Voile HyperVector

Okay okay, so I'll just start with this statement right here: These skis. Are my babies. I love them so much. I have never been happier with a ski. When I was looking around for this guy, I was riding a Rossignol Super 7 in the backcountry with G3 Onyx bindings. The setup skied okay, but it was heavy. I was looking for a zippy, fun and LIGHT weight ski. In my opinion, this hit the target for sure. My touring mostly consists of longer days in the backcountry, trying to see where I can explore, or trying to scout and ski fun couloirs. At 5'7" I had always skied a shorter ski, and really liked having this shorter length ski of 164. When my husband mentioned Voile, I thought they only made ski straps. But I was happy to be quickly proved wrong. Voile makes bomb-ass skis and splitborads that are, I think, amazing additions to a backcountry quiver.

UPHILL PERFORMANCE

Getting the 164 length ski, my ski weighs 4lbs 6oz for the pair. Yea. That weight should speak for itself on the uphill, but I am here to tell you that these babies rock the uphill. The camber of the ski and width of 92mm means that it isn't too awkward on edgy skintracks, and the rise of the tip means I can easily glide over chunky crud on the way up. In tight trees, and with kick-turns, these things magically twist and turn, and with their length not being too long for me, I can navigate easily.

DOWNHILL PERFORMANCE

Coming from a downhill skiing background and a background of having heavy touring skis, I was weary of being able to control a light ski. And to be fair, on crusty crud, it can be hard to control at times. But so is any uber light ski. For it's weight, the stiffness of the ski and the camber keeps me in good contact with the ground, and also allows me to jump turn with ease. Along with this, the slick early-rise tip keeps me bouncing down the powder of the Cascades (let's face it, we don't get a Continental snowpack's version of powder, so I can't say I've skied them with that light of snow). I am still working on speed and carving with this ski, but I think once I get more confidence in that regard, it will glide with ease.

In writing this, I've had this ski for one full season, and the start of a second season, and I'm still in love. I've charged down icy volcanoes, skied 45-50 degree couloirs, some quite narrow, and I have bounced down in powder. I love these things. My one gripe, since ya know, nothing in this world is perfect no matter how in love with it you are, is that there is no notch for the tailclip of my skins to sit in. This is small potatoes, and ultimately, I deal with it no problem. But if I had to pick something, it would be this. Along with this, the top sheet of the ski is pretty soft, and I am a bit worried of peeling the top sheet back too much where my skin tailclips clip on to the ski. Ultimately I have been able to shave off the knicks, and it hasn't been an issue, but it is something I am keeping my eyes on.