Volkl - Kendo 88 (22/23)
A lot of Völkl's considerable R&D might has been focused on extending the range of it's Titanal Frame offerings this season, and following the success of the M5 Mantra the tried-and-true Kendo was an obvious choice for an upgrade. Lighter, still stable at speed, and somewhat less demanding than the previous version, the new Kendo 88 is a winner that will appeal to all but hard core ex-racer types.
Every brand has that quintessential all-mountain ski. Something that can handle firm conditions, a bit of fresh snow, and essentially any terrain found at the resort both on and off the piste. For Volkl, that ski is the Kendo 88. Remaining unchanged for this season, other than a minor cosmetic update, the Kendo features a robust multi-layer wood core sandwiched between a sheet and a frame of titanal which result in a powerful and damp ski that almost feels like it was inspired by skis coming out of Volkl's race room. The full sheet of metal underneath the core provides a lot of torsional stiffness and vibration damping while the frame on top of the core adds torsional stiffness around the perimeter of the ski while allowing the ski to flex more naturally. As a result, you get a variety of different performance properties depending on the speed at which you want to ski. Volkl's 3D radius sidecut allows for a multitude of turn shapes to be experimented with in a very intuitive manner. In short, the Kendo 88 is very adaptable to different ski styles and terrain types. While it might not boast the wider shape of the other skis in the line, it certainly provides enough surface area and float for some fresh or soft snow thanks to the help of a bit of early rise and taper from tip to tail.
