The Volkl Flair 76 Elite is designed to be a user-friendly, super fun carving ski. There are stiffer, more aggressive, and less forgiving skis in the Flair collection, but Volkl knows that not everyone is a ripping expert skier. Having an approachable ski with good carving performance is important for a company like Volkl, and they’ve put a lot of time and energy into the design and overall concept of the Flair 76 Elite. Although it might not sit at the top of the line, it still uses a dual woodcore, which is a step up from the “non-Elite” version of the Flair 76. Some subtle tip rocker and a relatively short turn radius should make the ski easy to turn for a wide range of skiers. Let’s see how our testers fared.
Katrine Wolfgang really appreciated the performance of the Flair 76 Elite. Katrine actually gave the ski very high scores, which tells us that it’s much more than an entry-level, boring ski. Katrine tested the 161 cm length and scored it high for quickness, playfulness, and forgivingness. Even torsional stiffness and edge grip came in with impressively high scores. Katrine described it as a “nice ski for keeping yourself in control.” That’s really good feedback for a ski like this. Often times frontside carving skis are quite stiff and have a tendency to get away from you a little bit, but Katrine felt the Flair 76 Elite “turns and initiates turns well at safe speeds.” That’s a great performance characteristic for less aggressive or less experienced skiers who want to work on their carving ability.
Ali Berlin definitely agrees, as she commented that the Flair 76 Elite “would be a great ski for introduction to carving and parallel turns.” That means a lot coming from an experienced ski instructor like Ali. If you’re looking to take your skiing to the next level you should consider a ski like the Flair 76 Elite. Ali did mention that it’s “not meant to go fast,” but did mention that it “held its edge through the turn.” While it might not have the stability to go really fast, it’s definitely not a noodle. Overall, Ali thought the Flair 76 Elite felt “floaty and light. Ali was also skiing the 161 cm length.
Despite it being a less aggressive ski compared to the Flair skis at the top of the line, Elissa DeGolyer, who is a relatively aggressive skier, felt they held up to her skiing. “I wasn’t afraid to put a solid turn in these skis.” She also noted that the ski does have a preference to carve, which is another reason why it would be a great ski for skiers looking to progress into linking carving turns. Danielle Nichols, on the other hand, felt that she pushed the ski passed its limits, so if you’re a really aggressive skier you might not find it’s enough ski for you. It’s interesting to see the varying responses from Elissa and Danielle, who are both quite accomplished, high level skiers, but we think that’s important to remember. If you’re a higher level skier the Flair 76 Elite might work for you, but it might not. Both women were on the 161 cm length.
We think the Flair 76 Elite is going to be best for developing intermediates and less aggressive advanced skiers who value progressing their technique over the ability to go fast. As we mentioned, it’s not exceptionally soft, so it will hold up to relatively advanced skiing technique, but it’s not nearly as stiff or powerful as the skis that sit above it in the Flair collection, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing your carving ski.
