2022 Volkl Racetiger RC

On the recreational side of the racing world, the Volkl Racetiger RC is an awesome ski. Built and shaped similarly to the World Cup GS skis but with more user-friendly construction and sidecuts, the RC still has that high-power GS mentality, but is a bit more accessible for us mere mortals. With a lot of the features and technologies typically found on higher-end products the Racetiger RC sets itself apart with its love for carving clean and round turns.

Having the ski be on the slightly more forgiving side of the spectrum is a very nice thing, as the full-sensor wood core still packs quite a punch. With a steel plate underfoot, you're getting a damp and stable ride for sure, and this allows the forebody and the tail of the ski to become more active participants in the carving and turning process. These skis would be great for a recreational racer or a front side carving enthusiast who is looking for something tight and strong, but not overly demanding. Built with a 71 mm waist, these skis are about 6 mm wider than the race-room models, providing skiers with more of a balance point to stand on. In the 170 cm length, these skis create a 15.6-meter turn radius, which is on the short side for a GS turn, but if you're in a beer league race, that's just about where the gates are going to be set. In addition, you don't have to be going screaming-fast in order to access the entirety of the arc--it's a great ski for slower-speed carves as well. The 3D Glass laminate stiffens and energizes the ski, since when fiberglass is placed in a three-dimensional shape as it is here, it becomes quite a bit stiffer and more responsive than a flat, two-dimensional sheet.

On that 170, David CarterDave Carter notes that it is a correct size for him and skis true to its length. He gave top scores of 4 out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold, forgiveness, and stability. This is a nice spread of high scores for a GS ski without a ton of metal in it. He notes as such, stating that the Racetiger RC is "a great carving ski for long-radius turns that is fairly forgiving." Skis like this aren't terribly common, so the RC is kind of paving its own way and setting its own bar in terms of performance and capability.

If you're looking to make GS turns, but don't want to pay the high price, either financially or physically, the Volkl Racetiger RC is the ski for you. It's a lot less formidable than the real-deal race skis, but still performs at a very high level. Thanks to the shape and construction, a varied group of skiers will be able to access and tame the ski's power and create some of the cleanest turns on the hill. While not terribly versatile, these skis do best at what they're meant for, and that makes for a whole lot of fun on the hill.