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old volkl P series skis: what's your favourite?

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cloudymind

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There were both harder and more corrosion resistant edges in the 90s, but the standouts on both those fronts were difficult to sharpen by hand.
infact i have the "sharpening tool". usually works ok-ish but not so much with older skis. also i like my modern head gsrd but i'm sure i didn't put an incredible amount of km on them.
fact is that edges were 90° back in the day and modern shops refuses to work on them. maybe i can ask to a local shop near a mountain resort.
 
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cloudymind

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voelk 1.JPG

here my purchase. the voelkl p20 are as colored as i remember, they came with marker m51 which look in great shape, anyway need to be repositioned. i think i never skied old SL style skis. my understanding is that the cool ones were the RS version but these are in perfect conditions. they seem a bit heavier and stiffer than the k2.
k2 i bough just because they look cool, also i remember cool advertising from Glen plake, they are in ok conditions, just a bit of superficial rust. bindings will be changed with the ones i have on my older skis.
i know nothing about the model, i can read "carbon pro stuff" "easy turn base" and tCPS or could be CCPS..?... for sure they were marketing geniuses.
they are much lighter than my GS. i plan to do some in-week runs by bus... if they fit in the ski rack
 

Bill Talbot

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Old Volkls.... yes those can be great fun! The P40 Platinum gets the most use, the Green meanies next to them ( P40 F1) have no speed limit. I'm fond of the Weltcup Renntiger R for an older ski. And the P9 SL is a lot of fun too.
Volkl tops1.jpg
 
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François Pugh

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Since I only have one, I guess it has to be my "Green Meanies". They look just like yours, but IIRC mine are P50 F1 Energy at 188 cm long. From what I have read, the P50s, being less stiff longitudinally, are meaner. Let me explain. They are so confidence inspiring, they suck you into doing things you shouldn't, then aren't quite stiff enough to bail you out when you make bad decisions.

True story: I skied my Volkl 190 Machete G skis most of the day, then switched to the P50s. Last run, discussing lines with chair mate, decided to minimize turns, and maximize speed. He would take right side and go directly to lift line in hopes of getting another "last run". I would head over to the left side and then come back over to the right. It looked like we missed a second last run, but "stick to the plan".

I fully expected chairmate to be way ahead of me, since I covered more distance, but as I am cutting back under the lift, I do a shoulder check, chairmate is heading for the lodge about to kill me. New plan! Hard left, with a touch of hockey stop thrown in. Collision avoided. So far so good, but then I think, "If I unweight and come down hard on the tips, I can still make this right turn before the lift tower. My Machetes would have made it.

The P50s bent to a greater than anticipated steering angle and skidded instead of cutting the expected groove. I was about to have a 45 mph collision with a lift tower. New Plan! Bail out of the turn. Abandon ship! The ski patroller watching the whole thing gave me full credit for the shoulder check, but seemed more impressed by the ensuing triple summersault with a half twist.
 
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Spuddy

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Cloudymind, did you get to run your new Volkls yet??

I've got a pair of Orange p20 RS supers @ 195 (short!) that are waiting patiently for binders.

And hello Bill! I've been lurkingly admiring your Volkl stash for about a decade...

Screenshot_20230208-011925.png


This is a screenshot from your epicski thread "Volkl at the turn of the Century...."

I see your stash is still growing. Congrats!
You are my hero!
 

Bill Talbot

Vintage Gear Curator
Industry Insider
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Posts
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Cloudymind, did you get to run your new Volkls yet??

I've got a pair of Orange p20 RS supers @ 195 (short!) that are waiting patiently for binders.

And hello Bill! I've been lurkingly admiring your Volkl stash for about a decade...

View attachment 191889

This is a screenshot from your epicski thread "Volkl at the turn of the Century...."

I see your stash is still growing. Congrats!
You are my hero!
Yes! Good times @ EPIC. Lots of traffic on the Retro Memories Thread!
 

cantunamunch

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Well technically so are my P40 Platinum and P40 F1.
2001.
Both 100-63-86. But the F1 has a bit more spice!
For reference my P50 F1 are,
(2002) Volkl P50 F1 Race Carver, 188cm, 102-65-88

For completeness, post should include differentiators :) and a timeline of tip design - sharp long tips to 99 center damper to 2000+. wraparound plastic.
 
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cloudymind

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Cloudymind, did you get to run your new Volkls yet??

I've got a pair of Orange p20 RS supers @ 195 (short!) that are waiting patiently for binders.

And hello Bill! I've been lurkingly admiring your Volkl stash for about a decade...

View attachment 191889

This is a screenshot from your epicski thread "Volkl at the turn of the Century...."

I see your stash is still growing. Congrats!
You are my hero!
did give them a try, but the snow was rubbish.
they skied quite well, must try again on better snow
 

François Pugh

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Well technically so are my P40 Platinum and P40 F1.
2001.
Both 100-63-86. But the F1 has a bit more spice!
For reference my P50 F1 are,
(2002) Volkl P50 F1 Race Carver, 188cm, 102-65-88
Sounds a lot like mine: Volkl P50 F1 Energy 188 cm, with 3D sidecut technology, and powered by titanium, made in Germany. The sidecut now measures 101 - 64 - 88, after much sharpening. The front and middle seems to have worn more than the tails.
Here they are in a group photo with their friends.

20171206_220209.jpg


They don't race, but they do carve.
 
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James

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The P-10 was sweet. I only skied it one day, but it was so nice to get back what you put into it. I ended up getting the P20’s but then couldn’t ski them for a year due to injury.
 

Nobody

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Here it is, my Voelkl P series quiver
Some were purchased new, some at "garage sales" (Decathlon shops "Trocatlon"):
20230501_161447.jpg

As a bonus, my 204 K2 KVC Comp slalom.
205 P9 RS Super 2 pairs, identical to the bindings. One for everyday skiing, one for racing. Purchased new together with the K2 (one pair). Used, gift from a colleague, the other pair.
188 P40 F1 purchaesd at a sale, used
198 P40 F1 purchased new, my daily driver for many years after the P9s and the K2.
178 P50 RC purchased at a sale, used.
 

James

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^ You need the P30 RC, with the plastic tip piece.
That’s the one I wanted to buy for my first shaped ski after many demos. I even tried the 198cm. Knees still hurt thinking about skiing that.
Of course the P30’s were sold out. Got P40F1 193cm. In general, too stiff. Also, too long, but we didn’t believe the “go down 20cm” . That ski went to someone in Canada some years ago.
198cm- you were torturing yourself!

I did have a race stock 198cm P40 F1, full laminate construction, very thick in the middle. The plan was to use it for super g. I never mounted it. That ski went to someone in Belgium on epicski years later.

The other interesting one is the next generation P40’s with the Energy Power Rail plate. The one with a large raised plastic plate on it. They cheapened and streamlined it into the Motion system. That plate was amazing. I had the 177(!) slaloms. You want to go short on that.
 
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James

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No love for the first season p30RC with the plasticless tip?
Pretty sure there were two P30 versions without the plastic. Didn’t ski them.

The interesting thing is after the P30rc, in general, people were done buying a race ski as their one ski. Volkl had the 5 star, Solly the X Scream, which was hugely popular.
 
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