Boone Caudill
(Shop for Voile V6, recommended as a perfect touring ski!)
Voile V6, genotype of the perfect touring ski.
Last April, I put Dynafit bindings on a pair of Voile V6 skis and headed up into the spring backcountry for some “real” ski testing. At 155 lbs, 6’-1”, the 183’s seemed to be a good fit. A bit of fresh snow on top of early corn formation, with morning temperature rising, left a variable mix. The idea with these skis is they’re a narrower, lighter version of the now classic Voile V8 (a WildSnow.com all time favorite). With a more or less 100 mm waist (depends on length), they end up in the “100 is the new 80” category that seems to be the perfect compromise between weight, agility, and width.
I can ride the lifts on the four mountains in the Aspen area, but unless there is an epic dump, I prefer to wander around in the backcountry. Thus, considering the size of this admittedly long pair of planks, I did appreciate what Lou would call an “average weight” according to his research, but is still light considering the overall range of ski weights.
Peeling skins while looking out over our wildly beautiful local mountain range always sets the tone for delicious turns. My first run was an easterly aspect with protected northerly pockets retaining soft snow. In the trees at the top, the Voiles packed a responsive energy that kept me out of trouble. I’m typically skiing a shorter ski in the trees — these 183’s were a welcome surprise. The tip rocker combined with the 100mm waist and the 109mm tail put me in good position to get down into the soft snow, yet maintain speed and agility.
Popping out of the trees on the easterly aspect I found myself carving luscious turns in premature corn with a bit of newsoft on top. The pack was fragile, starting to break through as I pushed the speed and tightened the radius. Again I was impressed with the sense of confidence in the boards — as the graphics well represent — on my feet. The sidecut combined with the rocker helped keep the tips from catching on the breakable crust.
My second outing was spring corn above timberline. We skied early morning on frozen corn, putting in final turns later on as the hard surface gave way to the beautiful warm spring sunshine. I was impressed with the stability on the hard, frozen, early morning corn. In my search for the perfect one ski quiver, I have been weighing in on the final position to take in the balancing act between ski weight and stability when hard on edge. I believe the Voile V6 hits the sweet spot.
No question, these skis were designed for backcountry powder — and more. Light enough to climb all day and big enough to ride smooth and fast through the light stuff, they’ll also elicit a smile on piste or corn. Recommended.
(Guest blogger Boone Caudill is one of the pioneers of Aspen’s commercial powder tours. He’s been skiing, hunting, cabin building, climbing and otherwise enjoying the backcountry since before he could walk.)
(Shop for Voile V6, recommended as a perfect touring ski!)
Beyond our regular guest bloggers who have their own profiles, some of our one-timers end up being categorized under this generic profile. Once they do a few posts, we build a category. In any case, we sure appreciate ALL the WildSnow guest bloggers!
