2015-2016 Volkl One

Lighter, Deeper Pow

I didn’t get the One in much of this, but on a day when Justin Bobb and I hiked up to the Mount Olympus summit, I did get the One in pockets of deep, wind-deposited powder. This is absolutely its element, and everything here works beautifully.

Volkl One, Blister Gear Review.
Jonathan Ellsworth hiking to the Mount Olympus summit, New Zealand.

And as I wrote in my Two-Ski Quiver selections, while the 190cm Salomon Rocker2 108 proved this past season to be amazing at Taos in any fresh snow up to about 18-20” of pow (and then, at least at my weight, it reached its limit), the One feels like a ski that will work better as the conditions get deeper. I think it will require very deep, very wet, heavy snow to induce tip dive.

So my only real reservation here is that I can’t yet say how well it will handle 4” of fresh snow on top of very firm bumps and frozen chop.

Mount Position

I skied the One at +1, and I would not be tempted at all to move back. At the “0” / recommended line, the ski just looks like it has too little tail, and having skied them at +1, I would rather opt to go forward to +2 (if I had to) than move back to 0.

At +1, I could still drive the shovels to a surprising degree (the generous tip and tail splay had me thinking that the ski would resist driving the tips), and the ski (unsurprisingly) felt good in a more centered / neutral stance.

What the One didn’t like was backseat driving in shallow or firm snow, so in really difficult, refrozen death chunder at speed, I just forced myself to stay forward and trust the skis.

And in soft snow, the One is just fun. That said, I’m not yet sure that it is as intuitive as, say, the Rossignol Soul 7, which is a ski that I think even beginners could have a good time on.

Preliminary Sizing Recommendations

Skiers lighter than me will be psyched on this ski. Skiers who are much heavier or taller than me, I’d have some reservations, especially the harder you are expecting to push these things. The 186cm length didn’t feel crazy short, but given the rocker profile, I’d be a little reluctant to push the ski on heavier skiers.

I didn’t expect it to work well at all in the variable conditions we skied in NZ. But the ONE has definitely surprised me, and for anyone who has enjoyed the Armada JJ, but wish the JJ had a bigger sidecut radius, I’d take a long look at the ONE.

Bottom Line (For Now)

I want more time on this ski, and I’m looking forward to getting other Blister reviewers on it.

But this is a not-all-that-fat pow ski that I think will get better the deeper the conditions get. But it is also a very playful ski that will do well in deep, soft cut-up snow, soft moguls, and tight trees in decent snow.

If you’re in need of a ski to work really well in both pow and firm chop, I think a more traditional shape may suit you better. But as a soft-snow fun ski? Well, I’m already on record saying that at a place like Taos, I would be happy pairing the One with a firm-conditions ski like the Mantra and calling it good.

 

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20 comments on “2015-2016 Volkl One”

  1. A review of the volkl two very helpfull because they are extremely new. Also, a comparison with the jj or. Ak jj,what do you think ? Thank you.

  2. Hallo,I am in a difficulty choosing between these skis , so your help would be a great help.
    I am 6.2 and 190. I am mainly skiing on groomers ,and I am just now going into the deep. I am looking for fun ,good float ,control,easy ride ski. I am not interested in maximum speed big lines.My choices: armada jj 185, ( but I am afraid how good will float,everything else I think will be fine), Ak jj. ,and the new volkl two at 186. I would appreciate your opinion very much because I am going to purchase one of them in the next two days the latest.
    Begging for a quick replay,
    Alex

    Ps: My concernings about the ” weakness” of each ski

    Armada jj 185 : to small for me, i couldn’t float in really deep fresh snow,( tip diving)
    Volkl two : too ” stiff” regarding other skis, how the full rocker will be on the piste, 28.2
    Turning radius will not be so playfull and fun in pow in the end
    Armada AK jj.195: Maybe it will feel big and not so playfull as the jj

  3. Me: 6’1″ 220 lbs. advanced, not expert. Can ski most terrain.

    Just spent the day on the Ones from hardpack to 24 inch powder stashes. One of the funnest skis I’ve ever, ever been on. My normal ride is the sickle 186 on new snow days (for comparison) – which I’ve loved so much I even have a backup pair – thank you Jason! . However, the ones were more buttery, more playful, more “gentle” when in the backseat, more flotation – just fun, fun fun. In the tightest of spots you never once worried about catching an edge or getting in trouble. Absolutely fantastic! Now to comment on sizing – at 220, I’m packing some weight but even in the real deep stuff, I never longed for more width or support. I skied at the 0 mark. I wouldn’t want to give up the 116 versatile waist for the extra width – flotation was superb. Now what surprised me was groomer performance. Granted they were softer groomers – so take it with a grain of salt – but they were surprisingly good. High speeds – stable! The radius felt spot on – no weird hooky behavior like some shorter radius skis. I demoed the soul 7s 188 the other day. The volkl was immensely more stable, grippy, supportive, and fun. Soul7 will be very popular, but it was no contest for a bigger guy like me. The extra weight of the Ones made for a much more smooth ride in ALL conditions.

    Now I own it – it was that fun! And love the site guys – keep up the great work.

  4. Jonathan:

    great site, awesome reviews as always, huge fan. any further comments/thoughts on the ONE? Thinking of adding it to the quiver as a powder ski alongside a 185 cm Cochise for Tahoe resort skiing. Hoping the ski has enough versatility to ride chopped up snow inbounds as the day progresses.

  5. I’m looking for a more relaxed powder ski after 2 years on the thigh-burning Katana 184. I just demoed Volkl One 186 at Whistler on a couple of days with deep-ish conditions. The One was ok but still harder to turn than I would have liked. It kind of insisted on going down the fall line. If I tried tighter turns the tails would skid out. I’m thinking this is due to the long sidecut radius.

    I’m wondering now if either the Volkl Two or maybe Rossi Super 7 might be worth trying. I’m about 6′ 220. Any suggestions?

  6. Very interesting ski with a good price tag. Could test the skis in so-la-la conditions, not much pow but a little bit of everything. Pretty much banana, but solid, its quite stiff underfoot. Because of the pronounced rocker/splay it is not as good on-piste like Line Opus or Rossignol Super 7 (2014), but still decent. Especially if you have different boards for firmer conditions, that should not be worth a thought, like written in Jonathans review: These are powder boards. Smearing them on softish slopes is still fun anyway. I Liked the Rossi Super 7 very much too, was (even) a little bit easier to ride, but not that much better, that I would pay the 200 Eurones extra.

    One (no pun intended) question:

    Where is the recommended mounting point located from center? Thx. Bon.

  7. Jonathan,

    How would you compare the One to the Sickle? Both are full reverse camber and have similar-ish waist widths. I would assume the One would float way better in fresh powder, but how much for a 165lb guy on an average 6-12″ storm? What about general maneuverability (186 Volkl vs. 181 Sickle) and overall crud performance?

  8. Hi guys just purchased the Volkl one 176. I demoed the ski twice
    first with binding at traditional then second with the binding more
    toward centre mount. (+2 for centre of boot as marked on ski.)
    I love the ski and found doing 360 jumps fairly easy. I’m 165 lbs 5
    8 tall. Any comments as to where I should mount the binding. I’m
    thinking of the look FKS. Cheers joe

  9. I am 6 2 and 220. I got the ones at the beginning of the season. As expected great in powder. I also found them really good in crud and chopped up powder when doing shorter turns. What was really surprising was how good they were on moguls, soft groomers and even hard packed, I just need to focus on keeping weight neutral to forward.. I could use them as a daily ski in Utah and Colorado.

  10. Any comparisons between the one and hoji? Pretty close in side cut, full rocker, amount of taper looks close. More twinned up tail in the one, maybe a little looser? What do you guys think?

  11. I’ve skied the one’s for 20 days and really liked them. I am looking for something longer ~190-195, narrower 105-112, and possible a little stiffer as my main resort ski for next season. Any recommendations? I have been considering the Gotama (can’t find any reviews), the cochise (feel like it might be too stiff/not fun). Automatic 117’s will be my deep snow ski and i love those, but want something more aggressive for variable conditions. Thanks!

    • Hey, Edwin – you probably already know this, but keep in mind that those ONEs ski short – a non-fully rockered 195cm ski is going to feel much bigger. (Again, I imagine you realize this.)

      But a couple of skis to consider:

      186cm Line Supernatural 108. If you’re liking the One and the Automatic, I’d say the Supernatural 108 will get you everything you’re looking for, except the couple extra inches — which I wouldn’t worry about.

      Also: Blizzard Peacemaker (see our reviews). 190cm Moment Deathwish. And while it’s probably wider than you’re looking for (and more of a replacement for the ONE or the Automatic) sounds like you should read our review of the ON3P Jeffrey 114 that we’ll post in a day or two…

      • I’m 6’1 190lbs and after spending a lot of time on my 193 automatics I believe I need something in the 190 range which unfortunately substantially limits my options. Both the peacemaker and the supernatural are skis I am interested in but not long enough. The gotamas seem like one of my only options other than the death wish which I will check out. Is there a reason you haven’t reviewed the gotamas? I liked the full rocker of the one and think a narrower, longer version of it is exactly what I’m looking for.

  12. I’m thinking of buying the Volkl one’s (14-15 model). Mostly for powder/fresh snow days, I have line prophet 98 for more all-round skiing. I was wondering what size you would recommend. I am a 5,11 male, 155 pounds. I would say I’m an advanced skier, not expert. Would you recommend 186 of 176 for someone of my size?
    Greetings from the Netherlands!

  13. I was wondering your thoughts on using this as an east coast daily driver. Obviously, its meant to be played with on deep days, but from what I have read, it seems like it would also be a blast to simply play around with on hardpack due to the fully rockered design. I was looking for some thoughts on if this is true, or if it would simply be too cumbersome to maneuver around the mountain

    • I probably wouldn’t. I own a pair of 186s and they are a quiver ski. Great for days when there is fresh snow but I would probably hate it on an icy east coast day.

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