Volkl Gotama Alpine Ski - 2008 BCS

A lot of that depends on how good of a skier you are, and if you're used to skiing on long sticks. If you're an expert skier and used to longer ski's, go for the 190s. I'm 6ft 175lbs, and I'm on a pair of 183's. I ski primarily in the east, so these only get used on days it really dumps here, and on trips out west. The first couple days I was on them they were a handful, after that I loved them. At 175lbs I had plenty of float on powder days. The Katana's are wider, and would be better on deep days. They're not as versitle as the Gotamas, which you will have no problem ripping down groomers on as well. I hope that helps, maybe someone else who's a little heavier than me can chime in. The live gear guru's could probably help you out too.

Fionn,
You and I are the same size and weight. I bought the goats in 168 last season and skied Alyeska and Alta Utah with them and was very satisfied with their performance.
I am 55 yrs old and ski rather agressivly for my age and enjoyed the confidence these skis gave me in all but the worst Alaska coastal ice could give me. When I skied at Alta this last season and was given the chance to ski in some real high country dry pow I felt I had arrived at a new platoe in confidence. The gotomas will knock you socks off in the trees and steeps or even the gromers. You will end up working yourself into new confidence and I hope you take time to get into shape because you are not going to want to stop hitting every nook and crany you can find on the mountain every day you are sking.
I was told I am a hight 7 on the skiing scale which goes to 9 on ability. I am looking at buying another pair on goats in a slightly longer lenght 176 to get even more float. Remember get in shape, you are going to ski your ass off with these things.

You're stoked on that 176cm. While they don't look real long compared to your 5Star, keep in mind that they are way fatter. You'll have plenty of ski under you!

You're stoked on that 176cm. While they don't look real long compared to your 5Star, keep in mind that they are way fatter. You'll have plenty of ski under you!

Hey man, I have skied the Customs, and liked them a lot. Going to a stiffer boot was what really took my telemark skiing to the next level, it's well worth the investment. The bellows on the Custom are a little stiffer than the T-Race, and the boot itself fits really great, especially in the heel. The only issue that I had with it was the Boa liner, it takes a really long time to tighten down. Other than that, I'm a fan. As for the Gotamas, I'm getting a pair for myself for next season. If you're going with the Customs and the Gotamas together, I'd recommend the Hammerhead as a binding (as opposed to the O1). Since the Gotamas have an all-wood core, you're going to want the strength of the six screw pattern of the HHs with the burly boots.

If you're skiing aggressively enough to rip a binding out of a alpine ski, I say definitely go with the 183s. I also hear a lot of talk from people about how tele skis are supposed to be shorter, but ever since I moved one size up (I'm 6'2" and 175lbs and now ski a 185 G3 El Hombre) the difference in power and control at higher speeds has been incredible. I do have to change my skiing style slightly in tighter trees and chutes, but I just initiate the turn with my dropped foot a little earlier, and I'm all set.

if you wanna ski FAST and got the quads to do it and wanna huck big boy cliffs go XXL(epecialy for your size) , obsethed maybee to soft for you very very soft compared to xxl, goats good compramise, also look at the line prophet 100 sick ski, more all mountain tho.

Well personally the ObSethed is my favourite ski. I use it for my pretty much everything ski, just no bumps, which I don't ski anyway. The Goats are pretty sick skis too, great in the pow and trees. The XXL, definitely not a fan, but that is just me. I know plenty of guys that rip on it, but I never felt comfortable. The ObSethed floats on the pow, slashes in the trees, even shreds up the groom, and the rocker is nice. I say go for that, and get the 189.

The Goat is a much more versatile ski to then the Mothership, which is wider and stiffer. The Goat rips steeps, and just rocks it everywhere, where as the Motherships are more for just deeper days. If it hasn't snowed for a couple days, and the hidden stashes are tracked out, I think that the Gotamas will serve you better.

your 240lbs id go 190 once you get used to the length you will lov em

As an intermediate skier I think that the 183 is a good ski for you. It will help you improve lots, is already longer than your old pair, and still has tons of float.

bacons - super soft bc jib ski not really a hard charger, totaly diff from the goats dunno bout troubles tho

Hey man, I gave you some feedback on your other question on the Huge Troubles.

Just depends on how you ski and what you ski. I am 6'2" 175 and i would be happy with 176cm since the underfoot, shovel and tail are so huge. But...if i were exclusively doing deep backcountry powder or had this as the specific ski just for that, i might get the 183. Also, where are you skiing? I am in CO and will probably never need something that big. Just depends i guess.

I just demo'd a pair last week. I'm 6' and 235. Level 3. The day was wind blown slighly crusted powder in the open and plenty of fluff in the trees. I was on the 183's and had plenty of float, plenty quick in the trees, fantastic in the crud at insane speed. At your weight I think the smaller size would be fine. If you are inclined to ski at insane speed i think teh 176 will still be plenty stable. I've been skiing for 30 yrs and this was one of the best skis i've ever tried for an al mountain ski. Enjoy!!

I'd go with either the 176 or 183. (I know it's probably not as specific as you wanted) The Gotama is a very stiff ski and stays stable when you are straight-lining a chute or encounter crud at high speed. The downside is that they aren't very quick in trees/moguls. If you only plan to use this ski on powder days, you could go with the 183, but if it's your only ski, I go with the 176 so you can play in the trees between storms. Obviously the best thing is to get out and demo them for a day.

My experience is in the Midwest and Western states. The Gotamas are to much ski for Michigan. They require more than 3 or 4 hundred feet of vertical to wake them up. I skied them at Jackson Hole and they can chew up any ice/hardpack/death cookies you can throw at them and naturally yearn for Pow.

150 is pretty light. Lean to the shorter size if your wavering. Its a pretty beefy ski.

Read my review above.

The Line Sir Francis Bacons are a little softer and more playful than the Volkl Gotamas. The Gotamas are a very stiff ski. You should demo some skis to find out what type of flex you like. If you are light you might find you like a ski with a softer flex.

If you are looking for a real powder ski I would go a lot wider then the goats, At least 110 to 120 in the waist, and at that size they will still rip the groomers. Kantana, pontoons, EHP, motherships, prophet 130, ARG, all are great powder skis that will blow the goat,s away in powder.

Personally, skiing in conditions like these in CO would make me want to be super comfortable with my set-up, meaning a mounting I am used to. I would remount to where you want.

183. No doubt. I'm the same height and four pounds heavier than you, and wouldn't think twice about anything less than 183. I have the 177 karmas and the 183 goats and love the added length in the pow that the goats bring. Rip-city.

I would go for the 12 DIN for sure.

Yes, this ski skis skis very short and is easy to maneuver. A frined is about the same size and skis on the same set up.

i have mine mounted just behind center. the middle of the boot sits midway between the "true center" and "boot center" graphics on the deck. this makes the ski more versatile than center mounting, but is still better for riding switch than regular mounting. for me, ive found this a good answer to the tradeoff, and i recommend it. i recently demoed some line anthems that were truly center mounted, and i found that it took a little getting used to. if you're trying to push this ski to its potential all over the mountain, i wouldnt recommend center mounting. hope that helps!

im the same size as you and i ski the goats with jesters

im the same size as you and i ski the goats with jesters

I would suggest the Marker Jester due to your height and weight. It sounds like you are an aggressive skier. The Griffon maxes out at a din setting of 12. I am 5'6" and 150 lbs. I like the Jester set at 14. You will love the Jester. The wider foot print of the binding makes it easier to ski the wider skis and lightens your set-up. I love the way the gotoma performs with the Jester.

i'm 6' 182lbs and ski the 183 and have no complaints. I ski mostly off Piste, but they do fine on groomers too. If you go to the Volkl website and check for sizing, this is the size they will recommend for your height. I do have a friend who skis the Gotama 183 and he says they ski 'short' and he would like to try 190's.

Yes, the Volkl Kiku. Essentially the same ski with a slighty lighty core and pink and white graphics.

CHINA.....-------yep, and last years model (first made in China) was one of Backcountry.com's most returned items for product defect. Huge problems with de-lamination. This year's model appears to have fixed those issues however, and I still hear people RAVE about the Gotama's performance.

This ski in the 183 or 190, depending on your preference, would be a great 'out west' ski.The Mantra might be a more versatile choice.

If you are a fairly advanced skier you will benefit from a ski that is about as tall as you stand, or sometimes even taller. You could possibly look into the 183's.

Not really comparible, the prophet 100 and goats are comparible, but not the bacon's. The bacon' are a fat, mid soft powder ski that happen to carve very well on groomers but start to lose they edge when it gets real hard or icey, but shine when the snow starts falling again, but do bust crud pretty well, the prophet will be the best on hard snow and ice because of the metal in it yet is about the same as the goat in powder.

You might be on the upper end of the weight/height for the bacons unless you mount at recommended (6cm) back from center or go another 1cm back from there. then they sould be fine with no tip diving. I weigh 175 lbs. and have them at 4cm back from tru center +2 from recommended and they float great there with no dive. go bacon over goats, much quicker ski.

Check out the Scott P4's 191cm... sorry to add to the list of choices, but I recently purchased P4's. I had planned on using them on backcountry and powder days, but after skiing on them for 5 days in a wide array of conditions, I love them. They ski like cadillacs on groomers- lazy, high speed gs turns. In crud they power through inconsistent conditions, float on powder, and add a tremendous amount of confidence on steeps and drops. Their only weakness is in moguls where their stiffness and stability seem to slow their responsiveness down a tad. If you want a 'one ski quiver' I really like the P4. I'm 160lbs, 5'8" ex patroller skiing in Switzerland and the 181cm is great for me. Hope that helps. Also, think about the Volkl Mantra

I agree with the second guy, Mantra 177 on the East, Gotama 183 on the West.

Same ski, different graphics. Not sure I see the reason in getting the same pair of skis just 7cm shorter. If you want a different feeling ski, get a different ski. The mantras may handle the crud a little better but I don't think you're gonna notice that much of a difference between the skis.Disagree - the Mantra and Gotamas are different skis. A Mantra in a 177 is great choice for east coast skiing, but go 184 if more in the west

This is a very popular powder ski that just happens to do well on groomers also it would be a great choice for you, as for size i would prob. go 183 as they tend to ski short. have fun.

You generally want the "pin-line" on chord center of the ski. Instructions are found here: http://www.telemarkski.com/html/how_tele_mount.html

It would be safe to go 176. But if you feel that you could be charging harder in the future or don't mind longer ski's you might get away with the 183's.

Bob, I'm 5'8", 160, and I would ski these in the 183. I am a really aggressive skier though. 176 is the length you would feel most comfortable on. You will find the best balance for what you looking for out of that length.

I would look at the gotamas, prophet 100s, czars, and also to Scott P4s. They are all similar and would work just as well. Decision is going to have to be personal and based on ski feel feel. Rockered tip Czars might be better if you want to be slightly more biased towards a powder ski. Verdict will probably feel a little stiffer than the others and be a better crud/groomer ski. These are also directional; not sure if you want a twin tip since all the others mentioned are.As for bindings, the Marker Baron sounds like it would be perfect, especially at your size. If weight of the binding is a concern, check out the Diamir Freeride as it is slightly lighter but still geared towards the ride down.

The small rocker on the obsethed will help on those really deep days, but other then that, their almost the same ski

I'm your exact same size, ski on 177 karmas and 183 Goats. They are perfect for me (183 Goats). Try the 183's and 190's out and pick the ski you feel most comfortable in all-around. I wouldn't go any shorter than 183's in this ski though.

You have'nt bought skis yet henry!!!--- hey i was wrong kirkwood got 5ft. and is expecting 3more over the next 1/12 days. Goats are good, but ever ex-racer want tobe powder skier skis them. go for something different. the vct is way better for backcountry jibbing/park use. but like i said at the begining the line blend is still your best option for what you want to do. the gotamas are to stiff for any park use. Also keep in mind that the gotamas the last 2 years have had lots of core problems. since they switched to a lighter core bindings have been pulling out. at my local shop in tahoe it was the most problemmatic ski they sold last year because of it, evertime i post something about it the volkl lovers erase it, there are way better skis out there then the goats, just think outside the box. Come on henry you already know to buy prophet 100 over these.- wow you get 5ft i get 2in, aint life unfair. anyways my friends got the blends and it would just be too boring if we were skiing the same skis

I suggest the Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Skins in a 140mm.http://www.backcountry.com/store/BLD0787/Black-Diamond-Ascension-Nylon-STS-Skins.htmlNO!!! 130mm will be fine, you're going to trim a few mm's for the edge to hang out anyway, so dont waste your $$$ with a 140... 130mm = complete wall-to-wall carpet on these skis!

I have last years ski. The new topsheet it more traditional compared to a fiberglass one on last years that took a beating if you ever knocked your skis together.

Coomba - 74 or 81 depending on your level of fitness.Agreed - go with the lighter ski. Flat tail on the Coomba better for skins and 174 will work fine and save you a little wight.

you aren't the first, i know many people who have, and love em. they are on the heaver side for touring, but you will be thankful for the heft when you are ripping down.

If you only do occasional touring you will be fine. If you plan on many long days of BC skiing (or multi day trips), you need to get a dedicated BC setup.

comes down to personal preference. I ski the 190s, have for 4 generations of the ski now. Because of the twin tip the running surface to length ratio is smaller, this is true of all twins. If you normally ski a fat (95mm+), flat tail in a 185+ I'd go for the 190.otherwise go for the 183. I've seen a number of people buy the 190 who should have had the smaller turn radius of the shorter sticks.

Yes they would work, also take a look at the line prophet100 or prophet 90 they would work also. for you size you sould be on a 178 to 183 ski unless you like short skis. both the goats and prophets float well in pow yet hold an edge well on hard groomers.Think about a Mantra for an all around VT ski

I've got a pair...sounds like just what you need.

go 190 or go to the doctor and see if your balls are missing... jk, but really volkls are all measured a little short so that 190 will be like 188, plus cuz of the twin its gonna ski like a 183 would if it were a flat tail... except the tails won't harsh lock you in and they'll be more forgiving

These would work ok as a powder ski, But in my opinion if you are adding to a quiver and looking for a ski to just ski powder I would go with something a lot wider then the gotama, there is so many fat pow skis that would give you that floaty - surfey feel .. such as hellbents in 189 -- moment komi's -- armada arg -- pontoons -- line prophet 130 -- volkl kantana -- liberty double helix -- rossie S6.. I would look for skis with at least 115mm in the waist and go from there. AS for bindings for your weight you will need a 14 din + binding look - rossie px14, 15 or 18, salomon sth 14 or 16 marker jester is another option. For your weight I think you would be better off with a wider ski than the gotamaWillie is right on point - if you have a quiver, there is no need to get the Gotamas - I have them and love them, don't get me wrong... I use them as my everyday skis! For a full-blown powder ski, you'll be stoked on a super-wide setup...the ARGs are my weapons of choice at Alta when the going gets good, and if I were going to get another pair to replace the ARGs, I would get the Volkl Kuro or the Black Diamond Megawatts. They are a bit stiffer than the Hellbents, and I think you'll really appreciate the extra heft. Have a great winter!

My advice...only mount to true center if you want to ski switch. If you ski forward all the time, or ski a lot of powder its better to mount to boot center. Some people also like to mount thier skis forward to make them ski shorter.If you are using this just as (or mostly as) a touring setup, get them mounted back for the steep and deep. Unless you are way filppy spinny.

183......I am 5'11" and 180 and ski the 190.If he is an aggressive skier, go with the 183. If he's a weekend warrior who only makes it to the hill about 20 days a year, go for the 176.

I would get the G3 skin as it works best on wide tipped skis.I would recommend black diamond glidelite sts. also works really well with big mountain twins

Keep in mind that they ski pretty short because of the twin tip and lots of guys my size (5'9", 175) ski the 183's. You should be OK on the 190's if you are a strong skier (sounds like it).No doubt about it cju - you are a 190 without question! I am 6'2" 194 and the 190 is perfect.

Hi. Im a patroller and Copper mnt. and I ski Prophet 100's and I also own some seths and supermojo 105's. Im 6'2" 223lbs and love the prophets they ski and rip in trees like no other extremely quick in the trees and great feel on hucks and landings ski pow well but iff your skiing the backside get something wider than 100mm like the 130's or something wider. also for a stiffer fronside do everthing ski pick up some volkl mantras last year they had some problems with the wood core releasing the bindings but they fixed it this year.

Wow--- it is hard to find a ski that floats well in powder and skis well in bumps because as you go fatter you tend to lose quickness. Both the prohet 100 and goats float well in powder and are quite nimble in trees they are both quick skis and will ski bumps to a certain degree. The vct.s in 182cm are similar but not quite as quick. I have never skied the new kung fujas but i hear they are like the old seths. If that is true i would choose the other two over them. I ski line bacon,s as my all mountain ski and they are very quick even at 115mm in the waist but i tend not to ski bumps and live in the tahoe area so we get lots of fresh snow. The 100,s are softer then the goats if you prefer a softer ski after getting beat up by your mantra,s also look at the mommet bibby pro they are as fat as bacon,s but rockerd and stiffer but pretty quick for a fat ski. As for steepness both goats and prophet 100,s will handle as well as your mantra,s do but now you can do it switch.

go 183cm goats run short also take a look at line prophet 100 or 4frnt vct in 182. both these skis are similar to goats but imo have a better flex to them.

Is that a question? If you're raving about the B3 and wondering if the Gotama will cut the mustard, I can tell you that I have several friends who ski the Gotama and describe it as just shy of orgasmic in every situation. That said, with a review like that I'd just keep the Rossies. If you're raving about the Gotama, put it in the review section. It's less confusing for others looking at it and you never know, you might get Review of the Month. Everyone can use $50.

there are woman's specific skis, and the gotama ski isn't one of them, so it could be considered a mens ski, but there's no reason a woman couldn't rip on emedit- the Kiku is the women's version of the Gotama. Slightly softer and lighter.

No, this years model is better on hard pack ;-)... because of the vertical sidewalls