Ski Reviews

2020-2021 Volkl Mantra 102, 191 cm

Reviewer Username: KQ Skier

Reviewer Height: 6’1″

Reviewer Weight: 210 lbs

Reviewer Experience Level: Expert

DAYS USED: 15 days

TEST LOCATIONS: Palisades Tahoe, Mammoth

TEST TERRAIN: Firm groomers | Softer groomers | Low-angle, off-piste terrain | Fairly steep off-piste terrain | Very steep off-piste terrain

TEST CONDITIONS: Pretty firm snow | Softer, but not deep snow | Soft chop / pretty forgiving cut-up snow | Firm, off-piste chop or crud | also spring corn and slush

PERFORMANCE RATINGS

(0 = Terrible, 5 = Okay, 10 = Outstanding)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 6/10

FORGIVENESS: 4/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Loose / Easy to Pivot & Smear?): 6/10

MANEUVERABILITY (How Quick / Low is the Swing Weight?): 2/10

STABILITY: 5/10

SUSPENSION: 4/10

EDGE HOLD: 8/10

PLAYFULNESS: 3/10

PLAYFULNESS (Open Ended):

With its not-so-light weight around 2350g per ski, and a recommended mount point way back around -11 or -12cm from true center, this ski design is not intended to be very playful.

SKI LENGTH: It felt just right (191 cm length tested)

THIS SKI’S IDEAL TERRAIN: Firm groomers | Softer groomers | Low-angle, off-piste terrain | Fairly steep off-piste terrain | Very steep off-piste terrain

THIS SKI’S IDEAL SNOW CONDITIONS: Pretty firm snow | Softer, but not deep snow | Firm, off-piste chop or crud

WHAT TYPE(S) OF SKIER DO YOU IMAGINE WILL GET ALONG BEST WITH THIS SKI?

Advanced and expert skiers who know they like a traditional mount position (around -11 to-12cm from true center), and who don’t spend much time skiing slow (mostly ski at medium and high speeds), and who like a solid edge for carving on- or off-piste, and who also value stability & suspension while ON EDGE way more than they value stability & suspension while riding BASES FLAT (like straight-lining on high-speed runouts, etc.)

ARE THERE SIMILAR PRODUCTS YOU’VE SKIED THAT YOU CLEARLY PREFER? IF SO, WHY?

In this waist width range around 102mm, I prefer the old 2014 Mantra 191cm, which was a little bit narrower, but was very impressive all-around, and delivered way more suspension while riding bases flat at high speeds (even though that 2014 Mantra was slightly lighter weight). Plus, somehow the widest point of the tip on this 2021 Mantra 102 can catch and engage unexpectedly, resulting in brief unforgiving moments more often than that old 2014 Mantra.

But really, overall I prefer way more stablity and suspension than either of those Mantras. I prefer traditional heavy-metal chargers like the old original Legend Pro 194cm, old Head m103 Monsters, old Bandit B104 Squad, …or even the newer generations of the Blizzard Cochise. Perhaps it’s more than just a coincidence that all those skis I listed have full-width metal sheets, while the Mantra 102 is built with only partial-width metal strips.

PLEASE ELABORATE ON ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THIS SKI. FEEL FREE TO GO INTO DETAIL!

I like the ski. The only problem is there are so many other skis out there, and I like many other skis even more. My main points to get across about the 2020-2021 Volkl Mantra 102 191 cm might be:

1) Good for medium speeds and fast speeds.

2) Especially good on edge…and has great edge hold for carving (great for a 102mm waist ski).

3) Disappointing stability & suspension at high speeds while riding bases flat (like straight-lining runouts)

4) If you try to throw slashes with quick pivots back and forth, well it is sluggish, takes effort, and is NOT quick at all (which makes sense for a -11 to -12cm mount position).

5) But if you try to make quick, tight, actual turns at high-frequency, then it’s not sluggish—you can get some power steering assistance via tip engagement and the sidecut to help bring it around back-and-forth reasonably quickly.

6) The bigger the dude you are, the more I would steer you towards full-width metal instead of this Mantra’s partial-width metal strips. But if you’re not an oversized dude, then sure—there’s a lot to like about this ski.