Lengths:
163, 170, 177, 184
Dimensions:
129-88-113 @ 177
Radius:
16m @ 177
Best for:
An eastern skier’s quiver of one, or a firm-snow option for the West.
Compare with:
Fischer Ranger 90, Rossignol Experience 86 Ti, Blizzard Brahma 88
Embroidery is not usually associated with ski manufacturing, but Völkl is using it to carefully position carbon fibre strands along key stress lines in the Kendo. On snow, this attention to detail paid off. The Kendos was one of the most popular skis on our first test day. Its 88mm waist carved predictable arcs of different sizes in the hard snow. The ski was nimble in the bumps and it powered through the late-day heavy slush like a much bigger ski. “Super lively and tons of edge feedback,” wrote Josh Cunningham, one of our most critical and powerful testers. But that didn’t mean they were a particularly demanding ski partner. Lighter skiers and finesse types were equally impressed with the smooth handling. We attribute this to the Titanal frame, strips of metal that trace the sides of the ski around the tip and tail to provide edge bite and power when needed but without requiring constant energy and attention to drive it. We think any advanced, all-mountain skier will like the Kendo, but it’s a particularly attractive option as the firm-snow member in a western quiver.
