The Volkl Katana V-Werks Skis Review
Size Tested: 184cm
Binding: Griffon Demo
Mountain: Jay Peak
Conditions: Mixed Snow
Dimensions: 143-112-132
Turn Radius: 25.8m
One of the hardest skis to find this Spring for testing was the Volkl Katana V-Werks Ski. Only a few were brought in and the final edition of the skis took some time to fine tune. At $1200 I guess Volkl wanted to make sure they got it right.
The Volkl rep made sure they held a pair aside for me to get out on and I was very happy to get out on them. The first thing you notice with the V-Werks Katana is when you pick it up you just can not believe how light the ski is. It feels like you are holding nothing. When you first step in you are a little hesitant about how well they are going to ski as you do not really feel like you have anything under your feet, then you hot the slopes and all fear is lifted and straight charging is all the V-Werks Katana is all about. What this ski is not is a groomer oriented ski. This ski is made for big mountain skiing with big snow. When in bumps and groomers it is actually a little stiff and slow, when in softer snow it plows through everything in its way with power. At high speeds the ski has no chatter and sticks to the snow, if you try and make short turns on groomers you will probably be finding yourself overturning the ski as it is so light and turns almost to quickly at times. Once you get dialed in with the skis ability you will be able to get that under control, but remember it is V-Werks ski and because of that you want to make subtle movements as to not over ski the ski. When in fresh snow the ski was incredible and with an AT Binding I could see this being an all day touring ski with how light it is and on the down you will destroy everything thanks to the full rocker design.
On another note you do have to make sure you buy a Marker Royal Family Binding with this ski as those are the only ones that will fit with the design of the Volkl Katana Skis. In all the Volkl Katana V-Werks Skis are an amazing Freeride/Touring Ski and one that I would certainly recommend to those looking for a Big Mountain Touring Ski that is lightweight and powerful.