Speed is your friend on the 2021 Volkl Deacon 76. Whether you're looking for a beer league racer or an early-morning thoroughbred to rip down the front side of the mountain, there's not much out there that does a better job at either, or both, than the Volkl Deacon 76. Deacon has pretty much taken over Volkl's front side line, from the all-new Deacon V-Werks to the short-turning Deacon 74 Pro, the line is built for hard snow and high speeds. Since they're Volkl's, you're going to get that high-end German engineering and design that has put so many athletes on the top of the podium over the years. The Deacon 76 isn't too far behind that race room build, but with a more user-friendly shape and profile, the skis certainly appeal to a broader audience than the top 10% of the top 1% of racers in the world. Built with Volkl's Speedwall multi-layer wood core featuring a blend of 70/30 poplar/beech wood, the Deacon 76 has a stiff start. Add a layer of titanal to the top and bottom of that wood, and you've got a tough stick to ski on. Stiff, heavy, and fast, the Deacon 76 will take you faster than you ever thought possible. At 76 mm underfoot, the skis have a "wider" platform to stand on in comparison to a true race ski, but for general expert skiers, this additional width is a welcome attribute in terms of balance and overall appropriate performance. One of the coolest things about these skis is the tip and tail rocker profile. If they were full camber, yes, you'd get a ridiculous amount of carving power and precision, but if you're not in a race course all day, with this shape, that can get just downright exhausting. Having the tip and tail rocker doesn't make these things floaters by any stretch, but it does give the skier a bit of a reprieve from the constant weight and stiffness of the ski. For the most part, our contributors loved the stability and smoothness of the ski, and touted its poise and precision and true race-like feel.
ROCKER PROFILE
Rocker / Camber / Rocker
CORE MATERIALS
3D.Glass
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers
Jeff Neagle loved his 176 cm test length, and unsurprisingly gave the ski a 5 out of 5 for torsional stiffness and edge hold. "In my opinion, this is a perfect example of a 'cheater' or 'beer league' GS carving ski. It's practically built like a race ski, and it feels that way, too. Pretty darn stiff, tremendous edge grip, and good stability at speed, too. I don't really have much of a desire to go much narrower than this in a carving ski, even though it's almost 10 mm wider than an FIS GS ski. I personally find going narrower takes away some stability, or lets the ski get bogged down by choppy or tracked out snow." And those tricky snow conditions are more likely to be found in an all-mountain application versus a race course, so having that extra width and the more rockered profile comes in handy. Bob St.Pierre agrees, calling his 181 cm test length ski "not terribly heavy or abusive as far as GS-style race skis go." So, having some of that friendliness seems to be a nice thing among our contributors.
Resident Masters Racer Michael Rooney clicked in to the 176 and found it to be stable, quick, and torsionally stiff. All of those attributes earned scores of 5 out of 5. He notes as well the difference between a ski like the Deacon and a more race-specific ski. "The Deacon 76 is an excellent ski for expert and advanced skiers. It is easy to get on edge and loves to carve a turn. It is just under a race ski so much more forgiving. The ski will turn on almost all of its length." This seems like a reference to the rocker profile of the ski, where everything in the build points to a race-room ski, while the wider shape and lack of full camber make it just a tad easier to rip around on.
Looking for some speed? Want to dominate the local race circuit? Deacon 76 continues its winning ways for 2021 thanks to Volkl's seemingly never-ending quest for top-end edge grip and carving power. They have another winner here with the Deacon 76.
