Volkl AC3

[thebigo]

Anybody have these skis?

I am looking for an all mountain ski that is good in the bumps, trees and is durable. I have been to three shops and all three techs have immediately steered me to this ski. Any opinions?

Also anybody have an opinion over whether the 2007's are worth and $300-$400 over a new pair of 2006's.

One of the techs that had both the 2006 and 2007 in stock claimed there was no difference. The two that had just the 2007 claimed the ski was completely redesigned. This could be expected but there are a few articles out there that claim the new profile of the 2007 have drastically changed the ski.

http://www.volkl.com/ski/unlimited_ac3_titanium.html

 

[Greg]

I ride the '06 AC3. I love the ski. It likes to be skied aggressivly and does pretty well on various conditions. I haven't skied it in any powder yet, but it's very stable on the groomers. Good rebound, but not too dramatic. Excellent on natural snow surfaces. I would say it's fair in the bumps, but that may be more a result of the operator, not the equipment. It's a bit heavy, but most new ski set ups seems to be. I would say it's a good choice for a one ski quiver. Can't compare with the 2007 but they are different skis. Mine are 74mm under foot; the 2007's are 76 mm. The 2007 seems to be getting really great reviews.

 

[Rushski]

'07 has a sheet of Titanium where the '06 did not. How much that changes the ski's characteristics can only be gauged by those who have skied both years...

 

[JimG.]

I ride the '06 AC3. I love the ski. It likes to be skied aggressivly and does pretty well on various conditions. I haven't skied it in any powder yet, but it's very stable on the groomers. Good rebound, but not too dramatic. Excellent on natural snow surfaces. I would say it's fair in the bumps, but that may be more a result of the operator, not the equipment. It's a bit heavy, but most new ski set ups seems to be. I would say it's a good choice for a one ski quiver. Can't compare with the 2007 but they are different skis. Mine are 74mm under foot; the 2007's are 76 mm. The 2007 seems to be getting really great reviews.

Karl demoed the AC3 this past weekend...he liked it, but not as much as alot of the other skis we tested. According to Karl, the ski is heavy but lively; however, it is a bit ponderous in the bumps.

I tested the Dynastar Troublemaker which is the updated equivalent of my older Dynastars. They were OK, but at 75mm underfoot, they seemed ponderous in bumps too. I liked the Volkl Superspeed Allstars alot. They liked to be skied FAST. Great on hard snow. But probably not great in pow. I did not try the AC3 after Karl's comments.

When it was all said and done, my 2 favorite skis were both Fischers...the RX8 and RX9. I'm going to get me a pair of the RX8's. Extremely lively, great at short turns and medium turns, decent at high speed, felt excellent in the small bumps this weekend. Superior edge grip, as good as the Volkls which surprised me.

I was not surprised at the quickness of the RX8 because they are 66mm underfoot. I hear all the gasping and whispering...doesn't he know that fat skis are in? Not for this skier folks. I live in the Northeast and to me, fat skis and mid fats make no sense here. More weight, not as lively, not as grippy as a narrower waisted ski. I'll use my 72mm underfoot Dynastar Candides for powder; they are set up with my Freerides anyway so they make alot of sense on pow days and 72mm underfoot is plenty wide enough.

IMHO...I'm sure many disagree with my opinions.

 

[Greg]

Karl demoed the AC3 this past weekend...he liked it, but not as much as alot of the other skis we tested. According to Karl, the ski is heavy but lively; however, it is a bit ponderous in the bumps.

I'm no where near as proficient as Karl in the bumps, but I can totally see why he says that about the AC3s in the bumps. If you spend more than 50% of your time in the moguls, there are probably better options. It's probably heavier and stiffer than what you want for deep troughs. Where this ski shines is on steeper variable surfaces when you need to check your speed. It's a very stable ski.

 

[jack97]

When it was all said and done, my 2 favorite skis were both Fischers...the RX8 and RX9. I'm going to get me a pair of the RX8's. Extremely lively, great at short turns and medium turns, decent at high speed, felt excellent in the small bumps this weekend. Superior edge grip, as good as the Volkls which surprised me.

Hey Jim,

What about the rx9, any comments? I thought it had a wider waist 69-70 and slightly narrow tail and tip compared to the rx8. Figure it would hook less in the bumps.

 

[JimG.]

Hey Jim,

What about the rx9, any comments? I thought it had a wider waist 69-70 and slightly narrow tail and tip compared to the rx8. Figure it would hook less in the bumps.

I didn't like the RX9 as much. You are correct, the waist is 69mm and the tip and tail were a little smaller than the RX8...but the RX9 is a GS ski all the way.

It's heavier, and it has an additional sheet of titanium in it which made it stiffer. I was fighting them in the bumps. But on flat terrain they were light speed all the way.

 

[ALLSKIING]

Karl demoed the AC3 this past weekend...he liked it, but not as much as alot of the other skis we tested. According to Karl, the ski is heavy but lively; however, it is a bit ponderous in the bumps.

I tested the Dynastar Troublemaker which is the updated equivalent of my older Dynastars. They were OK, but at 75mm underfoot, they seemed ponderous in bumps too. I liked the Volkl Superspeed Allstars alot. They liked to be skied FAST. Great on hard snow. But probably not great in pow. I did not try the AC3 after Karl's comments.

When it was all said and done, my 2 favorite skis were both Fischers...the RX8 and RX9. I'm going to get me a pair of the RX8's. Extremely lively, great at short turns and medium turns, decent at high speed, felt excellent in the small bumps this weekend. Superior edge grip, as good as the Volkls which surprised me.

I was not surprised at the quickness of the RX8 because they are 66mm underfoot. I hear all the gasping and whispering...doesn't he know that fat skis are in? Not for this skier folks. I live in the Northeast and to me, fat skis and mid fats make no sense here. More weight, not as lively, not as grippy as a narrower waisted ski. I'll use my 72mm underfoot Dynastar Candides for powder; they are set up with my Freerides anyway so they make alot of sense on pow days and 72mm underfoot is plenty wide enough.

IMHO...I'm sure many disagree with my opinions.

I see your point Jim about mid fats and fat skies. Having bought a pair of recons 78mm underfoot last year I knew this ski was not going to be the best ski I could get for those east coast boiler plate days . However none of 15 days I have on these skis, have I not been glad I bought them...Just a ton of fun. I even had a good time on them in hero bumps last spring however its not a good bump ski. For those boiler plate and bump days I still have my Axis x 70mm Underfoot.

 

[JimG.]

I see your point Jim about mid fats and fat skies. Having bought a pair of recons 78mm underfoot last year I knew this ski was not going to be the best ski I could get for those east coast boiler plate days . However none of 15 days I have on these skis, have I not been glad I bought them...Just a ton of fun. I even had a good time on them in hero bumps last spring however its not a good bump ski. For those boiler plate and bump days I still have my Axis x 70mm Underfoot.

I only spoke of my personal preferences...I would never tell a person what kind of ski they should or should not like. And I don't listen too much when others tell me that a certain ski is great or not...unless I'm demoing with them as I did with Karl.

BTW, I found out that having a demo partner is definitely the way to go, especially if they ski similarly. We demoed alot of the same skis and it was really key to making a decision in the end because I had a partner to reinforce or challenge my impressions. Karl and I are of similar height and weight and we ski much the same. The only ski we disagreed on was the Fischer RX9 which he liked alot more than I did.

Interestingly, Karl has been skiing on the Fischer RX8 for the past 2 seasons.