Swiss Army Knife? More like Chef’s Knife.
The Volkl Secret lineup has never been known to fit the stereotype of a softer flexing, more forgiving women’s specific ski. No ma’am. Both of the Secret models (the narrower Secret 96, and the wider Secret 102) hold slots as some of the highest performing women’s skis around. Featuring an identical construction to the men’s Mantra series, the Secret delivers full blown suspension and support for aggressive skiers. But, just how demanding is it? After spending a few days on it at the Powder7 Ski Test in March, I’m here to share my thoughts (and some other lady staffers’ thoughts) in our Volkl Secret 102 review.
Volkl Secret 102 Review: Field Notes
The Volkl Secret 102 got an update for 2023/2024 to follow the changes the Mantra 102 received last year. That includes their Carbon Tailored Tip, found across their whole all-mountain series, as well as the Tailored Titanal Frame.
The Tailored Titanal Frame builds on Volkl’s interpretation of “metal where you need it”. You’ll find plenty of all-mountain and big-mountain ski models on this train, all with various designs of metal shapes. Volkl’s is unique, with the metal shaped like a U, hugging the tips and tails and meeting underfoot. This gives you a full frame all around the ski. The “tailored” part comes in with the size. The longer the length, the more metal, and vice versa. In theory, this gives you a ski that is proportionally aligned to your size.
The Tailored Carbon Tips are a fun new feature too. Volkl added these to help provide energy and quicker turn initiation. By loading the tip up with energetic carbon fiber, the ski is naturally able to feel more agile and precise, starting from the tips that you’re driving.
I’m about 5’8″ and 130lbs, and enjoy riding skis in the upper 160s to mid 170s. The 170cm length was perfect for me, shorter would have felt a bit twitchy while the 177cm (a length I feel comfortable skiing something like the new Armada ARW 100) would have felt unwieldy in tight terrain.
Groomers
The Secret 102 feels completely predictable and stable while carving. The edges lock into the snow without any hesitation. Transitions from icier, skied off patches to grippy, edgable snow were smooth, and the ski does an excellent job at staying secure on less than confidence insipring snow. I had no compliants of chatter or felt any kind of speed limit on the ride.
Compared to the Nordica Unleashed 98 or the new Blizzard Sheeva 10, you do have to be a bit more on top of the shovels. The Secret isn’t as willing to slide and slarve turns. The 3D Sidecut Radius allows you to play around with turn shapes, but it will want you to pressure the shovels with more of a directional style, rather than upright and centered.
There’s no secret (pun intended) that at 102mm underfoot, this won’t be the quickest carver. But that certainly doesn’t mean the Secret can’t carve mean trenches. It just takes a little more work to tilt it over and really lock it on edge. If trails are more your thing, the Volkl Kenja 88 and narrower Secret 96 will feel quicker underfoot. You’ll see below, but the Secret 102 shines in deeper snow.
Annabelle M.: “I thought the edge hold on groomed terrain was 10/10 for its width, but honestly, really for any width.”
Bumps and Trees
In tight terrain like bumps and trees, the stiffer construction and demanding nature of the ski feels noticable. If you like to maintain a forward stance all over the mountain, the Secret 102 will work well for you in this terrain. The Secret definitely makes easy work of challenging snow conditions here. It does a great job of dampening and smoothing out scraped off or icy bumps and plowing through slush.
But let off the gas for a second, and she’ll let you know. Missing a turn or making a mistake in your line feels more punishing than other skis in this class, but staying on the shovels makes it that much more rewarding.
For me, the Secret 102 felt more manuverable in bumps than something like the Rallybird 104 Ti (which has less rocker), but it won’t be as easy to slash or slide as the Black Crows Atris Birdie or Faction Prodigy 3X (which are more twin-tipped, playfully shaped). If you like to get your skis sideways and slash, you might feel like the Secret is fighting you a little.
Annabelle M.: “It was more manueverable than I’d expected, but the stiff tips are still pretty unforgiving on deep, firm bumps.”
Powder and Mixed Snow
Now this is where the magic happens. I don’t think I’ve ever skied from the top of Lift 9 at Loveland so fast.
The Volkl Secret 102 excels in deeper snow and mixed conditions. It’s predictable and smooth riding, with zero speed limit. I confidently took larger turns through quite variable snow (wind-blown sastrugi, deeper soft snow, back to wind-scoured) at speed, and it felt natural. I tend to ski with a more dynamic style—more turns, popping with a lot of energy—so the Secret 102 asked for a slightly different style than I’m used to. But, the ski is so confidence inspiring, you can immediately get on it and hit the gas pedal without fear. It’s a really unique experience to fully trust the skis to eat up any variable snow in your way and make sure you don’t feel a wink.
Despite the weight and minimally tapered shape, I thought the Secret 102 floated fairly well in powder. It’s not the most playful or surfy ski in this category, but it gets on top of the snow without issue. And again, it really shines when dealing with mixed snow. I think that all makes sense when you look at the ski’s design. Coming in at 102mm underfoot, Volkl isn’t intending to make a deep snow powder player. It’s intended use is for those in-between days, or in terrain that requires handling variable and cruddy snow, all while floating perfectly well in up to a foot of snow.
Annabelle M.: “I was a little intimidated by the reputation of the ski, but I found it was well within in my ability, especially in open spaces. And it crushed in powder too. Normally, it takes me a couple of turns to find my groove in powder, but on the Secrets, I had 3 perfect turns right off the bat.”
Downside?
As with so many things in life, the Secret’s strength is simultaniously a downside. Because of the uniformly stiff nature of the ski, it has a tendency to feel punishing if you happen to slide into the backseat. Compared to some other skis like the Line Blade Optic 104 or the Rossignol Rallybird 102, the Secret is a little harder to recover from a missed turn or a line mistake.
The ability to recover from a mistake is a lot easier in open terrain than tighter terrain on the Secret. Tight bumps, trees, or chutes require more precision. This may not be a problem for some advanced or expert skiers who priortize that stability above all else. But some folks might prefer feeling like they don’t have to be “on” all day long. It just depends what you want to priortize. Again, if you ski in a lot of open terrain, I think this becomes less of a concern for you.
Bottom Line
My biggest takeaway from my days out on the Secret was that I should buy this ski. It gave me confidence to tackle things with speed, ski faster, and tackle things more aggressively. It does feel like it would be a bit “much” for playing around in bumps with buds, and it wasn’t my favorite for popping off of jumps and drops. But that’s where another ski could come in. And for skiers who like the idea of a powerful ski and prefer something on the wider side, you’d be hard pressed to find something that fits that bill as much as the Secret.
I have spent a good amount of time on the Secret 96, and that feels much more reasonable as a true “all-mountain” ski. Quicker in the bumps, more responsive on the groomers, and overall easier to move around in resort conditions. But if you’re looking for a big-mountain ski to feel confident in bigger, deeper terrain, the Secret 102 is perfect for the job.