Volkl AC4: Like driving a German sports car

Bob WardAspen, CO Colorado

I know it’s the end of ski season, but I just had to gush a bit about my new skis.

Actually I’ve skied on them for a half-season now, but I swear it’s been a journey of joyous discovery getting to know my Volkl AC4s in different conditions. I’ve skied them now in just about everything, and I must say they ripped it all, except tight bumps (and maybe I’m to blame for that).These are amazingly solid and true all-mountain skis; they’re somewhat heavy but that worked to their advantage skiing the steeps at Highlands this year. They were great in Highland Bowl under any conditions; they surf almost as smoothly and precisely in Styrofoam crud as they do in fresh powder.Even on Saturday, April 8, when G-6 was a minefield of icy death-cookies, my AC4s grabbed the mountain and carved like scalpels as long as I stayed firmly in the front seat. On my old Rossi Bandit XXs, those conditions would have bounced me around like a rag doll on a trampoline.

The AC4s are also an absolute gas on wide groomers like Spar Gulch or Thunderbowl. They just love to carve big, high-speed S-turns and nothing throws them off. Lay them on edge and just let ’em turn.I haven’t driven many high-performance sports cars, but I’m guessing these German skis resemble the BMW I’ve envisioned …I’ll keep the Bandits around for bump days when I’m making a lot of short turns in the hardpack. But for almost everything else, these hard chargers fit the bill.

I know the very end of ski season seems like a strange time to crow about a pair of sweet skis, but now could be the perfect time to nab a pair of AC4s at a spring sale (if you can find them – they’ve been popular despite the $1,000-plus retail price).You won’t regret it.

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