2027 Volkl Blaze 114

For 2027, the Volkl Blaze 114 is a carryover model featuring the same construction, shape, profile, and graphics from last year. The Blaze 114 is a substantial ski at 114 mm underfoot, but it's still under 2000 g in the 184 cm length. That positions it as one of the lighter skis you’ll find in this width range. There are some lighter skis, yes, but not many, and generally anything lighter will be more focused on alpine touring. While it’s certainly appropriate to put a touring or hybrid binding on the Blaze 114 if you want to, its abilities and strengths extend beyond that. For some, it could just be a resort powder ski. For those really lucky skiers, maybe you live somewhere this could be a justifiable daily driver. If anything, the Blaze 114 comes along with slightly more responsiveness and precision than most powder skis due to its construction and shape, making it a bit more appropriate in variable conditions. We found that it makes for a great ski for tighter and more technical terrain because of the weight and profile.

There's quite a bit of engineering and sophistication that goes along with the Blaze 114's build. The construction starts with Volkl’s Green Core, a mix of lightweight wood and recycled synthetic materials. Volkl then adds their Suspension Tips and Tails and a sheet of metal underfoot that’s labeled as a Titanal Binding Platform, but really does more than just provide more purchase for your bindings. The metal underfoot does a great job giving the ski a more robust feel than you might think just looking at its weight on paper. That said, it’s far from the most stable, powerful skis out there, but having that metal is nice. Without it, we don't think the Blaze 114 would feel nearly as good. Dana Allen skied the 184 cm Blaze 114 on a great day for it and he found a nice blend of attributes too. It’s light and agile, but it’s not too light and agile. Really fun, stable, playful, nimble light ski. Super fun to bop around on. Feels like it would hold a good edge on hardpack as well. Felt really stable. Could easily use this as a backcountry ski or a resort ski. Basically, the type of ski I'd likely buy and ski pretty regularly on softer snow. Probably a bit much for skiing groomers or hardpack all the time 'cause they're pretty wide, but I didn't have any issues getting them on edge in soft snow. Really fun ski.” That versatility in terms of application is a big reason why the Blaze 114 is a successful ski in this range.

While Volkl's construction normally gets top billing, the footprint of the ski is quite unique as well. There’s a lot of rocker by length, but there’s not a tremendous amount of splay. This is something Volkl does with a lot of their skis and generally works very well. It can be maneuvered easily if you keep to a flatter edge angle and even has somewhat of a surfy, pivoting feel. It doesn’t have the banana or mustache rocker of some powder skis, however, meaning you get a little more edge grip out of it and a bit more responsiveness than powder skis with lots of rocker splay. Some skiers will really like that, especially those with more traditional styles and techniques. For a lot of skiers, the massively rockered powder skis can feel a bit weird, but the Blaze 114 gives you a ton of float while also letting you ski with more familiar technique. Instead of needing lots of splay to create a maneuverable ski in deep snow, Volkl relies more on their 3D Radius concept. The fore and aft sections of the ski have very long radii; they’re almost straight. That gives the ski a distinctly catch-free feel in deep snow despite the flatter profile. It’s a relatively unique way to design a powder ski, yet works really well. Tester Bob St.Pierre skied them at Stowe in the woods on a nice powder day and notes that "the Blaze 114 is very easy to turn and if you get a snowy day and ski in tighter spaces, it's tough to think of a more agile ski at this width. So fun!"

These skis can be highly useful for both touring and resort applications. Again, going back to that concept of it working well for skiers with a more traditional style, it’s a great way to think about it. Newschool freeride/freeski athletes will almost always want to go with something shapelier like the Revolt 121 over the Blaze 114, but if you’ve been skiing a long time, have great control of your skis, and value responsiveness, feedback, and a lightweight feel, you’ll love this ski. When you add the touring potential, this ski has a broad reach due to the mobile nature.