The Volkl Kanjo is a brand new ski for 2018 and sits right next to two very famous, popular skis from Volkl: the Kendo and Mantra. The Kanjo, however, does not use two sheets of metal like its “bigger” brothers (they are wider, so technically bigger is correct). It instead uses a construction that we saw for the first time for the 2017 in the form of the Volkl Confession and that is Titanal Band. Titanal Band is a single strip of metal that runs down the center of the ski. It is drastically lighter than a ski with two sheets of metal, but still retains the benefits that metal provides like vibration dampening and a smooth overall feel. The Kanjo is designed as a versatile all mountain ski. It has a waist width of 84 mm, tip and tail rocker, and a moderate turn radius of 19.6 m at 175 cm. What did our testers think of it?
Jeffrey Siegel thought the Kanjo felt much more forgiving when compared to the Kendo and Mantra thanks to the reduced amount of metal. He tested the 182 cm length and gave it a 5 out of 5 for forgiveness, but was impressed by the energy and power Volkl retained with the Titanal Band construction. “The Kanjo was a surprisingly good carving ski, especially considering how soft it is.” He did, however, mention that it prefers to be on edge as opposed to riding a flat ski. He commented that “it feels a little squirrely at speed until you engage the edge. Once you have that edge in it bites and won’t let go until you let it.” It’s not, however, super hard to release that tail edge like it can be on really stiff carving skis. It’s light and forgiving enough that you can swing it sideways relatively easily. He continued to describe the ski as “a fun, lively, and playful ski. Again, for a ski that is this forgiving it has a surprising amount of power and pop.”
Jeff Neagle (yes their last names rhyme, yes it’s confusing) agreed with Mr. Siegel in terms of the skis impressive amount of energy, pop, and power considering the light weight and ease-of-use. In fact, Jeff thought that the Kanjo felt like it had more energy than the Kendo and Mantra thanks to the removal of metal that has left a snappy core feel. After spending some time on the 175 cm he commented that they have “more energy than the Kendo and Mantra, but at the sacrifice of some stability.” Skiers who ski at really high speeds may prefer the extra dampening that comes along with two sheets of metal, but Jeff did say that he thought the Kanjo is “great for intermediate to advanced skiers who spend most of their time on groomers. It’s refreshingly light, quick, and easy to ski, but still holds an edge impressively well.”
Marcus Shakun thought the Kanjo “can do it all!” He went into great depth about his initial impression and how it was shattered by the skis performance: “At first I wasn’t sure how stable the skis would be with just a titanal band running down the middle, but after high speeds down the trail it proved worthy to just about anything you can throw at it.” After skiing the 182 cm he described it as a “quick turning ski, but will let you open it up and make wide open turns as well.” Although Marcus thought it held up to relatively aggressive skiing, he did also comment that it’s more relaxed than some skis. He commented that they are likely best for “solid intermediate to expert skiers looking for an all mountain ski that has some forgiveness. You don’t need to be on top of it at all times.”
We think the Kanjo is going to be a favorite among, as Marcus put it, solid intermediate to expert skiers who want something that’s a little more user-friendly than a ski with two sheets of metal, but still value high performance. Oh, and it rips in moguls and tight trees thanks to the slight early taper and light overall weight. Kanjo? How about Can-do.
