The Volkl Blaze roared onto the scene a few seasons ago as a departure from both their freestyle-focused Revolt series and their cult-classic, directional, metal laminate Mantras. With a lightweight construction and deep tip rocker, the Blaze was marketed as a lightweight freeride ski designed for free touring. Ski it inbounds, or take it out of bounds. As many customers liked the more forgiving ride and lightweight construction for inbounds skiing, Volkl delivered significant updates to the hallmark skis in the collection to optimize them better for resort skiing. We spent some time on the Blaze 104 early season and mid-winter at Blister Summit down in Crested Butte. After a few days on it, I’m thoroughly psyched with the updates and think the updates widen the range of skiers who can get down with it. Read all the details and thoughts in our full Volkl Blaze 104 Review.
Volkl Blaze 104 Review: Field Notes
The new Volkl Blaze 104 replaces the Blaze 106 from previous years. It comes in two top sheet options to serve consumer preferences, but are both in a full-size run and completely the same. So what’s new inside? The Blaze gets an updated core construction with the skis gaining a little weight and a tweaked tip shape. Volkl uses their 4 Radius Drive new tech on these skis, with a refined tip shape and sidecut to help increase dampness and predictability in the tip. The Blaze features their “Suspension Tips and Tails”, with TPU inserts to help dampen and further stabilize these rockered tips and tails. When you hand flex the ski, it still feels relatively stiff. Especially underfoot, where a partial titanal plate lives.
Overall, the skis retain their deeply rockered, yet directional profile and lightweight construction. Volkl’s goal is just to better optimize the ski’s performance in poorer snow conditions.
I skied the new ski in a 172cm, an ideal length for me at 5’8″ and 130 lbs. We skied everything from freshly groomed trails to afternoon chop, steep bumps and tight trees. I’ve spent a good amount of time on the old Blaze, so I have a good reference for the old ski’s performance.
Groomers
Now that the Blaze isn’t being pitched as the backcountry touring model it once was, performance on trail becomes a whole lot more important. Thankfully, the Blaze has always ripped a groomer considering the shape, weight, and waist width. The new model is no different. In fact, it’s better.
This new version feels more precise while in a carve and locks into turns well. There’s significantly less chatter in the tip, and you feel like you’re using the whole contact length of the ski to carve. I found I had plenty of ski in front of me to lean into. Underfoot, the ski has plenty of torsional stiffness to feel like I could lean it over on edge, and track a turn through harder snow.
For a 104mm waist, the ski feels responsive and easy to roll on edge. It’s still over 100mm underfoot, so I wouldn’t say it’s as nimble or quick to roll on edge as the narrower Blaze 94, or other narrower models. But, I would say it leans on the nimble side for the waist width. It gets on edge quicker than something burlier like a Nordica Enforcer 104. I’d compare it to a Black Crows Atris or a K2 Mindbender 106 C in terms of groomer/carving performance. Stable and predictable, but not ultra damp at speed. You won’t feel bombproof at higher speeds, but the rockered tails never wash out on you or feel too loose to hold an edge.
Of course, the Blaze is incomparable to the more hard-charging Volkl Mantra and Katana series on groomers. I’d carve all day long on my Secret 102s. But, what you lose in terms of stability and a super high ceiling of performance on trail, you make up for off-trail in nimbleness.
Bumps and Trees
The Volkl Blaze 104 is impressive in tight terrain. The lightweight construction is easy to flick around, and I appreciated the intuitive ride.
I found the more playful side of this ski in this terrain, with more energy and how quick it felt. As noted above, the ski is still somewhat stiff. So when you run into a bump or take a funky turn, the ski can feel rigid and not as compliant as a much softer ski might. But, it still feels easy to get the ski around big bumps or trees. And you get the benefit of stability on chalkier or firmer snow conditions. The tails are easy enough to release, and I can navigate through tight lines with fluidity. It’s just when you do hit a bump or miss a line, the ski does let you know. That’s true for many stiffer skis, but they often come with a heavier weight or a more unforgiving ride.
Even though it has healthy rocker in the tip and tail, the Blaze is still a directional ski. The mount point is further back, and the tail isn’t super tapered and doesn’t have as much rocker as the tip. I do think the Blaze prefers to have a more directional pilot, just because it seemed to prefer pressure on the shovels most of the time.
What’s impressive is despite how directional the ski is, I feel like I can get it sideways fairly easily. This is a ski that rewards good technique and finesse, but doesn’t require it. Combined with the lighter construction, the Blaze feels “forgiving” in the sense that it’s not hard work. It’s not a progressively mounted, playful ski that wants to pivot. But, for a stiff, directional ski, the Blaze is intuitive and relatively easy to get around.
Mixed Snow and Powder
The Blaze always floated well for its size, and the new Blaze carries on the tradition. The wide, tapered tip really helps get you on top of the snow. We didn’t get any “fresh” powder, but I did get to ski some tracked-up soft chop on the Blaze.
I found the new tip shape and rocker profile to stay consistent and track well through choppy snow, especially considering how light the ski is. Again, the ski likes you to have at least the slightest directional stance for those tips to perform well, but it doesn’t feel hard to do that, even in challenging conditions. This ski doesn’t suit ultra-centered styles like an Armada ARV 106 or Faction Studio. But, it doesn’t demand the precision or power of some metal laminate skis with similar rocker profiles.
That combination packs a punch for skiers looking to progress, or skiers who don’t ski super aggressively, but still appreciate a technical style. For me, that equals a ski that has a huge sweet spot. Easy handling in soft snow, lively to bounce in and out of powder stashes, and not so burly that it feels like a lot of work to turn in more challenging snow.
I think a big improvement over the previous models is the precision. In chalky steeps, the ski feels quick to lock on edge and find some grip in slippery snow. It feels reliable and predictable, which is all I can really ask for in a ski while skiing challenging and steep terrain.
Downsides?
Where the Blaze excels with ease of turn initiation, if you’re getting into this ski for a heavy hitter that charges through snow, you might not get the stability you’re looking for. It still leans on the lighter side of things, and folks who jive with the charging style of the Mantra series, you won’t get the same performance.
Volkl Blaze 104 Review: Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a versatile ski for all-mountain conditions on the wider side, the Volkl Blaze 104 delivers. Versatile is a hot keyword in ski lingo, and very rarely do skis deliver. This ski can lay an edge on a groomer, float in soft snow when you find it, and navigate off-trail terrain in between storms. It prefers a slightly directional style but keeps it easy to get there. The light-ish construction keeps your legs fresh.
That combination makes for a wicked ski for folks looking to progress off-trail for how confidence-inspiring it feels. Or, for anyone who likes to ski with a directional style with a supportive ski. As someone who likes directional metal laminate skis, like the Faction Dancer 3 and my beloved Volkl Secret 102, the Blaze delivers a lot of the supportive and predictable features I love, in an easier-going and more playful package. Best of both worlds.
