Ski similar to the Volkl 100eight?

[Benneke10]

I bought a pair of 181 Volkl 100eights here 6 weeks ago and they are by far my favorite ski ever. I have been skiing them a lot and love the directional, long-ish radius, subtle full-rocker shape. I've never been on anything else that is so maneuverable but can also go fast. The pair I bought are set up for the resort and I want another pair for touring, but sadly they are discontinued and out of stock most places. I like them enough that I might spend $450 to get a pair from Europe, but wondering if there are other options that are similar but maybe a bit lighter for the uphill, ideally 1700-1900g. Please let me know what I should be looking at.

Here are some ideas I've come up with:

Volkl Blaze 106 - looks like its the successor of the 100eight, weight is perfect, shape looks similar but they added a bit of camber. Has anyone skied both? Would love a comparison

BMT 109 - probably the perfect ski for me, except its only available in 176 and 186 lengths. The 181 in the 100eight feels perfect for me, and I don't want to go much shorter or longer

Katana V-Werks - This is probably what I need.. I would trade my left nut for a decent pair. Does anyone know if the 177 or 184 would measure closer to the 181 100eight?

Older Dynafit Beast 108 - The orange ones with the full rocker. These looks great at a perfect weight, anyone selling in 181?

Any other suggestions?

[kid-kapow]

Pretty much all of Völkl's current touring oriented or touring specific skis (BMT, Blaze, MVW, KVWs) should pivot really well. All are kinda aimed at the same segment, with their construction and were they fit on the looseness vs charginess spectrum being the main differentiators. I have not tried any Blaze models (there is a dedicated Blaze review thread), but have quite a bit of time on the three other models in various lenghts/widths. I like them all and find them all to be aimed at soft snow imho.

Katana VW is the outlier of the Völkl skis you mention due to their mount point and slightly stiffer flex pattern. They are still easy to ski imho. They can be mounted slightly forward without any loss of performance. The closest lenght to your 181s is the 184s (accoring to Blister measure in at 182). My 177s measure in at 176.8 (they are more or less identical wrt lenght to 176 BMTs), whereas Mantra VWs 178 are 178.8 or some such.

BMT109s are amazing and are supposedly no longer in the lineup for 2022, so if you decide sizing slightly down is the correct option for touring then get em while you can. I prefer BMTs to KVWs - I find BMTs to be a better compromise for touring due to their lighter weight and looser shape, while still being plenty capable. They are amazingly fun in soft snow and make you a better skier imho.

KVWs are pretty damn capable, really fun and slay hard snow and soft snow equally well imho. Their mount point is just excessively far back imho. My pair is marked at -14,4 which is just ridiculous for a 177 ski imho. I had mine mounted a +2, but it is still too far back imho. I might try them at +3.2 (just remount the toe) or +4, though I am not sure if going that far forward is a good idea vs just acknowledging that there are other skis that fit me better and just move on. It could be that 184s at +3 or so whould fit me better - I dunno.

My advice - go for the ones you can find at the best price, they are all going to be fun. I understand that 100eights' construction leaves a bit to be desired wrt longevity - so perhaps finding a pair of cheap Blaze 106s might be the way to go. All V Werks skis are fairly durable for what they are, but you do pay a lot for their fancy construction (though to be fair, their performance is pretty remarkable too).

[VTskibum]

^^ Good info and should check the Blaze thread that Shorty_J started with some feedback. Have and love old school '14 full reverse Katana's, so picked up the Blaze 106s to mount w/ shifts for similar purpose, but lighter and mellower skiing. Just got Blaze and so haven't skied them, but the underfoot camber is pretty slight, long & low rocker lines starting just in front of metal binding plate when weighted/de-cambered.

[scmartin69]

See attached pic...

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[Shorty_J]

^^ Good info and should check the Blaze thread that Shorty_J started with some feedback. Have and love old school '14 full reverse Katana's, so picked up the Blaze 106s to mount w/ shifts for similar purpose, but lighter and mellower skiing. Just got Blaze and so haven't skied them, but the underfoot camber is pretty slight, long & low rocker lines starting just in front of metal binding plate when weighted/de-cambered.

Yeah the underfoot camber is almost nothing.

I haven't skied the BMT109 but the Blaze 106 can ski very loose. It feels a lot like a full reverse ski like the old rossi sickle (but not as stiff) that I used to have.

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