Volkl Gotama Ski

Hey tor5347573,

Thanks for the question. When it comes to a recommendation for either the Volkl Gotama Ski or the Armada JJ Ski for a true pow option it will depend a bit on how and where you ski.

If you are situated where fresh snow comes at a slight minimum and you go Mach 3 speeds in most conditions, this is the only time where I can recommend the Volkl Gotama Ski.

The Armada JJ Ski will fit any other fresh snow and competency criteria and is overall a very versatile ski. The only thing it does not do as well or better than the Gotama is charge down harder snow conditions.

If you want to sacrifice float for all mountain go 178. If you want to sacrifice all mountain for float go 186.

They are an easy ski to ski I wouldn't be afraid of 186 if you're an expert skier.

I would go bigger. The early rise tip make these feel shorter.

Hey Veraldi,

The 178cm Gotama is a great all mountain option for skiers looking to step it up and get adventurous with the conditions that they ski on. This could be up your alley if that is what you are looking to do.

The only caution is that if you are looking to jib more often that not, you may want to look elsewhere even in the 178cm size. The profile on the Gotama is not as suited for the pipe as other similarly sized skis are.

I would definitely opt for a ski with at least some degree of traditional camber underfoot if touring the backcountry in order to prevent slippage while skinning (which I heard can be a problem if skinning with completely reverse cambered skis) as well as to provide greater edge grip in firm snow or icy conditions.

The Nunatuq is the touring version of this ski - 20% lighter. Would be a better option if this is the primary use.

I think Lars said it rather succinctly.

If you are an expert skier and can drive a ski, you will have no trouble at all carving up the entire mountain like you're on a couple Ginsus. Not so hot in the bumps at Cannon, but they were all ice anyway.

194cm, Barons center mount. Sharp edges.

I would not recommend this as an East coast ski.

It handles soft snow (not packed powder) and powder quite well. However, this ski was not made for the typical East coast condition: hard-packed or groomed man-made snow.

In the later case, this ski is quite skittish and suffers in overall performance versus narrower and more traditionally cambered skis.

The advert says it is a ski that handles groomers. 'Handles' being the operative word. They should really say it 'survives' hard packed conditions.

If you ask a ski shop in the East for a good quiver-of-one East coast ski, I'm sure that this baby won't be on the list.

Who wrote the ad-copy? I can't believe they said this: "yet allows for phenomenal edge-to-edge contact on the hard pack." ... WRONG. It merely 'survives' in that condition.

"Carbon-reinforced, full wood core provides excellent stability and creates a very lively ski."

It is stable, albeit in soft snow only. Moreso, it is a damp forgiving ski.

It is a smooth-flexing soft turning ski that handles powder and churned up fresh snow quite well.

In other words, get another ski, like a Rossignol Experience 88 (98 would serve as a dual East-West quiver of one ski) or a Mantra (OK for East, better for West), or the Line Prophet 90. They would all be better choices.

Yup. Volkls "ELP" fully rockered design is pretty amazing. I ski Kuros and have demoed Gotamas a couple times - to me they are more stable at speed than traditional camber skis with big sidecut, because the tips are up off the snow and don't want to dart around, but rolled on edge hold a carve well.

They're fine on hardpack, but will take a few runs to get used to.

Depending on your height, weight, and skill, the length can have a big impact on how they ski. i'm 6'3", 195, and preferred the ~195 Gotama overall, but the next size down (186?) was better in bumps, with it's slightly tighter turn radius.

Completely agree with above. Also ski VT. I was in a similar situation winter of 2010...and was torn between Goats and Mantras. I went with the Goats and have been extremely pleased with them. Awesome when I've been out west (Salt Lake), and very good here as well. Granted they're not great when it is hardpack/ice or bumps, but they are great in just about everything else. I think you'd be very happy with this choice

In my opinion yes. This is obviously a great powder ski, and will excel there. But, it became my everyday ski (albeit in Utah) because I found it so versatile. However, consider the following: You can carve on this ski, so long as the terrain is moderate and the snow is not absolutely rock hard. Once you get on a steep terrain, the ski will be skiddy, manageable, but don't expect to be laying arcs down the steeper parts of Liftline at Stowe. Of course, there has to be a trade-off somewhere. Keep the G20s for the "dry" spells, you won't get much for them anyway. I grew up in the Northeast, and skied there for many years - so, I know what you are up against, but think you will ultimately be happy with this choice.

I was in the same boat last year looking to replace my cambered goats. I demoed both twice, day 1 hardpack day 2 6" of fresh. The gotama is better in pow and is easy to pivot thru bumps and trees but the full reverse camber just doesn't seem right for an every day ski. Both are very stable and the shogun has more pop and liveliness. More camber in the shogun felt better for the groomers and stability in crud. They both like long turns and prefer higher speed. Another ski to consider is the liberty helix which I wasn't able to demo late in the season. I tried the 178 gotama and bought 182 shoguns. Both were the right length for me 5'9" & 170.

If you ski out west the Gotama would be an excellent choice, I also would look into the Salomon Czar as well.

I would say the shogun is better on groomers and is lighter weight. while i do love the gotama, the shogun really is a better all mountain ski. The shogun has a nice feel on groomers but the gotoma has gotten more pow oriented over the years. I'd check out the sidstash for another option. Remember generally, the further you move away from 100mm the ski tends to not perform as well on hardpack. The shogun is better edge to edge, lighter weight but which is better in pow? that can be debatable. You really cant go wrong with either ski but the shogun tends to be more fun and rail better on the packed.