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-

Technology Advances

Plenty to come on last week's ski trip in Colorado; but in the meantime a bit on gear. In the past decade or so the ski industry seems to have hit two major innovations that have really had a huge impact on even the everyday user. The first were shaped parabolic skis. From my first time on shaped skis the difference was astounding. I went from a 207cm Kastle to a 165cm Fischer RX9. I got better turn initiation without sacrificing high-speed stability.

In the past few years, "rockered" skis are all the rage. What started as a trend for powder during the Shane McConkey/Volant Spatula days became a widely adopted trend in nearly every new ski. Everyone I've talked to touts the advantages - easier turns, better manueverability, and great float in loose snow.

While in Colorado, my buddy Dan raved about his Volkl RTM 80's. Dan's a gear geek like me, so that endorsement carried a lot of weight. Another guy in our party rented some Volkl RTM 84's. Later I find out that another friend has been on the Volkl RTM series for a couple of years. The universal response has been, "These RIP!"

The quiver - trusty Line Prophet 100's
and new Volkl RM 84's.

I've been thinking about upgrading to a rockered ski for the past year or two. I've actually never owned any Volkls (strangely -- seems like I've owned nearly every other longstanding brand). But these endorsements, as well as some online research led me to the conclusion that these were the ski for me. But the price - in a word, OUCH! With the integral Marker bindings, a set of these goes out the door for just over $1,100. Yikes. Dan picked his up off-season for about half that.

On Saturday I'm bouncing around town running some miscellaneous errands. I love REI for its breadth of offerings, so I tend to just stop by regularly. If you don't check the Garage Sale area of your local REI, you're missing out. Lots of cool stuff at really good prices.

But, what is this? A pair of 171cm Volkl RTM 84's with the Marker binding? For $450? Are you freaking kidding me??? I'd originally been planning on a slightly longer pair (176) but I check in with Dan and find out he's on 171's. We're about the same height - he's a stronger skier, and I weight a bit more so the 171 sounds perfect. A quick chat with the REI ski guy and it's a done deal -- these are the ski for me! These should nicely replace my K2 Public Enemies with a ski that's better suited to both Michigan and Western conditions.

I doubt I'll be able to get out on these new boards this year (it was 65 degrees here yesterday -- goodbye snow), but look for a review very soon! I'm pretty excited.