 Poster: A snowHead
|
Has anyone tried Volante skis? (It may be too late if you haven't, I'm told they have gone bust. Does anyone know for sure?).
I have the Chubb, which is a semi-fat steel ski with only a slight sidecut (almost identical sidecut to the Bandit 2x in its early days, before it got a modern profile. They are being mended right now so I can't measure its stats.)
It is an absolutely wonderful off-piste ski: very heavy and very secure and just smashes through any difficult crud or breakable crust. It is also quite good on piste, though has problems with icy conditions, as you'd expect.
There is (was) a version with more sidecut (and also a narrower version of the latter). I tend to prefer less sidecut. I ski fast and a strong modern sidecut whips me round too quickly for my taste.
Not the ideal ski for doing jump-turns in a narrow couloir, but I've done that too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Add one to that total!
WTFH is absolutely correct, Atomic are the most recent owners, and Volant are very likely to be a boutique brand for them in the future.
The Chubb that you have, does it have 'optical' bases, a white/black swirly pattern? If so, it is of the very original design and is actually a bit of a keeper, that. It would also have a blue winged-V and what I call a 'crust-breaker' tip, ie. a long up-turn with a plastic knob on the end.
More recent versions have a tip more like an upside-down plastic V. If you are lucky, you may actually have a titanium version, which is quite a bit lighter underfoot.
Do not discount the shape! My optical-base Chubbs measure in at 110/90/108 or thereabouts to within caliper error. That makes them a superb powdery bump ski, and really good in transitions. I skied mine for a week in Utah this year, and, at 180cm and an estimated 95kg skier weight, they floated as well as my partner's Volkl G4s, and considerably better than Salomon 1080s. Versatile enough to ski trees at The Canyons and then drop directly into a 2,5m-wide ice chute and make crossunder turns in there.
Everyone else thinks they're not shaped. I've concluded that it is really hard to judge shape with that much width underfoot, and the eye is just easily fooled.
I first started skiing Volants in the early-to-mid-90's when they came up with a 'perimeter-weighting concept', which just meant that they would put the mass of the ski in the tips and tails, making them less twitchy. Well, I never noticed that, but I did notice that these skis (Volant FX2 straights- Volant had a prodeal with US ski patrollers then and badged the skis both on top and on the bases accordingly) were damp and soft and sharp enough to allow novice carvers comfort in 'dust-on-crust' conditions, i.e. when there are about 3 snoflakes on top of boilerplate.
Ever since then, I have commended this maker for folks who have trouble in just those conditions. Interestingly, they have kept those characteristics (to my judgment at least) through the years and about 3 changes of ownership and funding. One of the better descriptions of the thinking behind these is found here:
http://www.mfcomposites.com/matrix3.htm
The steel topcap, switched a bit later to titanium on some models, has been under some pressure. Some of the skis were remarkably heavy for their size (I recall a pair of Vertex T-Powers that weighed more than my Chubbs AND my Atomic 9'16s, but that was all binding). On some models, the steel topcap is no more than a cosmetic sheet, but it is so much a part of the mark that I doubt it will disappear entirely.
One of the further interesting points about this structure is that the completed ski tends to be physically -thinner- than quite a few others on market. Boot size is somewhat of a factor, but the rear heelpiece screws (esp. older Marker M51 and earlier) tend to have less material than most to hold onto. This can be repaired, but should be checked, especially on ski-swap skis. (Also check the base for over-zealous drilling. It will appear as a pinhead in the P-tex if you have clear bases or as a bubble in some other cases). Volant put a grey 1-2mm thick plastic piece on the Chubbs and on other models like PowerKarve to provide for this. This piece of plastic also needs to be inspected as it may come unglued from the ski. This scenario is not as worrisome as the loose heelpiece above, as the screws are holding through to the tapped metallic topsheet. It is also easily fixed- you'll need Araldite 2026 as outlined here:
Wait for these to load:
http://www.industrialnewsroom.com/fullstory/24439
http://www.industrialnewsroom.com/fullstory/8355
But, as you will need to reset the binding screws it is best to let a shop have at it.
This is a really fun marque- a lot of my friends have them through prodeals or through mass chains like REI in the US, and I always find them to be as inventive (Chubb, Ti-series, Spatula) as K2, and maybe even a little more refined. Think of it as a gentleman's K2 so Chubb instead of Seth Pistol, and you won't be far off.
At least, that is how it used to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Thanks for the long answer and all the references (which I haven't had time to read yet).
I bought them in 2002. I don't think they are titanium, and they don't have a swirly pattern on the base (I'm getting them back tomorrow, so I can't give the stats yet, but I agree the side cut is deceptive. It isn't the modern sidecut, though, that you would find on, say, a Bandit from the last few years or the other Volantes for that matter).
I am mostly an off-piste skier and these skis have contributed to an improvement in my skiing.
It is astonishing but they do ski bumps rather well, and perhaps I overstated its slight defficiencies with ice. ( I used to ski with Giant Slalom racing skis at one time.) In general I am very happy with their piste performance.
They are skis that really respond to a strong skier but are also very stable.
"A gentleman's K2", well thats reasonable, but I'm 55 so that is probably right for me and like some "gentleman's" cars it has alot of power when you put your foot down. Exhilarating to free-ride them fast in heavy off-piste when others are floundering.
I'm pleased Volante are still in existence and hope they keep on with the Chubb style of ski. I want to be able to get some more if these get trashed. I don't know why so few shops have ever stocked them, though.
Incidentally, I got them in a rather strange way when I tried them in a Try & Buy scheme at Precision Ski in Val d'Isere. I hit a hidden rock off-piste rather hard and one of them started to delaminate under the foot.
I was told they were irreparable and there was no insurance available on the Try & Buy.
I had to buy them half price and hope I could get them mended well enough to get some skiing out of them. They threw in some good bindings from the previous season free as a consolation.
I got them glued back together and I've been skiing them ever since. The best ski bargain I've ever had.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sat 29-05-04 15:44; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
snowball sounds like a very good bargain indeed. I have a reference (not looking at the actual ski) that lists the 2001/02 Volant Chubb (blue Volant script on topsheet) as 112/87/104, does that sound like what you have?
Fairly all the 85+mm-waisted skis I have tried (mostly Atomic and Volkl) have indifferent ice behaviour. With the Volant Chubbs, I've found that a softer boot (Tecnica Rival or TC3 instead of an Atomic 11:50) gives me the best match to the ski. The silly little game I play on ice (don't tell nolo!) with the V-C's is to use the hips to actively pull the Volants 'round the belly and bottom of the turn. I am doing this in the direction of travel of the ski, so that I am actively making >them< travel faster than my 'center'. This lets me do truly short-radius turns as I do not really trust the V-Cs with true speed. It feels like a rumba snap, and, with a stiffer boot, is far too much work.
My favourite amongst the entire line for all-mountain use, very similar to GS racing designs, has been the Genesis Gold (2002/2003). If you consider buying or trying something in the on-piste line with a Volant 'feel', I hope they have that one or its younger brother.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Yes, blue Volant script on stainless steel.
I just got them back and they are (approx) 110. 85. 102.
I'm not sure I am following your ice technique: surely the skis always go faster than your center in a turn. Are you swinging one hip in front of the other?
I still have my old grey-violet Lange XR9 boots. I now need to do up the low ankle buckle at its tightest setting but usually leave the upper one at the loosest or next to loosest setting which gives me lots of give and flexibility without loosing the support of the modern boot height.
Interesting about the Genesis Gold, but I ski 90 percent off-piste these days, so its hardly worth buying piste skis. If I get a chance to try them, though, I'll have a go.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 1-06-04 9:40; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| snowball wrote: |
Yes, blue Volant script on stainless steel.
I just got them back and they are (approx) 110. 85. 102.
I'm not sure I am following your ice technique: surely the skis always go faster than your center in a turn. Are you are swinging one hip in front of the other?
|
Well, snowball, we are certainly on the same page at least. It does put one hip in front of the other but both move. The outside one follows the greater arc.
At the top of these turns, since the skis are at a very great angle to the fall line, there is a perceptible lag between center and boot. When successful, the move corrects this lag without stiffening up or extending the outside knee, and yes, there is a significant abdominal scrunch component to it.
Am I building something into my skiing I shouldn't? Possibly, but it's fun, and I have no turn in my quiver that feels rounder. Feel like a sailor at the end of the day, too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I think I may see what you are meaning. I think there is an element of this in some of my turns, but I've not conciously tried it on ice. (I have to admit that it is a long time since I had a lesson, so my body knows a lot more about what it does than I do.)
It seems to me that the essential thing, on ice, is that the ski bites from as early as possible in the turn, rather than starting with a slight skid which then takes greater effort to overcome later in the turn. Could it be that this is partly what your turn does (even though you are emphasising the later part of the turn where the technique is more obvious?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
I have a pair of 165cm Volant Genesis Gold skis, they were bought used in Jackson, NH late last year for $300 with Atomic Neox 412 bindings. A GREAT, easy carving ski - fun on Nastar course, steeps, bumps, superpipe, trees, fast cruising. They are stable, forgiving, but able to really haul ass and remain stable. I love them so much I just bought another pair if them, never skied on.
The main prob with the Neox binbding is they weigh a lot. My skis are 17 pounds with bindings. They are 8 1/2 lbs w/o bindings! The Genesis Gold is such a good ski they never feel that heavy on my feet, despite the weight. I'm thinking of putting a pair of Salomon Z10 bindings, they are only a kilo per pair, so the skis would only weigh 10 1/2 lbs total. Much easier to carry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Volant History Lesson..... 
Volant made good skis round about 2000 / 2001.
The Chubb was one of the original fat skis specifically designed for off piste.
However the limited edition Spatula was their most famous model.
The Spatula was the first production ski with reverse camber and rocker specifically designed for powder.
It was famously designed by Shane McConkey - and based on the shape of a water ski.
But they went off the boil after getting bought over by Atomic.
These days Volant sadly only make boutique & expensive piste carvers for people who wear fur coats.
For a few years Volant were very cutting edge technology & cool skis - the metallic top sheets are very distinctive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
this is happening a lot.
