2023 Volkl Deacon 76

Old but new for 2023, the Volkl Deacon 76 carries forward a lot of the attributes that made it a fantastic all-mountain carver, and adds some new twists that make it stand out from other competitive ~76mm front side skis. The 176 cm ski gets an 18.3-meter turn radius, which is awesome for longer-turning skiers who want the stability and power of more of a GS-style cut and performance. Available with an rMotion binding that is one of the better system bindings out there, a lot of skiers will value the simplicity and the ease of use of the whole combo. At 76 mm underfoot, these skis have a nice, solid platform to stand on, allowing for not only fantastic edge grip, but also better-than-expected versatility. For advanced and expert skiers looking for a race-like ski with an all-mountain flair, the Deacon 76 is the way to go. All of our testers were on the 176 cm length.

Mark MacDonald is one of our early-morning Stowe skiers who loves to carve turns, so this ski is right up his alley. He notes that the 176 was a great length, and scored it top marks of 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge grip, and stability. Unsurprisingly low scores of 1 for flotation, and a 2 for versatility show that the ski is more specific in application than general. Mark calls it a “fantastic front side groomer carver that performed exceptionally well!” Nate Gardner notes the 176 was “just right” and he scored 5’s for torsional stiffness, edge hold, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and overall impression. Due to the length, Nate states that the ski is “nice and quick. Stable at speed but prefers quicker turns.”

Michael Rooney and Jeff Neagle have a lot in common when it comes to carving turns—they both absolutely love it. As co-competitors on the local ski bum circuit, I’d think they both have a lot to say about the Deacon 76 and its capabilities both in and out of the race course. Michael scored the ski 5’s out of 5 for stability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, and edge hold. 4’s for versatility and overall impression rounds out his high baseline average. “The big surprise with the Deacon is how well it cuts into and turns on icy granular making it look like hardpack. It goes through loose snow well too.” Jeff Neagle’s top scores of 4 out of 5 were given for torsional stiffness, edge hold, overall impression, and stability. “If I had to choose for myself, I would take the Deacon 76 Master over the Deacon 76, but I actually think the Deacon 76 (non-Master) would be a more rewarding skiing experience for most skiers. It's not like it’s dumbed it down, it's more just they made the performance more accessible for a less-aggressive skier. This thing still absolutely rips turns when you want it to, it's just not quite as harsh on turn entry or stuff like that. You can feel a difference between the binding system between the Master and this ski, but again, I don't think many skiers are going to find any limitations with this ski. It's kind of one of those situations where if you have to ask which ski is better for you, chances are you're better off on the non-Master Deacons. Although it's wider than some frontside skis, it's still best on a groomer. The shape doesn't love to be taken off-piste. It'll do it, but the ski doesn't feel particularly compliant when it's not on a groomer.”

There’s a lot of front side skiing going on out there these days, and it behooves the skier to have conditions and terrain-appropriate skis for those firmer days for sure. Also, if you just simply enjoy having a narrower ski on your feet that feels like a race ski, the Volkl Deacon 76 is one of the best ones out there.