The Volkl V-Werks Rise 99s Evaluation

Boris Langenstein is the kind of skier who pioneers traces on 8,000m peaks. His June descent of Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face is an ideal instance of the sorts of targets this ski mountaineering people hero pursues. His old-school alpinist demeanor contrasts along with his fast-and-loose snowboarding type. I couldn’t assist feeling a bit starstruck chasing him round a powder-plastered Chamonix for a couple of days final winter. 

On his toes have been a mean-looking pair of skis: Volkl’s new (secret-at-the-time) V-Werks Rise 99s. This pair of black carbon knives has refined branding and an irregular core form. What Langenstein did with them struck me. I struggled to maintain up as he bounced by means of powder, slashed by means of crevasse tunnels, and carved by means of agency snow each on and off piste.

At one level, as I melted within the solar, he pulled away from me on the pores and skin observe, barely breaking a sweat regardless of his cotton hoodie below a shell.

Skiers of that caliber could make light-weight backcountry skis look actually good. Nonetheless, Volkl’s new high-end skis intrigued me. There was one thing fascinating hiding in a stealthy bundle, little question being examined by gear-smashing sponsored athletes like Langenstein.

I didn’t squander the possibility to check a pair for myself earlier than they have been launched to the general public for the ‘25/26 skis season. Did I bend them like Boris? I gave it all the things I had, and the rewards have been splendid. Nevertheless, the premium development got here with a couple of shocking idiosyncrasies that will not swimsuit each skier.

Briefly: Volkl’s new V-Werks Rise 99s ($1,500) sport a ton of carbon, however they’re no featherweights — neither by way of weight nor character (nor value). The V-Werks Rise 99s provide an fascinating blade-like form, mellow camber, loads of rocker, and a medium-soft, easy profile that makes turns really feel like artwork. They’re one of the premium-feeling pairs of backcountry skis out there, however they arrive with a catch, and it’s not simply value. 

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Volkl V-Werks Rise 99 Evaluation

Anybody who has spent plenty of time snowboarding Volkls is aware of that they share a DNA all through the lineup. It’s the way in which they flip and really feel on the snow. They have a tendency to share a definite degree of precision, edge grip, and stability. The German firm has mastered the artwork of The Flip over 100 years of constructing skis.

However these aren’t the traits I usually search for in a backcountry ski. Within the huge backcountry playgrounds of Colorado, I’m on the lookout for one thing that’s comparatively simple to ski, assured and succesful in blended snow circumstances, and naturally, floaty and pivoty when the powder is ripe. Oh, and if I discover myself cliffed out on an icy face, I would like these edges to chew.

The V-Werks Rise 99s are — gulp — mean-looking. The stealthy black topsheets, blade-like shovels, and ice-carving racing heritage had me feeling a bit bit intimidated as I clicked my light-weight two-buckle ski touring boots into the bindings. However I needn’t have fretted. I spotted rapidly that they’re not as imply as they appear. 

Construct

Volkl’s V-Werks program is actually the place its ski designers are given free rein to create the perfect skis they will, with out pricing limitations. Traditionally, skis from the V-Werks program are characterised by plenty of carbon, an unbelievable damp really feel, and fascinating shapes. Oh, and a price ticket that can make your bank card flinch. 

I’m not going to bop round it — the brand new V-Werks Rise 99s are downright beautiful. I haven’t been struck by a pair of skis in a very long time. They’re a murals. Other than the carbon topsheets — Volkl calls it a full-carbon jacket — and low-profile graphics, the Rise 99s look imply.

Volkl’s signature light-weight multilayer woodcore is on show below the torsional stiffness-boosting carbon jacket. A hardwood spine, paired with a vertical band of titanal, offers the ski construction and depth down the center. Lighter wooden extends out to the ski’s margins.

The sides are the place issues get fascinating. The wooden core tapers right down to the sides to the steel edge, and there’s principally no sidewall across the shovels or tails. The sidewall underfoot tapers down proper in entrance of and behind the boot. They’re blades in comparison with different skis available on the market. Volkl calls it 3D Ridge Development, which is a design attribute shared with generations of V-Werks skis. 

The V-Werks Rise 99s dimensions land at 135-99-117. Though they sport a considerably conventional rocker/camber/rocker profile, the camber and rocker are all fairly refined and low profile. The ideas and underfoot camber don’t rise significantly excessive off the snow. It’s a schematic that strongly suggests an all-rounder. It has loads of sidecut and rocker for agility, with camber and a medium underfoot width for a robust edge. 

Check Setup

I’ve been testing the 178cm V-Werks Rise 99’s in light-weight touring mode, mounted with my favourite ski touring binding, Marker’s Alpinist 12. They’re about as mild as you may go with out shedding heel elasticity, they usually’ve proved dang reliable.

The 178cm size is on the shorter aspect for my 195-pound, 6’1” construct, which lands them squarely in little boot territory. I used to be capable of swap in quite a lot of totally different boots to see how every one fared, starting from Tecnica’s highly effective Zero G Tour Execs to La Sportiva’s exceptionally mild Kilos.

I saved the burden low and glide easy by pairing the setup with Pomoca’s up to date Climb Professional S-Glide skins. Mixed with the skis’ deep rocker fore that saved the tails and shovels off the snow, the skis have been hardly a chore on the pores and skin observe regardless of the V-Werks Rise 99s middle-of-the-road 1,625g weight.

On the Snow

I’ve been capable of take a look at the V-Werks Rise 99s in nearly each situation I’d usually encounter in a full Colorado season. At simply 99mm underfoot, they’re the widest skis in Volkl’s touring vary. When the snow is falling, and the backcountry is fluffy, that’s about my backside width restrict once I’m rifling by means of my roofbox. However I wasn’t disenchanted once I pulled them out for a sunny powder day in Colorado’s Gore Vary. 

After I pointed it down an enormous, fluffy north-facing slope, the V-Werks Rise 99s reworked. They went from planted to surfy, pivoty, easy, and nimble. They felt intuitive as I smeared down the run. The lengthy, low rocker does an excellent job at holding them afloat and vigorous. It wasn’t a chore to maintain the guidelines afloat whereas making a mixture of huge open turns and shorter, faster pivots. 

I felt like I had the selection to drive them from the guidelines in an aggressive ahead stance or calm down a bit bit and ski them from the middle in a extra upright, trendy type. It’s not in contrast to Volkl’s Blaze skis that mild up once they hit powder. They have been a lot of enjoyable to ski arduous when circumstances have been proper, which isn’t one thing I say typically about skis below 2,000g. 

They have been simple to throw round when the run transitioned from an open face to tight, powdery timber. Once more, these deep rocker traces and mushy flex saved them unfastened and straightforward. The mushy tails additionally disappeared once I wanted them to. A small taper helped them launch from every flip with none fuss in mushy snow and chunky snow alike

Regardless of rock-solid torsional stiffness, they’re softer fore and aft than you’d suppose. That helped broaden the general skiability, particularly in mushy snow. Much less skilled skiers will admire that attribute specifically. They bend out and in of turns intuitively and have interaction even at slower speeds.

Smooth Flex vs. Exhausting Snow

The mushy tails took some getting used to. There wasn’t a ton of assist once I acquired thrown into the again seat in arduous, chunky snow. It limits their hard-charging freeriding capability. And I’d’ve preferred a bit extra assist again there once I was hauling a ski mountaineering pack load-out final spring. 

However due to the distinctive development of the Rise 99s, mushy doesn’t imply skittish on arduous snow and ice. They felt steadfast on crust and ice, in addition to on hardpack pistes. I chalked it as much as a mixture of torsional stiffness, a moist core, and slender biting edges.

The grip felt dependable, and I pushed them into deep arcs on the resort. They’ll maintain an edge considerably higher than most light-weight touring skis in agency circumstances.

Ripping huge GS turns isn’t usually what skiers are on the lookout for in a backcountry setup (me included), so fortunately that grip transferred to tight, steep, icy couloir snow and early morning spring crusts. Skis with deep rocker traces, comparatively low efficient size, and mushy flex don’t usually chew so confidently. However I had no downside planting the sides and dropping right into a bounce flip when the implications ticked up. I can see how steep skiers like Langenstein can belief them in big, steep terrain.

Dangerous Snow

Like with most softer and lightweight skis, I acquired tossed round in actually arduous, chunky snow. That’s usually the case with skis below about 2,000g, so I wasn’t stunned. They’re not fairly stiff sufficient to only level it straight by means of the chunk like a beefy freeride ski. I used to be rewarded with slower, shorter, extra intentional turns in these eventualities. 

Nonetheless, the multi-wood core, titanal ribbon, and carbon jacket give these skis an impressively damp character contemplating they’re up to now south of two,000g. They have been easy and usually fairly composed fairly than erratic and poppy. 

Breakable Crust

The Volkl V-Werks Rise 99s carried out valiantly in most ski circumstances. However towards the top of final season, I discovered their Achilles’ heel. These skis are distinctly difficult to ski in breakable crust. They felt like that they had a thoughts of their very own. They veered off beam and felt nearly unpredictable. 

To be honest, breakable crust is objectively the worst snow situation. Most skis undergo, particularly light-weight touring skis. However there was one thing in regards to the knifeblade shovels that had these skis slicing away from me. I tumbled greater than as soon as simply attempting to get again to the automotive from a morning mission. It was a bizarre sensation.

If breakable crust is your norm, it is best to discover a higher place to ski. Additionally know that the V-Werks Rise 99s will not be best for you.

Ski Mountaineering Quiver With Boris Langenstein

I caught up with Langenstein, a Volkl athlete, to speak in regards to the V-Werks Rise 99s after he’d had an intensive guiding and mountaineering season aboard the skis. Having been on Volkl’s BMT 90s for 10 years, he’d not too long ago switched to the brand new V-Werks Rise 99s. We shared related experiences on the skis, particularly with regard to edge grip and flexibility. 

Boris makes use of two totally different setups — the 170cm model with Marker Alpinist Free bindings as his “actual mountain skis” which he stated have been “excellent for couloirs, arduous snow circumstances (that is the place it excels), and lengthy touring days. On steep slopes and in tough snow circumstances, with quick turns and little velocity, the grip is great,” he stated. 

He additionally makes use of a 178cm model with burlier Marker Kingpin bindings and stiffer boots for his freeriding-oriented setup.

“With Kingpins, the ski turns into much more environment friendly — it’s like a mini large slalom ski,” Langenstein stated. “You possibly can carve actual activates piste, ski quick, and the ski is a little more progressive when altering edges and transferring weight. The grip is unbelievable, particularly for a touring ski! It’s nonetheless very predictable and reassuring.”

Volkl V-Werks Rise 99s: Conclusion

Smooth, mild(ish), damp, and torsionally stiff — it’s a tall order for a single pair of skis. And that clearly made it an ideal problem for Volkl’s V-Werks program. 

The V-Werks Rise 99s provide a legitimately distinctive really feel on the snow. They chew into arduous snow when rolled on edge with out feeling like 2x4s in every single place else. They have been simple and enjoyable in mushy snow, composed and regular in less-than-ideal circumstances, and fast in tight areas.

The descriptor I hold coming again to is “intuitive” (besides in breakable crust!). And that’s actually what I’m on the lookout for in a backcountry ski greater than the rest, even when the tails have been a bit bit mushy for my style.

There aren’t many skis with an approachable flex, steadfast torsional stiffness, a moist trip, and a touring ski weight. Sure, they arrive with an enormous price ticket, but when these 4 traits tickle your fancy, you’ll get what you pay for within the V-Werks Rise 99s. They’re a stable set of sticks that can enchantment to a really large number of backcountry skiers, particularly these wanting a flexible midwinter ski that also bites when circumstances get agency.