The one big disclaimer -- the terrain and snow were not what/where I usually ski, so it is hard for me to compare the Kuros head to head with some of the other obvious "contenders" as directly as I'd like. The only other ski I had out during the same timeframe was a 179 Hell Bent. So the ski to ski comparisons are somewhat "provisional". Likewise I'm guessing a bit about how they will handle in deep heavy snow.

The detailed review: The ski is rockered, conventionally sidecut and noticeably tapered. The rocker is fairly continuous and is much more gradual/subtle than that found on Pontoons - closer to the subtlety of the praxis. Likewise, the taper/pintail is not as dramatic as that of the Pontoon. The tip is very large and the business part of the sidecut ends relatively far back. My impression, based on looking the ski over and on how it handles, is that there was a great deal of attention given to the relationship between the rocker and sidecut - with surprising versatility as the result.

The Kuro is obviously designed to be a powder ski, and they excel in that environment. Both big and short turns are a snap. They are very amenable to smooth arc type turns in powder. They don't pivot or "slarve" as readily as a Praxis or even a Pontoon, but they will play that game with a bit of attention. They seem more on the "clarvy" end of the spectrum. Somehow though, the way they arc in powder is just "natural". I was a bit timid in trees at first, but as I started to trust the skis, I was really impressed at how nimble they could be. While I'd like to get them out in a few feet of heavy crusty PNW snow, evidence so far is that tip diving these would be borderline impossible - at least as hard as diving the tips of a Pontoon. I'm not a jumper (understatement), but I did hop off a few 2 foot little natural features and one very modest cornice/lip on the far right side of Shagnasty at Monarch. The Kuro's tail felt like it provided a much more confidence inspiring platform than the Pontoon. It'll be interesting to see how people who jump meaningful things react... In short, it is a great powder ski. Not as nimble as a Praxis, but as good as or better than anything else I've skied in powder. Which leads us to the rest of the story...

For as good a powder ski as it is, the thing that was shocking about the Kuro was how well it did on groomers, cat tracks, cutup/chowder, etc. It was happy riding along on edge doing nice wide turns. Like some of the other newer funshapes, they get up on edge far more easily than you'd believe from looking at them. So just put them up on edge and ride them out in a big arc. They were super easy on smooth stuff and - as HB noted - cutup/chowder as well. I'm not much of a believer in "magic" skis, but cloudpeak commented that my confidence and speed in cutup was noticeable and surprising - especially in contrast to when I've had Pontoons out in similar conditions.

 

Likewise, when I switched from the Hell Bents to the Kuros at Monarch, I felt that the Kuros required less "attention" in the variable sections of snow --- and a couple of the people I was skiing with commented on my increased speed and confidence and in the cutup stuff. For such large skis, they were pretty nimble in terms of banging out what I'd call "hop and pop" as well as carved shorter turns. They required a bunch more attention on hardpacked cat tracks, but where's the surprise? Likewise, keeping the edges set on sections with underlying ice & cookies was challenging - but again, where's the surprise? I did not do any big traverses, but my sense is these would outperform most of their peers in that regard.

As with the other funshapes with tip+tail rocker or reverse camber that I've skied, I appreciate the Kuro's lack of catchiness wrt the tips and tails. Especially in variable and cutup snow, they engaged easily and smoothly from the middle - and reversed the process when disengaging.

Concerns: The junction of the sidewall and topsheet seems pretty fragile. To set the stage - even with the Pontoon's reputation for clunking & chipping tips, I've skied them for something like 15+ days without any noticeable damage anywhere at all on the topsheets. In contrast, after 2.5 days of use the Kuros have several "fingernail" type delams & scrapes along the topsheet edges. So far these strike as cosmetic - in which case who cares? But Volkl might have to pay serious attention to this if they turn out not to be just cosmetic. I doubt I'll be the only one running into this. Still, the ski is so cool I'm not really worrying at this point...

I hope & expect to spend a lot of time on these (and Praxis & Hell Bents as well) over the next year.

 

Edited by Tog - 2/24/2009 at 03:04 am

Whoops.....don't know how that slipped out.............

 

Hafta say though, when you look at 'em, they do sorta look like they're made in the same factory. (as crazy as that sounds)

 

SJ

Shoot, I thought it was tongue in cheek humor, now that K2 and Volkl are under the same owner. 

 

 

 

SJ

 

Uh oh.... sounds like traditional camber is the new 'Crutch' to skiing powder!! lol

 

Come on guys, they're pow-specific skis... it can't get any easier than this! Stop leaning backward, or forward, and just fricking GO!!! (I'm so glad I never became a guide... there is no way I'd be able to handle it.)

 

I still can't figure out why people have to demo skis of this genre. First of all... it's hero-snow. Second of all, these skis were designed for it. What other information do you need?

 

There is no way you're NOT going to like them in pow. (groomers, maybe... but not pow.) If you're experienced with these shapes, you know exactly what you want anyway. If you're not experienced... it doesn't really matter... they all rock beyond what you had previously imagined and none are better or worse... they all just have very subtle differences... that you won't even notice until you ride (and get used to) your second pair. 

 

We're witnessing the greatest evolution in ski design EVER. And people are still sweating the details of absolute effortless pow skiing. 

 

Just buy something, already. Then buy another a few years down the road. Who cares? (Discussion, I understand. Demoing for pow is completely beyond me.) 

 

I thought he was just calling the Kuro another K2... which didn't surprise me in the least. 

Wellll.....now that you mention it......

 

SJ

 

Perhaps we should have this digitally bronzed and bolted to the "Powder Ski" threads.

Well said!

You've certainly taken a Katana to the "Demo, Demo, Demo" Mantra!! 

 

I wish we still had tag lines! Seeing as we're still reinventing our 19 inch rims here I can't use any of that!

As for the "other information" I need....Well...how does Sarah Burke look on them?

...oh...almost forgot!! What base bevel do these come with?

 

I think you were joking, but I find it interesting what trend has been emerging. Those of us who use our pow skis at resorts and tread across groomers are starting to bevel the base edge beyond 1 degree. I think Marshal over on TGR went as far as 4 on his Lotus 138s. I went about 2 on my Mavens. The reason is that these shapes are skied via skiing the base (some call it slarving... it's skiing the base... Bode was critiqued as scrubbing speed 'before' the turn... No- He's skiing the base. Carvers can't wrap their mind around this one so they call it 'scrubbing speed'.)  Anyway, now my Mavens only hook up when I absolutely need them to. Otherwise, I'd prefer to just slarve around. 

 

Anyone ever seen Speed Racer, the remake from a few years ago? The cars often enter corners sideways, much like modern Drifters, but their rear wheels are also turned so there is no tire-slip. Makes for very fast maneuvers... aka- slarving... skiing the base. 

 

Also, I was amazed at how much my style changed on my carving skis since I began skiing pow skis. I slarve my carvers all over the place now. I haven't used a wedge in the lift line since. I wish I would have had this skill when I was racing. It's fast. It's like a whole new sport. 

 

SKI THE BASES!!! :)

Well, I was kidding but that is veerry interesting. 

But goodness such precision!  Can the the general "I never tune my skis" mindset tolerate it?!!  This could turn into the SanAndreas fault of the genre!  Imagine someone going into the store and questioning the salesperson about the tune on a 120mm ski!!  Plus, skiing the bases!....you'll need....wax!!! Oh the humanity!

 

I think I know what you're talking about aka the liftline.  I've tended to become obsessed now with entering an empty liftline sideways and trying to make it all the way to the end without hitting the sides. Fun.  I even do it now with half filled lines. "Oh...don't mind me!...Sorry!....There's something wrong with my skis!..." 

Also it's a lot of fun to just throw em sideways on the trail to slow down and slide instead of wedging or spraying snow hockey stop style. 

I think I'm going to up the bevel on the slalom skis right now - it's at a half and it's a bit grabby and dangerous when performing these maneuvers.  If you're off by a little one ski gets caught and goes it's own way.

 

The sideways thing in deep snow is what I really wanted to do down the Highland Bowl this year. I was prepared to try and get some Pontoons for the purpose.  In fact I was prepared to try and get some Pontoons just for the Pontoons.  Now I want the Kuro. Alas never made it to the Bowl or onto the Pontoons - no snow for it on my days.

Now I have to go and find that Speed Racer movie.

Edited by Tog - 2/20/2009 at 03:33 am

When I got on reverse cambers, I learned what slarving meant. I originally thought it just meant washing the tails... buttering... you know- not carving. But it's different. Driving the bases does enhance speed, and sometimes the ski isn't even straight... it's sideways and anticipating its next move... it's also faster. Every racer knows base is faster than edge... and this is why Bode is throwing them sideways before the turn. (not just Bode, btw... this is nothing new.) 

 

When I watched Speed Racer (rented more to test the graphics on my new MBP than anything) I started laughing because I finally understood how to articulate 'slarving.' 

 

Slarving = Going sideways in a car in which all four tires are turned and rolling straight, the peddle is to the metal, and speed is increasing. 

 

And yes, wax is important. Sorry kids. And severely beveling your base edges of your reverse skis will greatly improve groomer enjoyment. That be the troof. 

 

Sorry that this thread turned from Kuro... to Speed Racer. 

Isn't Bode running a bigger base bevel on one edge? - I would assume the outside.

 

Truer words have never been spoken.

 

 

 I skied the Kuros today in some pow (5-7") here in CO. All I have to say is WOW!!! My Mantras (177) are now staying in the car. I weigh 200lbs and I'm 6' tall and went with the 175's rather than the 185's as most recommended. This ski is like Spindrift said.......it just feels natural..........in fact I agree with Spindrifts entire review reposted above.

 

I have never skied "Rockered" skis until today and I was initially intimidated by the width. That fear quickly turned into curiosity and quickly went to bliss as I gained in confidence. These skis were made for trees and powder moguls. They rip huge moguls like no other skis I've ever tried. You can easily bash the mogul tops and jump from mogul to mogul....it's almost magical. Be aware that these skis do like speed and the faster you go the more they shine. Despite their width they turn on a dime.

 

I have them mounted with Marker M14 Comps. Race bindings with a thin plexi plate under the toe to reduce the ramp angle. These skis handle the pow so well that I do not feel the need to upgrade to a wider binding platform.

 

If you have the cash and LOVE pow, I agree with Samurai.......just pull the trigger on this one....it's a NO BRAINER...........these skis simply ROCK THE POW!..........I ski 60 to 80 days per year and this is the most fun I've had on skis in a long time...........I LOVE my Mantras, but they just got blown out of the water by the Kuros.............

Sounds awesome.

Yes, I do want the Kuros...I do want the Kuros....I do want the Kuros....I ..do...want....the....K...

 

So, when will you ski the Mantras and when the Kuros?

Own anything in between that rather large gap?

 

Nothing in between, but many skis w/ less underfoot.

 

I've only used the Kuros during today so I don't know when I'll use each ski. I also Tele w/ Snoop Daddy's and also regularly use a race ski.......I guess my choice of ski depends on my mood or who I'm skiing w/ on a particular day...........

 

I absolutely agree with Yo Momma.  I have Mantras 191 and demoed the Kuros 185 with the Duke bindngs on them in a foot of pow at Kirkwood and they absolutely rocked and raised my game significantly.  I liked them so much i bought the exact same setup within a week and have since done a couple of pow days on the new sticks at kirkwood and Squaw.  If there is 5-6+ inches the Mantras stay in the truck.

 

The guys on the board here recommended them to me in a thread I started about a month ago because of issues I was having with the mantra on heavy snow and crusty snow days.  I felt like I was going over the front in deep snow (tips diving) and tails catching in crust and heavy wet snow.  I was very dubious when I hit the demo store at Kirkwood so I tried the Kuros first thinking they were way too big and would get them out of the way early.  Well I kept them all day, and you now know the rest of the story.

 

The most amazing thing about the Kuros is how nimble and easy to turn they are and how smooth they are to land after you catch some air.  I would not have believed how well they do in tight places like chutes and trees.  And you cannot dive the tips in powder.  Forget about a different style of skiing - after half a run I adjusted to them and felt so stable.  I would go with either the Marker Dukes or Jester bindings (or if you're light enough save a few bucks with the lighter Baron).

 

Honestly you will not believe the difference over the mid-fats!

 

FYI: I got them half price at SierraSkis.com (just checked they are still on sale).  They offered free shipping and they shipped the same day.

What alpine bindings do you recommend for Volkl Kuro?

 

I'm 5'9" 138 lbs and an aggressive expert off-piste skier.  I currently own 170 Mantras with Salomon 12TI bindings which I use as my all-purpose skis to ski in any style, conditions and terrain.  I had the Marker 12.0 Free bindings, but they had too many problems with premature release and had to replace them with the Salomon bindings.  Since I installed the Salomon, the bindings (DIN setting 8) never popped out even in circumstances where I know the Markers would eject.  However, I never fell once on the skis since I installed them, so I don't know if they release either!

 

I just bought 175 Volkl Kuros for my specialty powder ski.  What bindings do you recommend?  I'm inclined to get lightweight bindings.  My experience witth Marker has left me with a bad taste, but perhaps they resolved the problem?  Where would you mount the bindings?

On the top!

 

I just went with the standard mount with the Duke's and love them.  As a side benefit wIth the lift of the Dukes, they carve the groomers on soft days way better than you'd expect.  Don't laugh, I know that's not what they're for, but I had a busted rib and was playing with my kids.

 

I haven't had any issues with prerelease.  In fact with 7 powder days since I got my Kuros I've only come out of a ski once - and I'm glad it did (buried fallen tree trunk) saved my leg.  I just got a set of Gotamas that I put Jesters on (couldn't get the Dukes on sale) and I'm thinking of swapping the bindings for next year as I want to move the bindings on the Gotamas forward anyway. 

 

You're a lot lighter than me so I think you'd like Jesters little brother the Griffon!

 

The only bad news with your Kuro's is that you're going to have to wait until next season to see just how great they are!

Thank you for your advice!  Sounds like everyone is putting Markers on the Kuro and people are not complaining about them, so the prerelease problem may have been resolved.

 

BTW, I was surprised to discover that my Kuros were made in China.  Are ALL Kuros made in China now?  The top feels fragile, though potential damage to them could be cosmetic only.  I got them at a very cheap price, or maybe I got the wrong pair?

 

I may not have to wait until next year; I may try them in Argentina this summer!

I've definitely found the top edges to be fragile, but the chipping seems to be cosmetic only.

 

I've no idea where they make them, but there have been some great late season deals - I've seen them as low as $350.

 

As for Argentina - I'm jealous!

I finally purchased Salomon STH 14 bindings for my Volkl Kuros.  Where should they be mounted?  I have seen some debate on the optimal placement of the bindings.

Did I purchase the wrong size?  I finally mounted my bindings on 175 Volkl Kuro (on the line) and I'm surprised how short they feel.  They feel even shorter than my Mantra 170.  Perhaps they feel short because the bindings are located closer to the middle of the ski, or because of the rocker design.  Should I change my skis?  It's probably easier to change the skis while they are new (via resale or exchange).  I'm 5'8" and 145 lbs.

I'd say go ski the ones you have  & have fun...



Edited by spindrift - 11/3/09 at 6:46pm

How deep was the snow that you were in? Keep in mind that "feeling short" is kinda the goal of those skis. They are pre-flexed so they turn easier in deep snow and realistically, they all feel a little short. If you were not in deep snow, forget your concerns. Remember not much of the ski is touching the snow. For your weight, you would only need the 185 if you were really focused on big lines and high speeds.

SK

Thank you for responding to my inquiry.  I haven't skiied on the 175 Kuros yet, but they do feel short currently.  I don't even sink with my Mantras in deep powder so that was less my concern.  It's getting more speed (I love speed!) and performance on the ski for my height and weight, as some with my dimensions were getting longer skis.  It sounds like I sized it correctly, though.

It's inconvenient to switch skis, so I'll keep these.  Besides, if I ski in the US, I'll need to maneuver through very tight trees which would be harder with the larger skis.