The 100Eight is part of Volkl’s All Mountain Freeride collection. Volkl has designed and engineered the ski to be a versatile freeride ski. Its 108 mm waist width is more than enough for powder skiing, especially when combined with the ski’s full rocker profile. It’s more than just a powder ski, however, as Volkl’s 3D.Ridge and 3D.Glass construction techniques provide enough torsional stiffness and stability for charging through variable terrain, bumpy snow, and even to carve turns on groomers if you can give the ski enough skier input to get it to flex past its already fully rockered shape. We sent out a series of testers on a 181 cm 100Eight and not a single one seemed disappointed with the ski. In fact, the lowest overall impression score it received was 4 out of 5.
Jake Goss thought that the 100Eight felt “surprisingly stable at speed and on firm, especially considering the rocker profile and width.” He thought they were “quick and playful”, but admits the ski does have somewhat of a speed limit. While it can hold its own on firm snow, especially considering its 108 mm under foot, Jake did say “I wouldn’t take it out as my choice groomer ski.” He would, on the other hand, take the 100Eight out on any day with any amount of soft snow, commenting that “this ski loves to be in any amount of snow.”
Brooks Curran concurred with Jake’s thoughts commenting that the 100Eight feels “very light and maneuverable” and that it makes “long smooth arcs and tight slarving turns with ease” Brooks also had a similar impression of the 100Eight’s ability at speed to Jake and mentioned that it is “pretty good at speed until the snow gets rough and hard.” Because the 100Eight is relatively light it will get deflected more than a heavier ski, say something with two sheets of metal. This isn’t, however, a tell-all description of the ski and just because we’re saying it has a speed limit doesn’t mean it isn’t a high performing ski. Brooks puts it nicely by saying it’s “good for someone that is looking for a powder ski that rips on groomers back to the chairlift. They’re very forgiving and won’t tire you out on a long day of skiing.”
Mike Thomas thought the 100Eight was absolutely perfect for the conditions he tested them in: soft, relatively heavy snow. He commented that they were a “perfect ski for today’s soft glop.” He went on to describe them as “playful and nimble, but don’t get knocked around by slush piles.” Mike had a really insightful way to describe the 100Eight as being a “great combination of playful fun with a German “serious” feel.”
And for Rory Burke the 100Eight was like something out of his dreams! He described the 100Eight as being a “quiver of one” and “playful and snappy.” Rory went on to say that despite being impressively stable and having solid torsional stiffness and edge grip, they’re “light enough not to bog you down on a long day.” Also, we’re not the type to focus on graphics and aesthetic appeal very often, but Rory did specifically comment that the “top sheet is easy on the eyes.” We’d have to agree: the military inspired green and digital camo under foot is definitely out favorite graphic in the history of the 100Eight.
The addition of 3D.Glass to the 100Eight has resulted in noticeable improvements. It’s a little bit “more ski” than the previous version, while still retaining the performance features that made it a popular ski in the first place. Now, however, you can comfortably ski a little faster, a little more aggressively, and the 100Eight will respond positively.
