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

[Nobody]

^ 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.

Indeed! The First times my knee were in such a pain that I had to use some soft brace to help them, until I figured out how to ski them...the following season the pain was, magically, gone...
See, that was the last pair available at the shop at a discount. My cousins having purchased, mere minutes earlier, the last available in 193/188 (not sure which) I was also targetting...so when I found those at a sale,, years larter, how could I pass?

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.

Oooh the * stars! I wished soo much to get a 6 Stars in 168 or better still a Supersport Superspeed in 175/180!
But then when I could, I decided I had become too old and unfit (and with not enough funds) for such a ski and re-oriented myself toward the almost contemporaneous Nordica Hor Rod Top Fuel, which became my do all daily driver for the following 10+ years and which I still ski today, as an alternative to the Race Tigers GS... Another ski I lusted at was the Salomon Crossmax 10, more than the X Screams...

 

[cantunamunch]

Another ski I lusted at was the Salomon Crossmax 10, more than the X Screams...

Smart man. And then, later, the Crossmax W12

 

[James]

I remember the 168 Six Star as being too stiff.
I think the Five Star was the ski, and Volkl did what they were known for then - made the next one too stiff. Possibly the longer 175 would be better in the Six Star.

But people did bend the fronts of the Five Star, so watch out. I remember seeing one in the lift line with the whole front off the snow.

 

[cantunamunch]

^the Chick Star was the secret sweet spot.

 

[Nobody]

I remember the 168 Six Star as being too stiff.
I think the Five Star was the ski, and Volkl did what they were known for then - made the next one too stiff. Possibly the longer 175 would be better in the Six Star.

But people did bend the fronts of the Five Star, so watch out. I remember seeing one in the lift line with the whole front off the snow.

I think I said it earlier...A guy I know bent a P9 RS Super and a friend of mine a P9 RS ( the pink model)...

 

[Rdputnam515]

I loved the P40 and P50.

I hated my Vertigo G30 and loved my Vertigo G3s lol

 

[cantunamunch]

I loved the P40 and P50.

I hated my Vertigo G30 and loved my Vertigo G3s lol

Ever tried the G4?

 

[Rdputnam515]

Ever tried the G4?

Never have. I skied the G3s for about 10 years I liked them so much. Them I moved right to 90+ waist skis.

i wanted the G4 but lived in the Midwest so it was not practical. I moved to CO in 2012 and moved on to wider skis

 

[James]

Was it the G3 or G4 that was black with white stripes? Very good looking at the time, very different.

 

[Rdputnam515]

Was it the G3 or G4 that was black with white stripes? Very good looking at the time, very different.

The G4, the G3 was goldish

 

[Nobody]

G30/G40 and G3/G4 ...another two series I lusted about and never got to get due to lack of funding...

 

[cantunamunch]

G30/G40 and G3/G4 ...another two series I lusted about and never got to get due to lack of funding...

I also think I remember a Euro/Canada only piste ski release with an F (4?) designation and a name like Phantom, perhaps to evoke the airplane?

 

[Nobody]

These: https://www.freeride.com/gear/skis/volkl-f4.html ?
I did not remember those, but with a waist of 70mm and a T.R. 10-11 mt and available lenght of 158 and 168, weren't really in my crossair at the time (2002)...I would have considered them "neither....nor", I guess.

 

[cantunamunch]

^I think those were meant to be Volkl's response to the chubby-SL idea like Fischer did with the Sceneo and Elan did with the Whistler/Whisper.

 

[James]

If those are adult skis, I think those were for the Hyper Carver segment. There were carving competitions in Europe. All that’s left of that world are mostly hard boot snowboarders.

 

[cantunamunch]

If those are adult skis, I think those were for the Hyper Carver segment.

You're speaking of skis like the OG Stockli Raver and the Elan HCX and the Volant Silver Surfer and the Atomic 9'08 / 9'10 .

I don't think that was the direction they were going... and the waist size is my evidential proof. There was a time of chubby all-mountain SLs with high 6x - low 7x waists before the Metron, before Dynastar's 4800, and I think these were meant for that segment.

 

[Nobody]

Aaah, yes, now I remember, their pre-decessors were the F20/F30 Fun carvers. Those skis were predating the short SL skis that we know today...I remember at one point thinking, while looking t the SL WC races of the time, "awww wouldn't those Fun carvers skis be neat , used in an SL course?" Lo and behold, Salomon came up with a 165 cm long SL ski shortly thereafter...

 

[Rdputnam515]

If anyone wants an old set of G3s with Marker Piston control 1300s let me know. They can be had with a modest donation to my new jacket fund and shipping.

They are 177cm and the bases are excellent. IF anyone is interested please PM and I can send pics etc. I skied them all the way up until 2018-19 season.

 

[cloudymind]

yesterday my neighbour was cleaning the basement and gave me a pair of old voelkl p30rs.
i was a bit reluctant but noted the shape a bit more "modern" and the "carve control system". also i when bought the p20sl i was looking also for RS.
now i gave them a clean, they have some signs and marks but look ok and hope to give a try this next season. just curious because they are blue. other various RS volkl i saw were green or red.
wonder what they are

 

[Brian Finch]

P9 RS pink color 210cm was my fav ; circa 1992, we’d hunt down NOS sets for years.

Least was the P10 RS super circa 1994; probably a great ski, yet w a 89mm tip in a 213cm I could make the transition to newer style skiing & ended up on a Rossi 218 DH for races that year.

About 1997 I scores some 200cm P9 SLs but skis like the 7S Yellow & SCX made it obsolete quickly.