Anytime a company can keep one model in their lineup for ten plus years, you know they are doing something right. We have watched the Volkl Gotama evolve over the years, but it has remained steadfast and incredibly popular in the ski market. The Gotama started out as a wide, big mountain ripper with no rocker. As rocker technology evolved, it became more of a powder ski with a flat spot underneath the boot and an extreme amount of full rocker in the tip and tail (otherwise known as reverse camber).
The refinements Volkl made in the 2011-2012 model were subtle, yet completely game changing. The benefits of the fully rockered ski took powder skiing to another level, but with that extreme rocker you get little to no performance anywhere there is an absence of soft snow. The rocker profile was too extreme to get any kind of edge hold on hard pack. That is where the 2012 update came in, reduced the extreme amount of rocker, and made it a more subtle rise in the tip and tail. Now you have a ski that still has stellar powder performance but much improved performance everywhere else.
I had been looking for a ski to add to my quiver that was on the wider side but could still get decent “all mountain” performance. I picked up a 2014 Volkl Gotama this season and mounted some Look Pivot 14’s on it. I call it my “tree ski special.” I feel that the turntable heel on the Pivots gets you maximum retention when ripping through a tight tree line. The reverse camber design on the Gotama allows you to pivot on a dime and maneuver tight spaces very quickly. If you think about all of your power being transmitted directly to that flat spot underfoot, it makes it feel almost as if the tips and tails are not even there.
The powder performance on this 107mm waisted ski is out of this world, and I would say it out-performs some of the wider skis in terms of float. I have never felt it so easy to get up on top of the snow before. If you are lucky enough to have multiple skis in your quiver, there is absolutely no reason you should not have a reverse camber ski like the Gotama. In terms of hard-snow performance, all you need to do is tip the ski up on edge, then you can rip big GS lines with no speed limit. The reverse camber combined with the relatively straight side-cut allow you to make the turn shapes that you want to. Since I purchased this ski to be my “tree ski special,” I went a little bit shorter in length (178cm) then I normally would, and find it nearly effortless to turn at high speeds in tight trees. Of course if this will be your only ski, do not size down.
Powder ski, big mountain ski, or all mountain ripper. Whatever you want to call it, the Volkl Gotama should have a place in your quiver!
