The 2020 Volkl Deacon 79 is a re-branded RTM 79 from a year ago. Way back then, our testers were pretty impressed with the quickness and stability of a seemingly “intermediate” carver. With a wood core and steel damping, the Deacon 79 is hardly an ordinary carving ski. The 3D Ridge build gives the ski a ton of stability and precision while keeping vibrations to a minimum thanks to that central ridge. For skiers who are mainly ripping up the groomers, the Deacon 79 has a fairly high-performance ceiling, and is capable of making ridiculously quick carves with some awesome snap built right in. Our testers were all pretty much in agreement that the Deacon 79 has a higher gear than expected.
Bob St.Pierre skied the 177, the longest length, and found it to be short. He’s 6’2” and 215 so that makes sense. As a result, he scored the ski a 5 for quickness and maneuverability. An overall impression score of 4 out of 5 stands out as well, leading us to believe that Bob was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Deacon 79. You can almost hear the surprise in his quote: “Actually a great ski with a very high-performance ceiling. They’re very fun with a stronger-than-expected tail.” He goes on to call them “snappy, poppy, and stable.” It’s nice to hear that a ski can hold a few different and opposing characteristics at the same time, and that skis that are snappy can also be stable. These things are not mutually exclusive, and it’s nice to see in a ski like the Deacon 79.
Also on the 177, Rick Randall loved the quickness and maneuverability of the skis, scoring a 5 out of 5 for those characteristics. All of his other scores were 4’s out of 5, so it’s safe to assume that Rick had a nice time on these things. He calls them an “all-mountain carver that is really playful with good energy from turn to turn. Advanced level skiers can really work this ski, but also great for intermediate level skiers looking to advance.” He continues to praise the ski, calling it “stable with really good edge hold in firm conditions. Easy to break out of a carve into short-swing turns.” Rick finishes his glowing review by stating that he was “very surprised by how much energy I got out of this ski. Great all-mountain carver!” Well said, Rick!
Michael Rooney brings his extensive racing background to the test, so it’s great to get his input on a carver like the Deacon 79. He scored the ski 4’s out of 5 for both stability and forgiveness, showing that he found the 177 to be approachable and poised. His comments speak for themselves: “The Deacon 79 is good for an intermediate skier. It is not too demanding and still makes good carving turns when it is pushed. It tolerates you when you want to relax. The Deacon 79 is stable along almost all of its length unlike other skis.”
It’s great to hear that the Deacon 79 has made believers out of our testers. This is a ski that should not be overlooked, especially by the intermediate to advanced crowd who are looking for a fun, snappy, and stable ski to rip some groomers on.
