Product Review: Volkl RTM 84 Ski

As mentioned previously, I scored a solid deal on a pair of Volkl RTM 84's. Thanks to some nice storm action in NW lower Michigan, I was able to get out for a day yesterday. I'd expected a mushy, slushy Michigan Spring day that wouldn't tell me much. To my surprise cooler temps, cloud cover, and 17"of new snow in a few days, I got to find out more about my the skills of my new boards.

Any outing on a new ski is always interesting. The first couple of runs are always chaos. I usually find it takes me a half day to settle down and figure them out. But these bad boys didn't take long.

But first a few words on why I needed new skis. OK, maybe not needed...

In recent years the trend toward rockered skis has been described as a revolution. Starting with Shane McConkey's Volant Spatula, rocker was quickly found to be more than just a trick to float powder boards. Today you're seeing rocker in nearly every ski from beginner to expert models. This has had me thinking maybe an all-around ski upgrade was in my future for my K2 Public Enemies.

On a recent trip to Colorado, my buddy Dan is skiing a pair of the Volkl RTM 80's and raving about their performance in nearly every condition. After the fact, I discover that another friend has been on a pair of the same skis for a little over a year now and feels the same about his.

What I'm looking for is an all-mountain ski that I can use most of the time in Michigan and take out West for an annual trip. It should do a reasonable job on Michigan hard-pack (be honest -- nothing short of a full-on race ski handles ice and I'm just to old for that shit). It should also handle crud, and be able to make the occasional venture into some powder - I've got my Line Prophet 100's for the truly deep. I won't ski bumps anymore, so that's not an issue. And I'm finding that what I truly enjoy is high-speed cruising with long, swooping GS-type turns. I want speed, smoothness, and easy turn initiation.

I got all that. And more. By mid-day, I'm rocketing down the steepest things I can find, linking effortless turns. Smooth, fluid, and completely in control. This is really something I was looking for in a ski -- the ability to ski fast without thinking about it. The Volkl RTM's deliver this and more. I opted for the wider 84 both because I was looking for a wider ski (personal preference) and because I thought this would give me some advantages in fresh snow. I was a bit concerned I might sacrifice some manueverability, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The titanium in the ski seems to really help it hold a solid, chatter-free edge, even on boilerplate.

While gathering my thoughts about these skis, I thougth I should really say something about the integrated Marker iPT WideRide 12 bindings. So, ummm, they're pretty. And, uh, they're integrated. Seriously, over the years I've owned a lot of the "hot" bindings of the day - Marker MRR "turntables", Look's, Salomon 747 Equipe's, Tyrolia 390RD's - and they're well all just fine. I've really never found much that made a binding either exceptional or poor for me. Are they easy to click into on the hill after a yard sale? Do they stay on when I want them to and release when I don't? Cool. I'm good. These Marker's do what they should, and look cool doing it. 'nuf said.

I'm looking forward to many more days ripping up the mountains of the West and the molehills of Michigan on these sweet boards. Highly recommended.

-Sean-