Groomers
The 177cm Kendo excels at and feels most comfortable with short- and medium-radius turns. For being a fairly substantial ski that doesn’t have a super tight sidecut radius, these skis felt most in their element when making shorter, quicker turns with a good amount of angulation. They do this easily, and don’t require much speed to come alive (given their relatively wide width).
On very smooth groomers, I could certainly draw out larger arcs, and push these skis hard. They’re nice carvers, as were the 13/14, 184cm Kendos.
But on slushed-up or roughed up groomers, these 177s would begin to lose their composure when making GS turns at high speeds. I felt the same way about the 13/14 184cm Kendo, too.
But man, these skis are very capable and fun when repeatedly throwing them out to the sides and hitting high edge angles in rapid succession. So if your style is to make more turns (with precision) at moderate speeds, the Kendo is an excellent choice. You won’t mistake it for a dedicated carver with a sub-15 meter radius, but that will be a very good thing when it comes to the next section.
Moguls
In relatively nice mogul lines, I thought the previous Kendo was excellent, and I think this new Kendo is excellent. If you are an advanced or expert skier, you ought to have no difficulties with the Kendo if the moguls are fairly uniform; you can pivot or carve the skis through bumps in a predictable manner. There are quicker skis out there for moguls (the Dynastar Powertrack 89 is one example), but I again have a little trouble believing that an advanced or expert mogul skier will need that additional quickness. Having said that, he or she might prefer a softer-flexing ski in bumps, but I think that will be a bigger factor than the ski not being quick enough.
Powder
Hmmm, there is nothing about the Kendo’s design that makes it optimized for deep snow. If you’re really talking about skiing knee-to-waist-deep pow, (1) I’d recommend something wider than ~90 underfoot, and (2) I’d recommend something with more pronounced tip rocker.
That said, if we’re talking about six inches of pow—and especially if we are talking about a few inches of dust on crust—then the Kendo is certainly a viable option. But I think the key here for me is that the Kendo still wants to be skied as if you were on a groomer: short-to-medium radius turns, working edge to edge. This isn’t some surfy / smeary pow ski. It’s a ski that is a good carver, good in moguls, and can be made to work in some fresh snow.
Off-Piste, Variable Conditions
Volkl says nothing about the Kendo’s performance here, and I think that’s wise. I’m sticking to my story: if you’re looking for a ski to use primarily on groomers and in moguls, I really like the Kendo. Get it into punchy snow or mixed snow however, and the ski becomes just “okay.”
Skiing down Bluff Face at Porters Ski Area and through Craigieburn Valley’s Middle Basin in mixed conditions, I did not feel comfortable letting the Kendos run. Yes, length was definitely a factor. I’m confident that the 184 Kendo would have felt more stable than the 177s.
But on those 177s, even when looking at wide-open bowls, I needed to reign in the Kendos, ski them as if I was back on one of those roughed-up groomers: make more turns, keep my speed in check, etc.
To be clear, this is how many people prefer to ski open bowls. If that’s true of you, then nothing that I’m saying is a negative. But if you like to open things up and let your skis run, there are better skis in the class, and I’ll talk more about those skis in our upcoming Deep Dive on the Kendo.
Who’s It For?
I think the Kendo will be most appreciated by those who are looking for a ski to use both on groomers and in moguls. (I.e., those who don’t want to have a dedicated slalom ski for use only on groomers, but want one ski to both carve groomers and hit mogul lines.)
And while I don’t think that the Kendo’s pow performance ought to be singled out, you will be fine on the Kendo when skiing dust on crust or six inches of fresh snow. But if you’re looking for your ~90mm-underfoot ski to perform well in conditions deeper than that, then you ought to probably look elsewhere.
Bottom Line
Some skis are very good carvers, but not all of those skis are also good in moguls. The new Kendo does both very well. I don’t think this new Kendo represents much of a departure from the previous Kendo, but in my book, that’s a good thing. And I’ll update this review once I get some time on the new 184cm Kendo.
Blister Deep Dive: Volkl Kendo
Stay tuned for our Deep Dive on the Volkl Kendo, dropping later this week. We’ll offer direct, detailed comparisons to the Blizzard Brahma and Bonafide, the Salomon X-Drive 8.0 and 8.8, the Fischer Motive 86 Ti, the Volkl Mantra, the Dynastar Powertrack 89, and the K2 Pinnacle 95, to help you figure out which ski is the best fit for you.
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I hope your getting on the monster 88 to compare. Was my favorite ski in the class when I got a couple of days on the prototype.
Noted, Andrew. We’ll look to get on the 88 once the chairlifts start spinning in the US.
Should probably take a look at the whole Monster line… the new 108 could be a pretty sweet ski.
How would you say the Kendo compares to the Atomic theory or 95C? It seems a similar if a bit stouter with less tail rocker.
Hi, Oliver – Atomic wasn’t able to get us the 95C in time for our NZ trip, so we’ll have to wait a bit to get them on snow. The biggest thing: neither the Theory or the 95C have metal, and they are lighter than the Kendo, with more sidecut. I think those elements will prove to be greater points of differentiation than their respective tail designs.
So I don’t expect these skis to feel terribly similar – I bet that the Monster 88 (referenced above) will feel more similar to the Kendo than the 95C. But till we get the 95C on snow, I shouldn’t say more than that.
I’ve ski’d Kendos for the past 4 years and love them. This review seems really representative of my own experiences. However, I’m due for a new set of ski’s this year and am looking for a recommendation or maybe a couple of alternatives to consider. I’m 6’5″, 250lbs, and I’d consider myself intermediate (Ski east coast mostly – gravitate towards tree’s and bumps, also enjoy fast groomers and big turns). Also, a couple trips out west per year, gravitate to bumps or trees.
I tried the bonafide’s last year and for some reason didn’t like them as much as Kendo’s despite incredible reviews for them? The bonafides seemed less responsive to me? Initiating turns on the Kendo is effortless, and it still holds a decent edge. However, I sometimes wish I had a ski that held an edge slightly better, but was still really forgiving in bumps. Is the Dynastar Powertrack my best option, or something else? Or, just stick with Kendo? Thanks for any help.
How wold you compare the new kendos to the new blizzard brahma? Thanks in advance.
Hi,
since many mountains have already started their season, have you had a chance to ski the 2016 Kendo in 184cm?? I was suprised by your review that the shorter Kendo (177cm) felt like the 184cm 2014/15 Kendo model. So, I am curious how the new 184cm Kendo feels like.
Thanx !Chris
I was wondering how well the Kendo works in tight trees?
I demo’d the kendo and absolutely loved it! Not sure my rental shop next week will have it so what ski is similar?
thanks
yves
Which binding mount location do you recommend for the Kendo?
Thanks!
“But man, these skis are very capable and fun when repeatedly throwing them out to the sides and hitting high edge angles in rapid succession.” Yes!
I have yet to find the right amount of detuning on the tips to ski hard agressive snow. But if the snow is just a tad on the soft side good fun.
Ok Ya’ll;
I loved my Kendo’s for 6+ years and had a hard time changing, but I took the plunge this year and bought a pair of Nordica Enforcers (100 waist).
These skis are awesome, and if you loved your Kendo’s, I can almost guarantee that you will love these more! Very responsive, not too light; hold an edge better than my Kendo’s ever did……Incredible ski’s. I wouldn’t go back at this point because these are a serious upgrade!
I demo’d A lot of ski’s to come to this conclusions!
I recently demoed a few pairs of 18-19 Volkls: The Kanjo, Kendo, and Mantra. I spend a lot of time skiing on moguls, and while demoing found that the stiffer flex of the Mantra and Kendo were pretty unforgiving through more rutted mogul terrain. The softer ride of the Kanjos were fantastic in the moguls, and I found them more responsive than the other pairs for carving in general. The narrow underfoot was the major downside of the Kanjos, as I am looking for a pair of all-mountain skis that will work well on powder days.
I am hoping to find a ski with a similar softness/playfulness to the Kanjos. I find your ‘Flex Pattern’ description really helpful to compare across skis, but unfortunately you don’t have a review for the Kanjos. Do you know how you would rate the Flex Pattern of tha Kanjos compared to say, the Kendos and the comparable Brahmas? (https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/ski-reviews/2018-2019-blizzard-brahma)