2022 Volkl Flair SC Carbon

The Flair SC Carbon is the top-of-the-line ski in Volkl’s women’s frontside collection. Instead of just taking a race ski and producing it in different lengths, the Flair SC Carbon uses relatively unique construction for a high-end carving ski and is specifically designed for women who like to make short, quick, responsive turns. The Flair SC uses a Light Wood Core with carbon laminates all pressed together in classic sandwich construction and vertical sidewalls. The use of carbon instead of metal is what sets this ski apart from most high-end carving skis. Carbon has a lighter weight and a more energetic feel, which means you’re going to get a ton of responsiveness out of this ski. Volkl also uses their 3D.Glass technique, which uses extra fiberglass along the edges of the ski to give is a stronger feel when you’re in a carve. The Flair SC uses a little bit of tip rocker, but it’s almost negligible. Not a lot of splay, just minimal rocker to help smooth out turn initiation. The rest of the ski is all camber, designed to maximize edge grip and responsiveness. As we mentioned, the Flair SC has a preference for shorter turn shapes, which isn’t surprising given the turn radii: just 10.5 m in the 150 cm length with the longest length, 165 cm, coming in as 13 m even. It’s also extremely quick edge to edge with its narrow 70 mm waist width.

Danielle Nichols tested the 155 cm length. Ultimately she decided if she were to buy a pair for herself, she would go longer, but also thought it skied true to size. No need to size up or down from the length you’d normally choose in a short-turn carver. Danielle’s highest scores (all 4 out of 5) were for stability, quickness/maneuverability, and torsional stiffness/edge grip. Those are all criteria in which we expect to see high scores from a high-end carving ski like the Flair SC. Danielle, however, being someone who spends a lot of time on skis with metal, did notice a difference between the Flair SC and heavier skis with titanal builds. “This seems like a light duty carver. Easy to ski and pretty versatile but a little light for me. Seems like a great option for a lighter weight lady that likes to cruise and carve.” That’s good assessment from Danielle. The lighter weight does make the Flair SC less fatiguing and a little easier to ski. The tip rocker and short turn radius enhances that feel too. In fact, the Flair SC is one of those skis that feels like it just wants to turn. As opposed to stiffer, heavier carving skis that demand a lot of skier input, the Flair SC feels like it already knows what to do and is supportive through turn initiation.

Ann MacDonald also skied the 155 cm length and overall had a similar reaction to that size as Danielle. “Skied it’s length... short for me but fun!” Ann’s scores bumped up to a higher level overall, however, with quickness/maneuverability and torsional stiffness/edge grip both earning 5 out of 5 scores and stability, playfulness, forgiveness, and overall impression all with 4 out of 5. “Super dynamic carving ski for a ripping girl. Easy turning and a ball in the bumps surprisingly! Definitely more of a front side ski that was stable at such a short length. Love to try this on some east coast ice in a longer length!” With Danielle’s ability and experience, we too would like to see her rip some turns on the 165 cm length, which realistically is probably the more appropriate length for her. We’ve tested the Flair SC on really firm, icy conditions in the past and it does really well in that application. It might not have the torsional stiffness of a heavier ski with 2 sheets of metal, but the way Volkl uses carbon and the design of the ski gives it strong edge grip for being so light. Keep them tuned and you’ll have no trouble gripping on ice.

We think the Flair SC is a fantastic choice for upper intermediate to expert level women who specifically want a ski that will make a lot of short carves. It really feels more like a lightweight, energetic slalom ski than anything else. In that sense, it’s a ton of fun, and is noticeably less fatiguing than if you were to ski on an actual World Cup slalom ski. It’s not the most versatile ski, however, and if you’re considering picking up a pair it should be as a dedicated frontside ski. Those looking for more versatility are going to want more width underfoot, but for laying down short arcs on groomers, it doesn’t get much better!