Second Thoughts About Volkl Kendo

The Wailer 99 would make a nice EC ski, IMO. It does have a fairly stiff tail, so you've got to ski it right, or it won't work for you. Check out this review of it: http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/first-look-2012-2013-dps-wailer-99-184cm. They do a good job of reviewing this ski. At 235lbs, I'd also look at the 190s.

Did you ski in the east in Dec. or early January?  If so how were the skis there?

 

As an east coast skier (assuming that you ski mostly east coast), getting a ski as your only ski geared for deep powder does not make a lot of sense to me. It may be a good second ski but your prime ski should perform well in the conditions you ski most often. For me skiing PA (30+), NY (5-10) and 10 days or so in VT and NH, the skis I use most are narrow carvers. I encounter ice 20x more frequently than powder and the better a ski becomes in powder, the worse it will do on ice (as a general rule).

Demo Salomon 2012's.  I dumped my Kendos for them last season.  Just took a chance that people said they can ski anything and I liked the look of them and tried them.

 

They ski as well as the Kendo on any eastern condtion, better in the bumps IMO and (of course) kill them in the powder.  You would need to ski them in the longest length b/c of the rocker and center mount.

 

 

If you come to Whistler you can demo some skis for free.  There's a Canski tent by the Roundhouse (village gondola will take you there).  The selection is limited to Head, Rossi, Salomon and Atomic I believe.  You can take the skis out for 2 hours.

   You're thinking too much. The two things that stand out to me are "new to the sport" and "east coast". The Kendos are a fine ski, one of the very best out there and are well suited to east coast conditions. They are a forgiving but "expert" level ski. Just ski the heck out of them and you'll get comfortable with them. Many people on this forum tend to overestimate their ability, don't do that. Learn to use the Kendos, they're fine. Big fat soft rockered skis can be rented if you need them out west and every year there'll be a new flavor. Most  frequent skiers have at least two pairs, a hard snow ski and a fatter soft snow ski. The buzz this year is Blizzard, next year it'll be another. Only Phil has them all...

    I saw some funny guy (who ducked a Utah rope) in an odd snowplow tail gunning powder technique on a pair of DPS 112 bananas the other day which reminded me that the ski doesn't make the skier.

Edited by Mr. Crab - 1/23/12 at 6:29pm

Hey greenlander,

 

I've never tried the Kendo, but demo'd the Mantra earlier this year and wasn't overly impressed. I felt that they were a very good, stable carver for how wide they are, but was unimpressed with their responsiveness in the thick stuff. I'm an east coaster too and highly recommend the Fischer Watea line. I tried the Watea 94 out in Telluride last year and absolutely loved them for the groomed and slightly off-piste runs, but never tried them in the deep stuff.  They are a very light, playful ski with slight early rise/rocker that makes initiating turns very easy.

 

Since I already have east coast skis though and wanted something more powder oriented, I bought the Watea 98 this year and skied them for the first time this past weekend at Stowe. Saturday was an east coast "powder" day where you get random clumps of thick powder over hardpack with spots of ice by the end of the day. Sunday was much harder and icy, but they still help their own. These skis are pretty flexible, so they are clearly not made for east coast ice, but still held up surprisingly well. I could carve the ice, but really had to work the turns because of their flex. When it came to the "powder", I feel that they have a good balance of pushing through crud and floating smoothly over the lighter stuff. In the bumps they are really easy to handle too.

 

I'm not sure how they will do in the deep stuff yet, but if it's not good enough they always have the Watea 101. Oh, and for reference I'm 5'8" 190lbs and have the 176cm, but they make something in the 180s. Hope you like em!

 

 

Don't get hooked up on a specific big wide soft ski. Since you're new to sport and have little experience with deep snow you'll have plenty of opportunity to discover what works best for you as your skills develop. If you can invest is some deep snow ski lessons and worry about the perfect skis later.

 

FWIW I'm 6'1" and 220#. My current daily is a Prophet 90 186 and have a old pair of 2008 Pontoons 189 for POW. I've skied the Kendo and think it's a great ski for the East Coast. 

 

 

the kendo is 88mm waist if i am not mistaken. These should be enough to ski freshies all day long. Perhaps a little short for your height and weight. My first experience in powder was on my carving sticks (165cm sl skis with a 67mm waist). They worked poorly but I still had a great time. Work on your technique and rent if you don't get many big days. 

 

My big pair are only 10mm wider than your kendos, although do have rocker.

 

Skis don't make the skiier...

Understood and assumed. Just wanted to point out that there are even more options for you than are being discussed. Should have just said that.
 

 

Nicely said !!!!

 

I ski the EC most of the time, with a trip or two west per season.  Currently have the Shiro as my pow ski, also works very well in the crud as well, and a Tigershark 10 as my primary ski.  I don't expect the Shiro to rip groomers, but honestly skis hard pack way better than I expected. So yeah, what he said buy another ski. I am actually tossing around the idea of a 3 ski quiver, "Ice pick disco sticks, something between 85 to 95 underfoot (Early rise), and my current Shiros.

 

Some more food for thought: Different ski dimensions and flex only enhance the experience.  Don't expect a pair of skis to fix an ability issue.  There is no such thing as buying a turn. 

 

FIrst off, get this idea of a one ski quiver out of your head.  This is just some ski company's mktg depts hipe.  Yeah you can play a round of golf with a bag of 5 irons but dont expect to score a low score.  I ski the kendo as my everyday western ski, it handles groomers, small bumps and resort powder (6") just fine.  For powder (6"+) I have a softer wider ski (gotamas) and for racing I have sl racing skis.  My biggest suggestion would be to go with Marker Shizo binding setup.  Being able to move the boot center forward or back changes the way it skis tremendously.  For firm snow and groomers my kendos go 1cm forward if caught in unexpected powder I go back 1-1.5cm back.  This softens the tip and helps lift the tip to the surface, moving it forward and the ski becomes much more lively and a quick turner.  Like others said, learn how to ski the ski you own and think about a second ski. For me the gotama was a perfect match. 

There's no reason whatever that you can't use the Kendo or any other 88mm waisted ski on both EC hardpack and Rockies/WC 3D snow. It's fine for both situations. The real question is whether you like the way it skis. If you don't, you're not going to enjoy it in any condition. For example, if you don't like the lively, stout and precise feel of a Kendo or Mantra when you ski it, it's not because of the waist width. It's a Volkl thing. You could instead try a Rossignol Experience 88, or an Elan Apex, or whatever Dynastar's 88mm ski is.

I ski an 88mm waisted ski 90% of my ski days in an average season. In absurd years with obnoxious amounts of snow, that number drops maybe to 50%. Northern rockies. I weigh 150. Someone who weighs 200 lbs would still be fine on hardpack, but would probably feel a little sink-y in 3D snow at 88mm waist. But still, I know people who weigh up near 200 who happily ski pow days on 80mm waisted skis and they're not meadow-skipping or sight-seeing slowpokes either.

Much good advice above, Greenlander. I don't think anyone mentioned the PITA aspect of schlepping multiple pairs of skis via air travel, not to mention the baggage fees for transport. That said, given that you're skiing 10-15 times a year, you may be in just the right spot with the Kendos combined with renting powder boards when needed.

 

Philpug and others who mention the limits of a one ski quiver are spot on. Living in the Mountain West and skiing fifty-plus times a season as I do facilitates "the need" for "the luxury" of a multi-ski quiver -- in my case three, rationalized in my mind as groomer/bump, glade/mixed conditions, and deep powder/powder bump skis. I don't have to fly, period. So, unlike yourself, schlepping and handling are not issues for me.

 

 

 

Agreed, schlepping skis is a PITA for sure. I'd rather schlepp and know that I have "MY" skis. Plus, if you "F" them up, you don't have to deal with a pissed off shop, even if you buy the insurance, its still a shitty experience. I don't blame them for being pissed, I would be too. Just more reason not to rent. Plus on a pow day your always poking around, especially if its somewhere you've never been. New snow is sometimes just enough to cover up the junk.

 

Invest in a good padded, double or triple ski bag, WITH WHEELS.....

 

The last time I traveled I shipped them UPS, ski bag inside a box to the hotel, make sure you tightly wrap duct tape around the tips and tails with foam in between the bases. Check with you local shop in the fall, and ask for a couple boxes they got from their recent shipments. Now-a-days its damn near the same price as checking them with the airline, and way less schlepping.
 

Just my .02, but all have given good advice. 

It's funny, but I see a lot of negative comments about the Volkl Mantra's on these pages.  Maybe they lack the "cool' factor these days.  I'm 6'1', weigh 200lbs, ski 40 - 50 days per year and am a lower end expert skier.  I have the Mantra's as a one ski quiver because I travel by air a lot to ski - no chance of taking two pairs.  I haven't skied the Wailers and a lot of the wider skis suggested here.  But I have skied Pontoons, Coombas, Obsethed and a couple of the wider Icelantic skis extensively.  I've found all of these wider skis great in deep powder, but they absolutely suck in anything else.  The thing I like about the Mantras is that they make a very good fist of powder (I've skied them to about 18" of fresh), but are brilliant just about everywhere else - groomers, bumps, crud, you name it.  Maybe there're other skis out there that are just as good one ski quiver, but I doubt there are any that excel it in this role.  When these skis die, another pair of Mantras will be in my bag quick-smart.

You have gotten a whole lot of good advice here. I own 177cm Kendos with Schizos on them. I also have the new Volkl Mantra in 184cm and use them for deep snow. I only use the Mantras for true deep snow with the chance to get at some untracked sections. I love both pairs of skis. Today in the morning I skied mid-calf to knee deep snow off West Ridge at White Pass, WA. The Mantras were a blast and do anything you want. I particularly enjoy the fact that you can really let them rip big arcs in the deep. The only reason I mention the Mantras is that someone was putting them down as powder skis. At your size you might have liked the Mantra a bit better for your all rounder than the Kendos. There is such a stampede right now toward fatter skis for everything. I don't really consider the Kendos a "hard" snow ski. If we get true ice, which we do occasionally I use racing skis for free skiing, Blizzard Mag GS&SL (among others) I wouldn't get those rockered out super fat skis if I were you. Just rent them when you go to one of these fancy Western resorts and are lucky enough to "score" the goods. The only people using them for all around are the hucker kids with their GoPros. Up in SE BC on the Powder Highway they rent every kind of fat ski known to man. BTW many folks are preferring that area with resorts such as Sun Peaks to Whistler to get out of the rain. I have an embarrassingly huge quiver (20 pair+) basically get anything I want and the Kendos are in it. Only downside to Kendo is sometimes you might prefer a tighter radius. This afternoon I skied on piste on Nordica Fire Arrow Pros 180cm. You are doing fine, enjoy the Kendos as most of the time you won't be so lucky as you were in Jackson. Best to you!

Keep the Kendo for East and groomed. You might try the Atomic Coax for all purpose West. 105 under foot with a tad of rocker up front and flat in the tails. They might surprise you on groomers as well. The 2012 is a great choice as well. Very versatile east west bumps adn trees. Everything except deep POW. You will like the Coax.

Keep the Kendo for East and groomed. You might try the Atomic Coax for all purpose West. 105 under foot with a tad of rocker up front and flat in the tails. They might surprise you on groomers as well. The 2012 is a great choice as well. Very versatile east west bumps adn trees. Everything except deep POW. You will like the Coax.

 

I know a local ski shop manager who has a pair of 2012's with Salomon sth driver 16 bindings ...15 days on them for $350. 2011 piano model.Perfect shape. Great all around easy turning with pretty good edge hold on firm snow and some ice. East coaster talking here.