Voile Objective touring ski, proof that the one-kilo option is real. After ‘discovering’ this low-mass sleeper, I re-mounted with lightweight bindings that do them justice.
I try to be objective. I really do. But I’m still a weight weenie and when a ski comes in this sleek and affordable I perk up and take notice. What’s excellent about this testing cycle is I weighed the Voile Objective _after_ I skied it with a heavy binding. I didn’t know it was a feather that’s just about the lightest ski we’ve ever tested. It skied quite well, handling hardpack in an understated yet reliable style, and on the soft stuff feeling like the supple 84 mm waist ski it is.
There are more exciting skis, there are more expensive skis, and there are heavier skis. In other words, as tester Bob Perlmutter said, “throw the lack of weight, lack of coin and reasonable performance in a hat, mix it up, grab a handful, you’ve got a winner in the Voile Objective.”
Lack of edges and protector at tail reduces weight and probably helps with cost. We are conflicted. Less weight is good and winter ski touring in Colorado is easy on skis, but abuse your ski tip or tail in icy or rocky conditions and you might need more protection. But, if you’re going to forgo edges to save weight and cost, why not go farther and see what happens? To that end, we’d like to see is a ski such as this that totally goes for the “edge elimination” by only having steel under the non-rockered mid section. Or, how about a “powder” touring ski with no steel at all, just some ABS edges? Nordic skate skiers seem to do ok without steel, why not powder skiers?
Voile trimmed mass from the Objective by truncating the steel edges some distance from tip and tail. We don’t mind that at the tip, but be aware that if your type of skiing involves much scrounging through rock fields and hopping dirt patches, a tail without much of a protector is vulnerable. One other thing about how it skied, short. Due to how supple this plank is as well as having a bit of “tip” and rocker in the tail (as well as plenty of rocker at the front) my 178 cm testers definitely felt shorter than that. So go with forehead height if you want this guy to work like a normal plank.
Rocker begins at 32 cm.
What would we recommend these for? Clearly, at the Objective’s price and weight this is the best “entry level hut touring” ski we’ve ever seen. Example? You’re in Colorado and heading to some of the 10th Mountain huts that involve fairly long walks as much as they do actual skiing for turns. You’re a good skier but on a budget. Grab a pair of Objectives, mount any brake-less lightweight tech binding, pair with a touring shoe such as Scarpa F1 or Dynafit TLT, throw on some 100% mohair skins, have fun.
– MSRP $695, available August 1, 2016
– Weight 1092 grams, 178 cm
– 117/84/100, 19.5 meter radius.
– Binding offset 21 cm
– Website
Notes: This is 6th lightest ski we’ve measured in weight/surface chart with a score of 64, and one of our lightest in plain weight/length ratio as well. Some of this has to do with truncated edges at both tip and tail, along with construction that’s clearly optimized for touring not for hardcore downhill skiing. When flexing out, tail seems slightly soft, luckily Objective is not too rockered or turned up at the tail, otherwise it would wimp out.
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WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
