VOLKL GOTAMA 190 REVIEW

A snowHead

I am new to this forum so I thought i would try and add a little info. I just got back from a month out in Whistler and was riding my new Volkl Gotamas almost every day.

For those of you thinking about buying a fat ski - the following might be of some use.

Ski: 190 Volkl Gotama
Mounted with Diamir Freeride Plus

190 is a obviously a fairly long ski these days - but these probably skis more like a 185 as the twin rduces edge length and it does ski a little short
Stiffness- these skis are pretty burly and stiff. They are very thick and certainly give the felling of indestructability. I am 5,11 and about 85KG so i quite enjoyed this but lighter/ smaller riders may not need this much. However, obviously if you are very aggressive then you will be fine.

Some people complained this year as the gotamas have a little more sidecut than the previous models and people were worried about them becoming too turny. For me, this is not an issue - they did not turn too much and i think this is probably from people to like to think themselves too hardcore to ever want to turn and just straight line everything. For us mere mortals- it is more than enough ski

These skis are 105mm under foot which does impact on edge to edge speed. On the piste this is noticeable and they do take a little more work than you might like. However, these skis are designed for powder, and they really do the job well. Most people will know that Whistler has been hammered constantly this season and the snow has been deep.

My first day of the season saw a weekend snowfall of nearly 4 foot. The roads had not been cleared but some guy gave me a lift on his monster pick up. Needless to say it was an epic day.

My previous skis were Rossi Bandit B3 (90mm under foot) and these were easier to ski all mountain as well as being a bit lighter/ turnier etc.
If you are riding western Canada/ UTah etc - the gotama is an excellent 1 quiver ski if you are primarily interested in riding powder and are prepered to search fot it. For Europe, however, i would only go for it as a 2nd ski as a slightly thinner ski is going to perform better in more conditions. If you can afford it though- the goats would be great for the deep days.

Touring capability- the skis are quite heavy and therefore not best suited to long overnight tours. But i generally only tour for a couple of hours and they are fine. Get fit before you go. The pay off on the descent is worth it!

Any specific qus please let me know

Paul

A snowHead

Welcome to snowHead

, Great post.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Nice review. My experience on last year's all black ones again in 190 was that they weren't particularly stiff. I usually ski on pretty burly skis and found the Gots to be relatively playful and relaxing to ski, especially in the lovely fresh pow we had on the day I was using them. Certainly not a noodle though

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Yeah they have been stiffened up and are a lot more meaty. Not as stiff as the rossi squads or pro riders etc- but enogh for me anyway.

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VOLKL GOTAMA 190 REVIEW

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