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Volkl Gotama Ski
Bye Bye AC50's
By Robert Lai April 20, 2012
And hello to my Gotamas. I live out west, and can't say enough about these skis. At 5'8" 165 lbs with boots, gear and pack (5' 7" 145 without) I have 178's paired with a set of Marker Griffon schizos, and I love the setup! I bought both here on backcountry of course, at an incredible bargain price.
I was blessed with a final weekend dump of fresh powder in Tahoe between April 13-15, and was able to ride these for three days in Northstar and Heavenly off-piste, with some groomers near the bottom. I am highly impressed with the handling in all conditions, though I'd agree they do suffer somewhat when it comes to hard/hard pack or ice. For as wide a ski as they are, they are also very fun in the bumps, with the ELP rocker design really providing a level of pivoting performance previously unknown to traditionally-cambered "fat" skis. This is highly apparent in deep crud, where the tips are lifted above the mess ever so slightly, providing less resistance for turn initiation. I may put the AC50's up for sale soon; I don't see any reason to keep them around anymore other than for hardpack steeps, and though there is certainly more slippage, the Goats still feel comfortably predictable there.
I love these skis! For their intended purpose (Quiver of One, Second to None) only thing that might be able to trounce these skis in my mind are the Katanas, but it's possible the Katanas may be "too much ski" for my light frame.
View Details: Volkl Gotama Ski
Nailed It? 0 Yes
Tech Specs:
- Length:
- 170 cm, 178 cm, 186 cm, 194 cm
- Dimensions:
- 139 / 107 / 123 mm
- Turn Radius:
- [170cm] 22.5 m; [178cm] 24.9 m; [186cm] 27.4 m; [194cm] 30 m
- Profile:
- Full Rocker
- Construction:
- Power / Tough Box
- Core:
- multi-layer Sensorwood (poplar and beech), carbon laminate
- Tail:
- twintip
- Binding Included:
- no
- Recommended Use:
- powder, backcountry, all-mountain
- Manufacturer Warranty:
- 1 year
Change me.