2022 Volkl Deacon 72 Master

Volkl has two new additions to their frontside Deacon collection for 2021 and they happen to be the narrowest and most firm snow, on-trail focused of the group. The narrowest of these two new skis is the Deacon 72 Master. Volkl has essentially taken World Cup level construction and repackaged it in a width that’s slightly wider than a GS ski and with a turn radius that’s relatively short, 16.4 m in the 178 cm length. A World Cup Ash core is paired with Full Titanal construction, Volkl’s new Tailored Carbon Tips, and a World Cup binding plate. Generally not found on World Cup skis, however, is a little bit of tip and tail rocker to smooth out turn initiation and give the ski a more forgiving, approachable feel compared to a full-on race ski.

Jeff Neagle skied the 178 cm length, which is the longest in the Deacon 72 Master. In fact, it’s only available in 2 total lengths, 173 and 178 cm. Jeff had a big range of scores for the Deacon 72 Master, which makes sense considering it’s not designed to be a versatile all-mountain ski, rather a carving-focused, frontside-specific ski. 5 out of 5 scores for torsional stiffness/edge grip and overall impression, with playfulness and forgiveness marking lower scores at 2 out of 5, and flotation just a 1 out of 5. 72 mm just doesn’t float much. Quickness/maneuverability and stability both earned solid 4 out of 5 scores. The criteria that received high scores are indicative of a really good frontside ski. “I mean, these things are pretty damn sweet. I don't know why more companies don't do this. Build a GS ski, then give it a shorter turn radius. Not slalom short, but short enough that someone like me can feel like a really good skier because I can actually get it to come across the fall line with some quickness and consistency. I'd be really interested to put these up against my normal "beer league" skis. Those have a 19 m turn radius in a similar length, and I wonder if I'd be faster dropping down to the ~16 m radius in these skis. Not sure. They're powerful, they're responsive, and they're a lot of fun to ski. It'll definitely make your legs work as you're either linking pretty aggressive carves or you're doing this delicate dance of skidding through less than perfect snow while avoiding crowds, and the ski is so torsionally stiff and narrow that it doesn't particularly love that second part... So, for an intermediate, I think they would be too much ski. Too demanding, too tiring, etc. Even an advanced skier should do a good self-assessment before choosing these skis. Are you up for it? Do you need it? If the answer is yes and yes, go for it, and you'll be psyched. You'll also turn heads under the lift line as you link a million turns. I do think there's a tiny bit more forgiveness in these skis compared to some. I can't really put a finger on why, but they weren't as jarring as some "consumer" race skis I've been on. Just a tiny bit of forgiveness and compliance in the tips and tails, which I thought was nice to have.”

Reuben Jalbert went for the 172 cm length and it feels important to note that the turn radius on that length drops to 15.4 m. Reuben tested the Deacon 72 Master on a much warmer day with softer snow conditions than Jeff. Soft, spring-like snow conditions can be tough on a ski that’s 72 mm underfoot. That said, Reuben still enjoyed its performance, which was reflected in his scores. 5 out of 5 for quickness/maneuverability and 4 out of 5 for both torsional stiffness/edge grip and overall impression. Like Jeff, some of our other criteria like flotation, versatility, and forgiveness received lower scores in the 1 and 2 range, but we don’t think that’s a concern for a ski like this. “Short turns only! Quite twitchy and very tough to ski on a slushy day. These skis want to hook up and get low. Perfect for slalom aficionados who want to drop the hip all day.” It’s interesting that Reuben found more slalom-like performance out of the Deacon 72 Master, while Jeff felt it would work in a beer league GS course. That’s testament to the differences you can expect when deciding between the two available lengths.

The Deacon 72 Master is exactly what it should be. It’s responsive, it’s precise, it’s quick, it holds an edge really well, and it absolutely rips carving turns. On a groomer, it feels like a dream. Take it off that groomer, and it becomes a challenging ski that demands a strong skier with good technique, but remember that it’s not really intended to be skied off trail much. Still, we think it’s best for an advanced or expert level skier and it’s best kept to those groomers. That’s where it really shines and that’s where it will put a big smile on your face.