Chad Shoulders from Timbers Bachelor Gulch was testing out our demo skis for next year. This is what he has to say about the Volkl Mantra 102. Find out why this is our feature of Things we Love.
Freeriding power with plenty of extras…
MANTRA 102 – With a 102 mm waist, the Mantra 102 is clearly at home off as well as on the piste.
off-piste performance, the Mantra 102 is a really versatile on-piste freerider. Its new geometry with 3D Radius Sidecut and a centre radius reduced by a metre to 19 m not only places the ski in our All Mountain collection, it also enables it to be used absolutely anywhere. Newly installed Tailored Carbon Tips combined with a Tailored Titanal Frame open up completely new creative possibilities. This means the Mantra 102 is sporty for sure, but it’s also relaxed, and it performs not just off the beaten track but on the piste.Tailored Technologies – exclusively from Völkl
The Tailored Titanal Frame, which features in the Mantra, Secret, Kendo and Kenja, is an evolution of the Titanal Frame. In this design, the width of the Titanal upper belt can be adapted to the length of the ski; the resulting torsional stiffness and the desired damping behaviour can be adapted to the skier. The Titanal content is reduced in shorter skis, which means shorter and lighter skiers can get the most out of their skis without excessive effort. The new Tailored Carbon Tips make the Mantra extremely versatile. Carbon fibres applied by means of Tailored Fibre Placement (TFP) allow our engineers to influence curve behaviour with great accuracy. The strength and alignment of the fibres define the force you need to apply and the energy that builds up where it’s needed. Agile shovel reaction is a feature of special note. This means that as soon as you initiate a turn, you can steer the ski in a measured, easy manner. In other words, simply think about changing direction – and it happens. This construction also allows means less weight without any loss of stability.
Multilayer wood core, full-length sidewall and a P-Tex 2100 base complete the specs of this freeriding powerhouse with tip and tail rocker.
