The 2024 Volkl Blaze 82 is a new width for this year, following the trend of expanding the Blaze line as a whole. We’re all about it, and the time we spent on it this year was more than joyous. This ski exceeded a lot of our expectations from a downhill perspective, and testers all enjoyed the ski’s composure as well as energy in all types of conditions and terrain. People tend to forget that narrower all-mountain skis are a whole lot of fun, and they also seem to mis-remember that at one point, in the not-too-distant past, an 82 mm underfoot ski would have been the widest ski on the mountain by far. For this year, the Blaze 82 represents a light weight, narrow option for skiers who are looking for a highly versatile and useful ski for touring, resort skiing, and beyond.

This ski is pretty light thanks to the Multilayer Woodcore Light. By mixing lighter weight woods and milling out some slots in the bottom, Volkl keeps the weight down without taking away too much in terms of energy and pop. The 173 sits on the scale at 1455 grams per ski, so it definitely falls into the lighter weight category. The skis also get Volkl’s Suspension Tips and Tails to smooth out the ride. By adding rubberized material to the very ends of the ski, the chatter is reduced and the ski’s composure is maintained. This is a pretty slick technology that’s used on all of the Blaze skis, and it does a great job balancing the lighter weight of the wood core. We do not get the titanal binding platform that we see on the wider Blaze skis, rather an added layer of material exists in the underfoot zone to help keep those tech bindings attached as well as providing extra grip and torsional stiffness from a performance perspective. Edge grip on firm snow was better than expected, and off-piste quickness was off the charts fun.

A lot of this success has to do with the innovative shaping used in Blaze skis. The 82, for its width, likely has the longest rocker profile in the industry. The bend begins right in front of the binding zone as well as right behind. As such, the cambered portion of the ski is quite small. It aligns well with the 3D Radius Sidecut in that the beefed-up portion of the ski, the camber, and the shorter radius zone all meet up in the same place. That contributes to a sturdy feeling underfoot with a more drifty personality and character in the forebody and through the tail. In the center portion, we’re seeing a 15-meter radius that’s bookended by a 28-meter arc in the tip and 23-meters in the tail. This makes for a smoother than expected long-turn format that pairs well with the quickness and agility of the mid-section of the ski. While it’s not a floaty ski in a vacuum, or compared to other all-mountain skis, for an 82, it likes to stay on top of the fray. 

Volkl has been innovative and receptive to this group of skiers for quite some time now, and they keep getting better and better at it. Thanks to their unique use of shaping and construction, skiers can really fine-tune their needs and wants out of a ski to find their perfect match. For the Blaze 82, that skier is going to be somewhere between the person who wants something simple and easy for every day use at the resort, and someone who’s looking for an adventurous ski to take them into the backcountry and back to more civilized skiing all in the same day.