• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

2020 Volkl Kendo 88 quick hit review

WadeHoliday

Out on the slopes
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Posts
458
Location
North Tahoe
Ski, 177 Kendo 88, warden 13 demo binding.

2 in of new snow over skier packed, sun affected/refrozen snow, mostly off piste, lots of bumps..
Skier, 51 yr old finesse skier, ski slowly, smoothly and predominantly rounder turns.

I skied this new Kendo the end of last year, and it was my favorite of the mt rose demo day, but hadn't had a chance to get back on it, and hadn't pulled the trigger on one as last Kendo and Mantra M5 were less than ideal at the speeds I ski. I had a chance to get on it today, and everything I liked was still there.

I believe the titanal frame works really well create a solid ski but keeps it from being to stiff or dead. Nice rebound energy and solid edge feel without feeling demanding.

I also think the 3D sidecut is a beautiful thing! I ski lots of bumps, off piste steeps, and funky snow, and while rocker can work to allow a ski to release easily and not be hooky in the tip, when you lose contact, you lose some of the "suspension" and solidity of having that edge working. With the 3d sidecut, the tip and tail contact points are engaged, but they allow the ski to drift more easily when you chose, and have a solid predictable release.

My dps 79, 174, has a similar feel, in that the sidecut lessens in the tip and tail without really being something I'd call taper.

I mentioned suspension, I like a ski that bends up to help absorb the energy of bump and having that longer but straighter contact seems to allow the ski grab enough to provide the suspension/flex without being grabby or disorienting as it bends up.

Overall, this ski is my new favorite of the mid fats. I'll get another hour or two on them tomorrow at Squaw and ski them back to back with SR 88 and SR 95, as well as the enforcer 93, but today volkl was the winner.

Skis true to length,
who it's for: great all around ski, 1 ski solution, for someone who likes a slightly more traditional feeling ski, but with modern attributes.
Not for: someone looking for a super loose playful ski.

Cheers,
w
 

anders_nor

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Jan 18, 2020
Posts
2,597
Location
on snow
I wanna test the kendo! loved the deacon 84 and the mantra 102. their new 3d radus titanal whatever is more fun, requires some pushing it though.
 
Last edited:

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
Well, @KingGrump, thoughts? You've had many generations.

Volkl was advertising "3-D" sidecut in 2000 with the P40's.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thread Starter
TS
WadeHoliday

WadeHoliday

Out on the slopes
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Posts
458
Location
North Tahoe
Quick follow up, totally different snow, different mountain...

6 in of wind crust snow over big bumps on KT.

Kendo was good, accurate, and solid underfoot. Today, the winner was the Enforcer93 though, maybe width, but probably the extra rise in tip and tail made it more adaptable to a tough condition this am, so I stayed on it a few hours, I do own it after all..

Cheers!
W
 
Thread Starter
TS
WadeHoliday

WadeHoliday

Out on the slopes
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Posts
458
Location
North Tahoe
So, about a year later...
and 2020 Kendo is still my go to ski many days right now. If I was to travel, it could be my 1 ski quiver, great on hard snow, fun in pow, best off piste in 3D terrain. My SR 95 feels a bit more forgiving, a bit shapelier for carving on friendly snow and quieter, but my kendo is quicker, better in bumps and more informative of what's going on under my feet (this is a pro and con, of course). I told a friend, the Kendo is the ski for the skier I want to be, the SR95 is a bit better for the skier I am. Meaning, the stormrider prefers to be ridden and enjoyed, while the Kendo prefers to be driven, is livelier and provides more energetic responses, I have a pretty big quiver right now, and my wife and I are discussing our retirement locations, which got me thinking, if I didn't live 7min from the lift, and was only traveling to ski, what ski would I have and do I own it... I would have my Kendo and I do own it... !
Cheers!
W
 

Bob Yoder

Yoder up
Skier
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
86
Location
Mammoth
nice one wade, yes retire and ski and bike more or ....... is that possible. I still prefer the old kendo with more metal. I still have 1 brand new pair in reserve. I ski the old Kendo in 177 and prefer the new Kendo in 184. I think it is the 3d sidecut, lighter and a little narrower so it turns faster and not as stable for me unless I go the the longer length and then I like it. However I still prefer the old Kendo, 5th or 6th pair now I think. I do have the Volkl M102 and it is a totally different ski than the Kendo. Big, heavy and strong. 3D sidecut definitely works on this one as it turns pretty easy and skis a lot lighter than its carry weight.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453

correct sir
Can you see it, and is it smoothly integrated?
Quite the range of radii.
5A90DB14-D9ED-400B-9911-34A10A142EE7.jpeg

 

Bob Yoder

Yoder up
Skier
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
86
Location
Mammoth
Can you see it, and is it smoothly integrated?
Quite the range of radii.
View attachment 121364
Very smooth, sounds voodoo but it doe work
 

Bob Yoder

Yoder up
Skier
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
86
Location
Mammoth
I am really coming to the conclusion that 88-90mm is the sweet width for most recreational all mountain skiing over a wide variety of terrain and snow conditions.
I think you are correct. It was not that long ago that 88-90 were considered powder skis. My first huge powder ski was the Volant Chubb, heavy and no early rise, rocker or anything 110/90/108 . People used to comment about how huge they were. My head I speed supershape at 68 underfoot are virtually the same width as the game changing Salomon X Scream. Salomon Pocket Rocket was a game changing powder ski which people still use and swear by. 122/90/115 I guess the question is do you want to ski in the powder or on the powder. I used the Rosi S7 for years and decided to go narrower for heli and cat skiing so I took out my resort powder ski the Sin 7 which is 98 underfoot and it was sensational. The guides kept looking at my skis like they were race skis. Now when is gets really deep, thigh high I will go to a 118. I think we have good too big and Phil can comment regarding a bunch of skis that actually have become narrower form 115 back to to 105 range. Certainly more than enough for resort.
 
Thread Starter
TS
WadeHoliday

WadeHoliday

Out on the slopes
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Posts
458
Location
North Tahoe
nice to see you Bob, since you don't ski tahoe anymore with me... !
Good points, I had the last gen kendo and I want to be a bit softer and a bit shaplier for my shorter turn, slower skiing... so there you have it. I sold the old one, and hug the new one.

James, you have to look for it to see it, it just works. More contact than more rockered or tapered skis, but still more friendly in the tip and tail than full contact skis. Maybe a more connected version of "taper" I believe.
Cheers!
W
 
Last edited:

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
@KingGrump , are you enamored of this current multi radii Kendo? (Is the Pope Catholic?) Might this be the one that turns around the hate mail from your years of Kendo recommendations?

I might have to try this one. Might be time to get over the trauma of the last one I tried some time ago. Plank.
 

bremmick

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Jan 30, 2017
Posts
155
Location
Utah
@WadeHoliday do you have anytime on other similar skis in the range you could compare to? Brahma, Enforcer, etc...

Trying to find a demo here in UT to get out on at the moment.
 
Thread Starter
TS
WadeHoliday

WadeHoliday

Out on the slopes
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Posts
458
Location
North Tahoe
Hi Bremmick,
I owned the enforcer 93, it was more friendly in funky snow due to extra width and more rocker, I think the Kendo is a better all around ski, especially for better skiers. Enforcer a bit more forgiving, but less connected.
Haven't skied the brahma in a few gens, sorry. Seems more connected and more "on" the snow oriented than enforcer, but blizzards have often been too stiff for my 163lb of slow skiing finesse...
cheers!
W
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top