Volkl Rise Beyond 96 Review

The Volkl Rise Beyond 96 has all the key design features we've come to expect from a touring ski. It has a lightweight wood core and tip and tails ready for skin attachment. There is some carbon in the construction, and the whole thing is wrapped in a capped topsheet. Volkl describes it as ideal for all-around and soft-snow backcountry touring. We have slightly different recommendations, but not by much.

Performance Comparison

Weight

We tested the Rise Beyond 96 in 177 cm, which weighs 1273 grams per ski – that's 2545 grams, or 5.6 pounds for the pair. Any “all-around” backcountry ski we tested that weighs less than 1300 grams is decidedly lightweight, and its 96 mm waist puts the Rise Beyond 96 solidly in this category. When we correct for total surface area, its weight-to-surface area ratio makes it one of the lightest skis we've tested. The inbounds, uphill skiers we recommend this ski for will enjoy efficient travel, helping them keep up with buddies or get in more vertical during their allotted time on the hill.

Firm Snow

These skis have limited edge grip on the firmest of snow. In softer flavors of the hard stuff – like corn or groomed snow, for instance – they grip and release turns well enough. Once conditions turn icy, edge grip is not particularly confidence-inspiring – skiing them feels like your edges are dull, even after a fresh tune. We usually hesitate to attribute performance to a single design characteristic, but we have to point out one potential correlation in this case. In our comparative hand-flex tests, we found both the longitudinal and torsional stiffness of the Rise Beyond 96 to be well below that of all other skis we recently tested. This clearly impacted its performance on firm snow.

Powder

The powder turns we got on the Rise Beyond 96 were enjoyable, as long as we kept them slow and controlled. The tips float well, even in rather deep snow. We particularly had fun in boot top powder – by making centered, short turns, we happily popped in and out of turns. But if you stretch out the turn length, lose your rhythm, or push the speed limits of this ski, that centered feeling evaporates.

Crud and Poor Snow

Our whole test team wanted more support from the Rise Beyond 96 – as one tester put it, its “authority is lacking”. This lightweight ski gets pushed around in all kinds of tough snow, but we heard conflicting reports of how it skied in breakable crusts. One tester described them as "skiing in the snow, not on it"; another noted that they “want to climb up out of the snow.” While other modern skis don't require as much up and down action from the skier, weighting and unweighting your legs, or 'bouncing' through the snow, is especially important on the Rise Beyond 96. They simply don't have the shape or heft to drive through tough snow on their own.

Stability at Speed

One tester described this ski as “squirrely.” Again, we generally try to avoid conflating causation and correlation by citing specific design characteristics and perceived ski performance. Nonetheless, we have to note that the flex of the Rise Beyond 96 is remarkably round, flexing easily along the entire length of the running surface. Another commented, “These aren't for steep skiing. And if they're not for steep skiing, what are they for?” As far as we can tell, skiing corn and groomed snow on blue to black resort terrain.

Should You Buy the Volkl Rise Beyond 96?

These skis are not for your typical backcountry skier, but they do seem to be particularly well-suited for uphill skiing inbounds. This is a legitimate category as it seems to be a growing trend within the industry. There are now many skiers who own “backcountry” ski gear for human-powered use within the controlled confines of a resort. The lightweight Rise Beyond 96 is forgiving, which makes it a great choice for intermediate resort skiers not quite ready for the demanding nature of wild snow. The Rise Beyond 96 fills a narrow but exciting niche, and we can't think of another ski in our lineup that does so so gracefully.

What Other Backcountry Skis Should You Consider?