For those of a freeheel persuasion—these four skis were chosen by our testers as standouts in the telemark category.
VOILÉ X7
$695 – voile.com
SIZES: 170, 180, 190
DIMENSIONS: 131/105/121
WEIGHT: 7 lbs. 6 oz. (180)
“Voilé has a better winning streak than the ’70s-era UCLA basketball team! What can I say? Voilé does it again! Nimble and buoyant twin tip that should please all but the do-it-in-the-wool traditionalist. The right amount of tail rocker and underfoot camber is hard to pull off but so rewarding when it’s done right.”
—Shaggy Bailey | Steamboat Springs, Colo.
6 ft. | 170 lbs.
LIBERTY ENVY
$725 – libertyskis.com
SIZES: 156, 167
DIMENSIONS: 135/105/122
WEIGHT: 7 lbs. 6 oz. (167)
“Fun-O-Rama! These skis were effortless to turn…had more fun and pop than a party in a bouncy house.”
—Becca Friedlander | Big Sky, Mont.
5 ft. 4 in. | 125 lbs.
VÖLKL 100EIGHT
$825 – volkl.com
SIZES: 173, 181, 189
DIMENSIONS: 141/108/124
WEIGHT: 8 lbs. 11 oz. (181)
“These things rail. They devour anything in their path, despite the lighter-weight construction. On hardpack, they dig in and hold their edge, coming to life the faster they’re pushed. Best suited for aggressive skiers seeking a lighter-weight, all-around performer, demonstrating that ‘simple is better.’”
—Marla Bailey | Steamboat Springs, Colo.
5 ft. 8 in. | 118 lbs.
MOMENT UNDERWORLD
$749 – momentskis.com
SIZES: 161, 171, 181, 187
DIMENSIONS: 132/106/123
WEIGHT: 7 lbs. 12 oz. (181)
“This would make a great one-quiver for the East. There were ‘camber bubbles’ in front and behind the binding, which at first looked like a mistake, or maybe like they were broken. But the result was a far more damp and controlled performance than I expected. I might have to add these to my own collection.”
—Meg Schultz | Moretown, Vt.
5 ft. 9 in.
One point: These reviews come off as pretty thin, actually REALLY shallow. The first two are more like the response of someone taking a hit of nitrous off of the Rediwhip can, but all lack some essentials like, bias of the tester to turn shape, aggressiveness, style and conditions, boot and binding type, and the age of those genuflecting knees making the turns. We used to get more of this background beta both from Backcountry and from Couloir. With Wildsnow focused pretty much entirely on AT, it is a real struggle to find good Tele specific reviews. Go deeper!
Matt the stellar crystals be with you,
Burnsie
Carbondale, CO
Burnsie, If you’re looking for testers’ takes on individual skis, head to our Testers’ Choice reviews. And for more detailed reviews, check out the print edition of the Gear Guide, available on newsstands and at backcountrymagazine.com.store. Or if you’re looking for further info about a specific product or tester, drop me a line and I’m happy to dig into our test forms for you.
Well said. I totally agree we could use more tele-specific in depth reviews.