This ski has fooled a lot of people over the years. The 2024 Volkl Deacon 80 is a surprisingly high-performance ski but people just don’t seem to believe it. There are so many skiers out there who would drastically improve their skiing by hopping on this light, precise, agile, and versatile front side ski, and we’re out here to convince them to get on it. The lack of metal can be somewhat off-putting to advanced and expert skiers, but one time we put one of our testers with a collegiate racing background on this ski, and it not only became his favorite of the day, but he was also able to use it like a real deal race ski and make some of the smoothest and most powerful turns that we’ve seen. There’s a high end to this ski that not a lot of skiers will be able to achieve, and when you add the all-mountain versatility to the mix, this is a fantastic option for skiers who spend most of their time on groomers but also want something to scratch their off-piste itch as well.

While the wider 84 relies on a Titanal Frame to get the stability and power, the Deacon 80 uses a fiberglass frame to create more energy and pop. Sure, there’s a bit of sturdiness that’s missed with this move, but overall, for most skiers, the glass frame makes perfect sense. We do get a steel plate underfoot, and that does help with the torsional stiffness and edge grip in the middle of the ski, so there’s at least some metal effort here. 3D Glass is then used to stiffen the ski even further and get some fantastic rebound at the end of the turn. This makes a lot of sense as the ski excels in quick, short turns as as result of the melding of build and shape. One of the coolest parts of this ski is the integration of the binding into the construction, with the Lowride XL 13 FR binding becoming part of the ski with the built-in rail system.

Surprisingly, the Deacon 80 has a decent amount of tip and tail rocker. It’s not so much that it’s dramatic, rather it’s long and low. When combined with the energetic build, this makes for a fun-loving character that can handle lower edge angles, softer snow, and quick turns on hard pack. It’s not grabby at lower speeds, but when you get it moving, you can hardly tell it’s there—still a lot of effective edge on this ski once you get it up to a certain speed/angle combination. Volkl uses their 3D Radius Sidecut to enhance the turning capabilities of the ski, as it makes for a shorter underfoot turn with more stability at speed in longer radii. When combined with the rocker profile, this turn shape and style method makes a whole lot of sense. The ski is narrow enough that it can be used effectively in bumps and trees, and wide enough to offer a nice balance point and platform for skiers to improve and feel comfortable upon.

Unfortunately, many skiers feel the need to be on wider skis than they need. For most, an 80 mm underfoot all-mountain ski is right in the sweet spot. The fact that it’s pretty light and agile makes it functional in a more versatile light while the build and precision offer up endless performance power in a front side capacity. From steeps and trees to bumps and beyond, this Deacon 80 is highly underrated and should be given a lot more respect.