Volkl Bridge Review

[life aquatic]

Skier
155 pounds
6'2
Expert skier.

Ski
07/08 Volkl Bridge
185
Not certain of the dimensions but I believe the waist was 90-95.

Conditions
Hard pack
Found some soft snow in the trees
slightly soft, tracked out, snow off a few small cliffs.

Kay, now to the ski. The Bridge was made to fill the gap between the discontinued Karma, (now The Wall) and Gotama. And let me say, they did a fucking awesome job with this ski. They have a medium flex that made the ski still fun to ski on the not-too-steller conditions, yet I could still feel them longing to go fast, make the big turns. With this in mind, I tried my best to find some terrain to let them go fast without killing myself. I was able to find some soft snow in the trees which was where these things went off. They Skied so smooth and I could feel them carve perfectly in the snow, but as soon as I got out of the trees and back onto the hard-pack I felt myself feel disspointed with the first carve. I was having so much fun. After a few runs back on the groomers I felt my disspointement start to fade, they actually weren't bad considering I usually ski groomers on my Blowers. Throughout my couple hours on these I took them off a few small 10 foot cliffs and they felt quite sturdy on the landing. I also ventured into the park for a run, *GASP* and they felt solid in there too. Pretty easy swing weight and they stomped the landings perfectly. These skis also feature quite the twin tip, (although not as significant as that of the OLD Gotama's) for those of us who like landing backwords.

So all-in-all, I had a great time on these skis and I would recommend these for anyone looking for an all-mountain twin although maybe there'll be durability issues becasue it is the first year, but then again Volkl is usually on top of the game with durability. My only regret from riding these is that I didn't get the chance to take them into more, softer, snow cause I could feel these things itching to rip.

[mountain_man]

I thought the Mantra filled the gap between the Gots and the Karmas? Is there any significant difference between the Bridge and the Mantra (if you've skied it)?

[pauljames]

The bridge is a twin, the mantra isn't. Not sure of other differences but because of this i guess the bridge is more freestyle orientated.

[life aquatic]

I personally havent skied the Mantra's, but I knwo peopel who have, and the Mantra is definatly more freeride oriented. The Bridge was an addition to the freestyle line. I believe it's softer then the Mantra and would be much more appropriote for someone who wanted to ski the more burly stuff, but also wants teh chance to do their trickery on them.

[altasnowbirdripper]

Manrta is MUCH stiffer than the Bridge.
PS: Both skis rock & so does the Gotama & Katana. What a problem to have for Volkl, huh!

[Tristan]

according to proctorjones the dimensions are 130-92-112. looks like a very nice all mountain ski to fill the gap between karma and gots in a very freestyle oriented package.

[amatog]

Hmmm. the bridge sounds like avery good candidate for an east coast tree ski from the flavor of the reviews so far.

Where does it sit on the soft/stiff scale?

[amatog]

Bump for Bridge reviews.

[jerr]

I need to orgainse some bridging finance!

bada - boom!

[cinnepa]

Skier
155 pounds
6'2

jezzzzus, eat a burger already.

[skibomb]

Bump for Bridge - Karma comparison in terms of stiffness. Is the Bridge softer?

[mojorisin]

Bump for Bridge - Karma comparison in terms of stiffness. Is the Bridge softer?

did you read any of this thread?

Manrta is MUCH stiffer than the Bridge.

[hemas]

did you read any of this thread?

I'm guessing you didn't...


And FYI, Mantra =/ Karma...

[skibomb]

did you read any of this thread?

You haven't exactly mastered this business with vowels and consonants yourself, have you mr fucktard? I asked for a stiffness comparison with the karma, not mantra

Please delete your post so we can get back on topic....

[mojorisin]

i'm not deleting shit, bud. but yes, irony dully noted. i laughed.

[skibomb]

i'm not deleting shit, bud. but yes, irony dully noted. i laughed.

Whatever floats your dyslexic boat my friend.

Anyway, if anyone can shed any light on whether the Bridge is stiffer/softer than the Karma that would be appreciated?

[bornincolorado]

I have to make a decision on next season's ski. I have a friend that can get me the hook up on Volkl (pricewise) Seems like a good plan, but having a heck of a time deciding between the Mantra and the Bridge..:/
Me: 6' 200lbs
I ski Colorado ski hills like Copper, WPMJ and the front range ilk. Of course I am always looking for the pow, but enjoy trees, carving, bumps, park, pipe, bowls, drops, ok anything but ice (F*** Ice) almost always balls out and on edge (or in the air). anyways, my last pair of every day sticks were the original LINE EP Falllines (Eric's first ski deigned with LINE) if anyone remembers that far back. Well those things got me through 4 seasons (well including 3 knee surgeries, so ~200 days) Yep they held up great due to the maple core (cant say the same for the previous 4 pairs of Salomons. The EPs measurements were 118/85/111 @186cm and I thought they were fat when I bought them!
So everyone says the Mantra is god's gift to skiing (ok not everyone) But i was sold, until I went and checked them out next to the new Bridge, now I'm torn.
Mantra: bomb-proof Metal cap/wood design, ski mags rate high, apparently carves as well as it crud-busts.
Bridge: Costs less (yep I'm on a budget and want to buy the Dukes as well), real twin (don't tell my ortho, but I wana go asswards) Better "all conditions" ski (?) that's what I want to know.
I never found the EP lacking in stiffness, and it did not have the metal top sheet, will I be too skeered to ski on the Mantra everyday (yup that includes the morning after a 40F spring day), Is switch over rated?

BTW, when is summer going to be over for gosh sake?

[ChowdahRidah]

I ski the same mountains as you and I am ironically the same size as you. If you're going to own 1 ski, get the Mantra. If you're going to have 2 pairs get the Gotama and something skinny like the Bridge. But your decision should really be between the Mantra and the Gotama for the mountains you ski. I skied Gotamas almost everyday last year over my Explosivs (which are the older version of a Mantra but stiffer and no side cut). The wider skis are just better and you only loose versatility on ice. They are much better in powder, crud, and spring conditions.

Also, unless you are landing big air switch, "riding" switch is a sure way to end up on Fire Island just past the taint of Gaperville.

[bornincolorado]

thx chowdah, we'll have to rip it one of these days! My "old" powder skis are the LINE mothership ti's so I still have those, but the shovels on the mantras & Bridges are larger so it's up for sale with the MShips (plus i need the cash for the new sticks). So yes, until i can afford some uber-fatties, I need the one-ski-quiver from Volkl. BTW CR, have you any ACL repairs lately? Im sposda be nice on my knee this season...

[ChowdahRidah]

1 ski quiver in Colorado, I'd say definitely the Mantra or the Gotama. They're a lot more versatile than you'd think. They're only 1 cm wider and a slightly softer flex than the Mantra. I skied them 20 days out of 30 last season. It's the firm snow in January where they suck. Other than that they are hands down more fun. I'd only go with the Bridge if you are a serious Park Rat or really into skiing bumps.

No knee problems to speak of but I shattered both my legs from the knees down in 2001. My knees have definitely been weakened from the experience among other issues. I wear knee braces as a precaution now, at the very least they keep the knee joint warm on the lift. I stay away from bumps unless they have more than 4 inches of fluff and I don't leap with out a very soft landing. I had to buy softer flexing boots which sacrifices performance but they are more comfy. Other than that I probably ski a lot faster than I should and thankfully all the new technology in skis seems to help a lot in skiing chopped snow on the steeps.

[ulty_guy]

No knee problems to speak of but I shattered both my legs from the knees down in 2001.

bet that smarted just a touch

[bornincolorado]

Im not a park rat, nor am I really into skiing bumps, but bumps are pretty hard to avoid, and I ski with people who like park and bumps. Anyway, the whole conversation is moot because i just found out the the deal fell through and I won't be able to afford new Volkls.
I have a line on some 185 Nordica Enforcers brand new 08s for $350, not my ideal ski, but a good price me thinks.
I wear a brace on my bad knee and love it, don't think I will ski without even if the doc says so. I was thinking of getting the asterisk braces, they have built in knee pads too and go on/off much quicker than mine. Too bad i could add another set of boards to the quiver for the same price...
My new boots are softer flexing (forward; stiffer latterly) this time custom liners/beds, yep it's worth the price.

[ChowdahRidah]

I'd lurk around the gear swap page on this site...I've got 2 hardly used pairs for a nice price on this board in the past.

[steved]

jezzzzus, eat a burger already.

You're more than likely a much better skier than I, but I haveta' agree with cinnepa....Eat Something man...!;-)...pressurize that sucker into something less than its default turn radius!....as in New England terrain....geez

[MakersTeleMark]

Whatever floats your dyslexic boat my friend.

Anyway, if anyone can shed any light on whether the Bridge is stiffer/softer than the Karma that would be appreciated?

Well I know that the Karma was stiffer than the Mantra, so therefore ...