The RTM 81 is part of Volkl’s collection of slightly-wider-than-traditional carving skis. While the 81 isn’t the top of the line ski, it still benefits from top of the line construction like Volkl’s 3D.Ridge and 3D.Glass techniques. The ridge in the 81 is made from steel, which is somewhat common in the RTM line. Steel provides a very smooth, natural flex pattern and is a little more user-friendly than the titanium found in the RTM 86. Just because it’s not sitting at the top of the line, however, doesn’t mean its lacking in performance judging by the feedback from our testers.
Marcus Shakun described it as a “frontside carver that makes energetic, quick, short turns.” Marcus is a pretty big guy, but actually felt like the 177 cm length he was tested skied a little bit longer than he expected. Although the turn radii are about the same, Marcus found it to be quicker turning than the wider RTM 84. Marcus thought it was, “great on soft groomers, but rails on hard pack as well.” Despite it not being the stiffest ski in the RTM line, Marcus found it had plenty of edge grip. In fact, he scored it 4.5 out of 5 for torsional stiffness and added that the “stiff tip and tail gives the ski solid edge hold.” Marcus did think that the ski needs a certain amount of skier input, as he closed out his feedback by saying it’s, “not meant for lazy skiers, it needs to be on edge… and wants to be rolled over quickly.”
David Wolfgang also skied the 177 cm, but didn’t find it felt long for that size. David’s reaction to the ski was short and sweet, saying that it’s “for the advanced skier who is looking for a frontside carver.” He added that it felt “quick turning and playful,” which supports Marcus’ description nicely. In fact, both Marcus and David scored it 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability, which is a really fun, satisfying performance characteristic for a carving ski.
Hans von Briesen really wanted to compare it to the wider RTM skis, which was really nice as we always like to get comparisons to other skis. Hans was impressed most, like David and Marcus, by the ski’s quickness, but he also gave it high scores for torsional stiffness and overall impression. He had some really nice feedback saying, “the narrower RTM is a happy turning ski, but is less stable than its wider competitors.” Hans also touched on versatility. Because of its narrower waist width and preference for quick turns he found it took away from the ski’s versatility, which makes sense. At its 81 mm waist width it’s more of a frontside ski than anything else.
Charlie Roy, a high level PSIA instructor, thought it would be a great ski for someone looking to improve. He thought they would be perfectly approachable for an intermediate level skier, although we would add that you should be a relatively advanced intermediate to get on the RTM 81. The RTM 79 is a little less demanding and quite similar, so if you’re worried about the 81 being too much ski, you could consider the 79. Charlie said it’s “perfect for the intermediate looking to advance.” We can get on board with that description. If you’re looking to take your skiing to the next level the RTM 81 is a great ski.
So, while the RTM 81 doesn’t quite match the performance of its wider brethren, it’s still an impressive ski that is super responsive and a lot of fun to ski on firm snow. It’s more approachable for less advanced skiers than the 84 and 86, but retains a lot of the performance that has made those skis so popular. If you love snappy, quick, energetic carving turns you’ll love the RTM 81.
