Model year: 2023-2024
Sidecut: 115-67-98
Size: 178
Radius: 17.5 m
Technology: wood core, full sidewall, tip rocker, camber underfoot, two sheets of metal, tailored carbon tips
About this ski
The Racetigers have been around forever. Last season, both the SL and GS version had an update. An upgrade, really. No more UVO (Ultimate Vibration Object) to dampen the rockered tip. Instead, the good people of Völkl put in the carbon stringers in the tip that were first introduced in the M6 Mantra a year before.
The rest of the construction has largely remained untouched in terms of materials and techniques used. The lengths of this ski have changed though. Now, the GS ranges from 168 to 183 in 5 cm increments. That’s 3 cm longer at every stop compared to the previous version. Not a huge change, though, but worth mentioning.
Energy
What did change, however, is the energy of the ski. The previous one was quite well-behaved as long as you had your timing and bodyweight positioning right. They had a huge sweet spot, which made for a ski that was easy to handle and needed very precise timing to get angry.
In the new ski, it’s the other way around. This ski is an overactive dog that is much stronger than it seems. It may pull you out of control if you don’t give it very precise and very deliberate commands. Its grip is sensational and the energy out of a turn is just ecstatic. They do play nice if you’re very very focused. But if you let them rip – or worse: let them loose – they DO rip.
Conclusion
A beautifully energetic and awesome, maybe even light-footed hard snow high speed ski. They may be a lot to handle if you’re not that confident a skier, though. That’s a warning. Do not let the tiger roam free. It might bite.
Characteristics
| Playful |  | Stable |
| Forgiving |  | Punishing |
| Lively | | Damp |
| Skidding | | Carving |
| Low speed | | High speed |
| Short turn | | Long turn |
| Soft snow | | Hard snow |
Your comment: That’s 3 cm longer at every stop compared to the previous version.
I think it should be “2 cm shorter than the previous model” There was no 165 cm version and the longest length was 185 cm.
On paper, you would be right. On snow, however, I find the new 178 skis similar to the 175 (rather than the 180). That’s why I stated it the way I did.