Freeride backcountry skis
Product 2021
Woman, Man
What a dream these skis are! During the many tests we try all sorts of products that are more or less exciting. Suddenly we will come across an exceptional ski – bingo! This Völkl Mantra V.Werks is it! It stands out by a mile, like most of Völkl’s range this winter, it is an absolute winner!
The Völkl Mantra V.Werks is an expensive ski, 1000 euros, but the brand can justify this price by its superb craftsmanship in terms of its fiber and skiability, which took this Völkl product on the top step immediately to take the FIRST Award.
It has a tip and tail rocker. This superb object is freeride/freerando. It has been minutely worked at, a refined form, the side cuts have been reduced in thickness, the design is fluid. The fiber work is nothing short of exceptional, likewise its finish.
We tested the Völkl Mantra V.Werks with low tech inserts. This ski is light (not ultra-light) and the weight mass is very well-distributed, you have the impression that the ski is lighter than it really is. Like a perfectly designed spoon. The Völkl is very lively, it is at your beck and call ready to act, really nice, it is dependable.
We loved its playful character especially skiing in the forest. It pivots very easily off-piste, it stays on top of the snow and absorbs everything. Despite the tip’s flexibility it takes charge. The tip has an interesting lift and the tail never takes you by surprise. On groomed slopes, on anywhere that it’s difficult, or where it chatters, or in short turns, this ski is on the ball.
We were expecting a ski that pulls straight ahead, that lengthens because its radius is stated as 20.8m. But it doesn’t, the Völkl Mantra V.Werks skids easily. This ski is easy to use, even a short skier could use it to learn how to ski off piste, and thanks to its lightweight/skiability combination it’s a miracle worker!
When the terrain becomes difficult, if there’s bumps and hard frozen clumps of snow, the front of the ski absorbs a lot, which is really pleasing because the Völkl Mantra V.Werks doesn’t send shock waves through your legs, the narrowness of the ski means it cuts through the snow and pivots easily.
On groomed slopes you need to load the front otherwise the tip moves around a lot, but it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t affect your skiing, you can allow small backward errors.
If you want to carve all the time, just don’t put too much pressure to play, be gentle in the turns, especially on the tip. It is nevertheless a pretty flexible ski so big-build skiers will end up deforming it.
Torsional rigidity is well managed, you can ride a steep slope without deep thought. The overall flex is soft, there’s no plate or alpine bindings to stiffen up the zone underfoot.
For someone weighing 70/75 kilos it is surprising because you can ride on the edge, go into a skid then back on the edge, and you can also smear all the time, the tips don’t get stuck. The Völkl Mantra V.Werks are so easy, especially on hardpack, it doesn’t catch in front or spin like a helicopter blade.
The main interest of the Völkl Mantra V.Werks is its grip as with such flexibility we thought that the grip would be lacking on hardpack snow. At high speed heavy-built skiers will find the Völkl Mantra V.Werks limits very quickly.
The Völkl Mantra V.Werks is a brilliant ski for off piste and once back on a groomed slope you can do beautiful turns. You can also fit it with alpine bindings, at the end of the season in Spring snow it’s first class!
This Völkl Mantra V.Werks is a smashing surprise. A magnificent object at a price! But its skiability, accessibility, versatility all make it win the Test4outside.com FIRST Award. This Mantra is a perfect example of the constant superb design work from Völkl, a brand that has a genuine science behind the fiber. The craftsmanship includes the combination skills of glass, carbon and wood and its fiber orientations: Völkl measure the combination of stiffness, torsion and all the rest with sheer excellence, and all with limited weight.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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