Volkl Unlimited AC30 Titanium Alpine Ski w/ Motion iPT 12.0 Piston Binding

I've used this ski in every possible condition possible in the last 3 yrs... Groomers, Crud, Corn, Wet Powder, Dry Powder, Trees, Mogules, Cliffs, and yes... in an avi (thankfully, it didn't release on me and I was able to avoid it in time) . . . and around the world from New Zealand to Colorado to BC... If you are going to have a one pair, this it. Super grip on groomed slopes and it grips well even on a shiny clear ice where you can see your own reflections and wide enough for floating on deep powder.... It is flexible enough to go on a leg burning mogule runs but it is stiff enuf that it won't start rattling when you go fast. My only complaint is taht it has a very short radius though...

The Volkl AC30 is a great all-round ski. What an edge hold! A true 50/50 ski but I could run the gates with these. I found the AC30 to be very easy to ski. These carve very well and heaven forbid they also do nice christies. Nice even flex pattern and supprising good in the pow as long as it is not too deep. You can push these skis and they don't push back and lay back and cruise. One of Volkl's best. I like the titanium feel too.

And they are stiff high speed skis. I give these a 3, because I imagine for some skiers, these are a 5, and for me, they are a 1. These skis are hard, unforgiving, and all about the carve. They are not an all mountain ski that behaves how you drive it. This is a one-trick pony, and pretty good at that one trick, which is high speed groomers. It is quirky on soft snow, behaves slowly on chop or spring slush, and is abyssmal in bumps. Whoever calls these "all mountain" either assumes that the the whole mountain is groomed, or is full of lies.

Stay on top of these or they will reach out and whip you. That said, it's one hell of a ride when you lean in and take charge. :)

I did the demo gig last week in New Hampshire. Tried the AC30, AC50, and Apache Recon in both 163 and 170 lengths. Unfortunately it was a few days after the reported 16" dump (more like 10" I thought). Super grip hold on the groomers, either ski. The AC50 is a little slower to release with that width, but I loved them both. I bought the AC 30's to replace my G-3's, at $525 with the 11.0 binding (should have got a little more off that price). And I'm real glad I did the demo, cause I did prefer the 170 length. For a western ski I'll still consider the AC-50, but am really looking harder at the fatter Grizzly for the pow-pow. Finally a 2 ski quiver is at hand. That was me that just passed you at 35 mph!!

Wow, I always believed my ability would never go to the level I attained this weekend. Skiing on 14 year old skis, chattering down the hills, waiting for the slide to happen. I grabbed some demo AC30's and by the 3rd run, I was carving down the mountain with my friends who couldn't believe it was me. The conditions were great and I hit every slope on the mountain. I can't wait to buy my own. Thank you Volkl for building this ski for Joe ski bum.

Just spent a week in Utah riding on these. I'm 5'10" 155lbs and ski pretty aggressively for an intermediate and got them in 170cm so I could "grow" into them as I progress. Definitely stiff enough to tear up hardpack/ice at high speed without chattering, but they don't perform all that well in heavy chunky snow...that could also be partly due to my lack of skill. They were okay in bumps as well, but not very forgiving of poor technique. Overall I feel these are great skis for intermediates who want to push it to the next level, or for experts who want to rip at the resort.