Völkl V-Werks BMT ski, Gold Award Winner

Völkl class the BMT94s (Big Mountain Touring series) as pure touring and pure freeride, which is both bold and accurate. Getting the power into a lightweight ski is as much art as science, and the 94 has both cracked. 

“I wasn’t sure about this from the spec,” stated Fall-line’s Backcountry ed and guide Martin Chester, “but then I skied it, and I was.” 

To give you an idea of the impact this ski has had, retesting after the Ski Test was limited because the demo models had been bought on the spot and the entire production run was pre-sold. Job done, as far as the Völkl team were concerned.  

We had to revisit our own tests and quiz the retailers who’d decided that a backcountry carbon ski costing upwards of £800 was just what their customers wanted. We are talking about a niche within a niche within a niche here.

Key spec is a full wood core, full carbon wrap and full rocker, plus
a straightish sidecut for clinging to the side of the sort of slopes designed to keep one’s adrenal gland fully paid up. When put to the test, either heading uphill or being booted hard down the backside, the BMT94s delivered performance beyond expectation. Skinning a touring ski is simple enough, but given the area underfoot this really does feel light. It’s when you’re hammering hardpack that light skis start to bend in inappropriate ways, but the BMT94 doesn’t. It rails, it flexes and it responds. 

We love that there’s a market for advanced tech in the UK, and that the retail trade are starting to feel some wind in their sails again. But most of all we adore lightweight, top-performance and classy skis that threaten to top almost every category with their usability.