Volkl Yumi Review

December 21, 2017
Volkl Yumi
GEAR INSTITUTE RATINGS
84
Flotation
6
Stability
7
Edge Hold
7
Carving Pleasure
7
Turn Variability
7

The Good

  • Easy to maneuver in a variety of snow conditions
  • Quick edge-to-edge
  • Easy to butter or carve

The Bad

  • Predictable, but not exciting
  • Nervous at high speed
  • Too light
THE VERDICT
The Volkl Yumi is a light, agile ski ideal for women who value versatility and stability. Testers gave it high scores Turn Shape Variability and praised the Yumi’s ability to transition well in a variety of turn shapes and snow conditions. At speed, the lightweight Yumi felt nervous and skittish and lacked “oomph” in high-performance turns. Overall, the newly-updated Yumi suits a wide range of ability levels and can hold its own on groomers moderate off-piste areas.
FULL REVIEW

The newly updated Volkl Yumi is a light, agile ski ideal for women who value versatility and stability. Testers uniformly praised the versatility of the Volkl Yumi and felt the updates broadened the appeal to a wider range of ability levels. The 2018 updates include a waist width widening to 84 millimeters. Volkl also added a dampening Titanal Band Construction as well, designed to add stability, shock absorption and an even flex without adding weight. Testers remarked on the “smooth vibe of metal” in the Yumi and many called it “smooth,” “light” and “easy to maneuver.” Conversely, some testers felt it was almost too light and wanted more power underfoot.

The Yumi retains full sidewall construction with a multi-layer wood core, tip and tail rocker, plus moderate tapered tips. This combination is designed to blend all-mountain and on-piste prowess, creating a lively yet stable feel and capable of frontside cruising or off-piste versatility with the ability to butter. That combination, however, left some testers missing Volkl’s legendary edge grip, and they scored as such, listing moderate scores for Edge Hold and Stability. “The all-mountain feel is fine for soft snow, but lacks a little in hardpack,” said one tester. “When the gas pedal is floored, the Yumi can wash out at the end of a long radius turn,” said another tester.

Testers rallied around Turn Shape Variability and the easy maneuverability of the Yumi. “A great combo of traits,” said one tester. “It excels in short turns, feels quick edge-to-edge and thanks to the tapered tip, is easy to butter.” Testers advised expert skiers to look to a longer length of the lightweight Yumi. Ideal customers vary, they say – from “light pilots” to “groomer lovers” to “new sidecountry skiers.” Flotation scores were moderate for the 84-mm-waisted ski with rocker in the moderately-tapered tip and tail.

Flotation

Testers gave the Yumi moderate scores for flotation, but were impressed with the ski’s versatility in variable snow. The moderately tapered front of the ski made the ski easy to butter in soft snow or tight terrain, which attracted testers more than performance in flotation.

Stability

Tester scores varied for Stability. To some, the lightweight Yumi felt nervous and skittish at speed and lacked “oomph” in high-performance turns. Others felt the ski was glassy or whippy at full gas. When skied moderately, however, testers felt the boards felt solid and dependable underfoot. “The ideal customers are a variety of women who value versatility first and stability second,” said one tester.

Edge Hold

Volkl has the market on Edge Hold, a benchmark that skiers compare other skis to. The Yumi received moderate to high scores for Edge Hold, though some testers wanted more. “When the gas pedal is floored, the Yumi can wash out at the end of a long radius turn,” said one tester. Edge Hold was best in short to medium radius turns. The Yumi has a full sidewall construction, designed for power transition along the full length of the sidewalls. Aside from speed, the Yumi held in most conditions and testers appreciated how it felt energetic underfoot and was easy to initiate turns, particularly short radius turns.

Carving Pleasure

Testers praised the Yumi’s agile, light feeling and hyper quickness edge-to-edge. Volkl says the moderate taper design of the Yumi increases precision on-piste as well as easy handling off-piste. The former competitive skiers of the testing group felt the ski was smooth, with decent hold in a variety of conditions. Some wanted better edge grip and rebound energy though others felt that the versatility added pleasure to the performance as a whole in variable snow. The new updates to the Yumi increases its range for ability levels as well as best terrain choices – from groomers to moderate off-piste areas.

Turn Shape Variability

Testers praised the Yumi’s ability to transition well in a variety of turn shapes and snow conditions. This variability even extends to those who dabble in the sidecountry or light powder. Testers felt that the Yumi skis wider than the 84 millimeter middle implies and felt that the ski had an all-mountain ski ride with turn shape and snow versatility. Though aigle and quick edge-to-edge in short turns, some testers felt the ski wash out at the end of long radius turns, thus reducing the Turn Shape Variability scores.

USER REVIEWS

No reviews have been posted for this product.

Related posts