Volkl Mantra Alpine Ski

I purchased the original version of the Mantra prior to is release in the 05/06 season.  The original ski was a gray color topsheet and had a waist width of 94 mm, and it was mounted with Fritchi Freeride alpine touring bindings.   This was the first wider ski I had purchased and it really made the off-piste and backcountry much easier.  Very versitile ski that can go from groomed to deep snow comfortably.  Volkl Mantra Review 2005

 This is a pretty kick-ass ski.  It's kind of like a really wide GS ski (96mm underfoot.)  It's at its most natural going really fast on firmer off-piste snow.  It will do short-radius turns, but it has to be muscled a bit and it's not necessarily pretty.  Moguls are a lot of work.  On groomed slopes, it holds a carve almost as well as my GS skis, but it's definitely slower edge-to-edge.  In fresh powder, the nose sometimes dives a little at lower speeds, with the bindings mounted on the factory mark.  They're still tons of fun in those conditions, though.  I also like skiing among the rocks and trees, and these skis are agile enough for that and wide enough not to sink when I give them a good shove to initiate a turn.

I bought these skis to be my all-conditions ski.  I've been loving them for that purpose.  I do wish I'd had the binding mounted 1cm back, but I suppose I might whine about the slower turn initiation and less tip control if I did.