The time has come to invest in new skis. This is my ninth year teaching as a ski instructor at Alta. I have found that being on skis for 100 plus days a season I need 3 to 4 different pairs of skis. Just like a painter needs different brushes to work within their medium, I need a selection of tools to work with. The ski I use the most is a twin tip mid-width ski. It can take me through groomed, crud, and powder without any hesitations. Then there is the narrower ski for groomed snow and any clinics and examines that I take. Because Alta gets some of the best powder in the US, I can expect to ski on a very wide powder specific ski for at least 20 out of 100 days of skiing. So I use one or two pairs of powder skis.
A powder ski I am considering for this year is the Volkl Shiro. This ski incorporates the relatively new technology of rocker profile. Rocker (also called reverse-camber) is when the profile of the ski is curved up at the tip and tail in the shape of a banana. With rocker, the tips of the ski will float up in powder providing a smooth, surf like feel.
The Shiro has a wide shape with dimensions of 151-119-135, and comes in 173, 183, and 193 cm lengths. The rockered tip and tail keeps the skis buoyant in powder, while the flat, zero camber mid size works well on groomers, hardpack, and crust.
I have skied on Volkl skis before and really like the manufacture and design qualities of their product. I recently spoke with the rep for Volkl about the Shiro ski, and he said that it is a fast three-turn ski. This means that in a steep bowl where one might make 15 to 20 turns on a traditional ski, only three turns are needed with the Volkl Shiro. He also said that it is not as quick to turn in tight trees. I am a little hesitant to purchase this ski without trying it first, but with my personal experience with Volkl’s and all of the great reviews this ski has been receiving, I feel that I will be “slaying pow” on the Shiro this winter.
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