By Brand

Volkl Gotama Skis

The Gotama returns unchanged except for a new graphic theme. This has been my personal powder ski for two years now and I see no reason to change or add to my '08 review (below) except to note that we have broken up the fat skis into two rough groups for '09. The Gotama is part of the "Big Mountain" grouping. We classify these as skis that are wide enough for most any powder situation but that still have at least passable utility outside of the powder. Some of the extra wide, special shaped, and specially cambered skis have been set apart as "Powder Specialty Skis."

Jim's review: The Gotama has been a crowd pleaser for a couple of years now and it is easy to see why. The "Goat" offers a superb combination of width, flex, and sidecut for the skier who lives for the off trail. Although there are some minor construction tweaks for '08, Volkl has wisely left the general skiing character of this ski unchanged. I tested the Goat over a two day period in February and got a day of deep untracked powdercat skiing followed by a day of deep leftovers at a resort. Through it all, the ski was a near perfect combination of float in the fluff and power in the goo. The Gotama feels like it wants to "flow" from turn to turn rather than push. This quiet feel inspired confidence even when the light was flat and the terrain was throwing me constant curveballs. When I ventured into an area that was sprouting a patch of soft bumps interspersed with medium tight trees, the Goat was smooth and effortless. This is not the stiffest, most powerful fat ski around, nor is it the lightest and most nimble. It is however, a ski that offers one of the best compromises of all these characteristics. I skied the 183 with the boot on the rearward mounting line and for my weight and preferences, it was perfect. Some bigger faster skiers may want the 190, or a stiffer ski in general, but I'm willing to trade off higher mach capabilities for maneuverability.