Voile Vector BCs
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:25 pm
SKIS: Voile Vector BC 180 with Voile SBx2 bindings/Excursion boots (I also throw in impressions of the non-scaled Vectors 180/AXLs/Ener-g when relevant)
ME: 80+ days/season, 185# 5'10", XC and alpine skiing since I was a little kid. I use the Vector BCs mostly for breaking trails and touring for turns in hardwood forest, on terrain anywhere from low-angle to yo-yoing closed local ski hill, to steep, super-deep powder and spring corn.
Similar skis I like: Karhu Guides 185
Similar skis I don't like: Rossi BC125 175
Similar skis I would like to try: Altai Koms, Voile V6BC, Voile ChargerBC
I've been skiing on the Vector BCs for 3 full seasons (mine are the white and green ones from a few years ago.) Where I live and ski, we have a great deal of public accessible land with short but rugged steep hills, thick hardwoods, and usually very deep, cold snow pack. In a nutshell, these skis are my favorites. They feel like 'cheating' on the ups and downs when I am out skiing with my buddies who are on Karhu Guides and Rossi BC125s. When they have skins on, I am usually still using scales for climbing: they are that good!
UPHILL/TOURING: They out-climb any scaled ski I've been on and by a long shot. They do not climb as well as full skins but in spring conditions, they actually come pretty close! The rockered tip really makes a positive difference when breaking trail. They do not track straight when touring on packed snowmobile or other hard surface trails. They are surprisingly light considering their size, although noticeably heavier than my 185 Karhu Guides with 3-pins but similar to 175 BC125s with SB bindings. They are tolerable for slogging on flats: not ideal but tolerable.
DOWNHILL/TURNING: These skis rock on the downhill. The rockered tips really bring them to the surface once you get going. They float enough in deep snow to allow a surfy/smeary feel when turning on steeps. The amount of control is incredible, fast or slow. They are stiff enough to hold an edge on scraped up hardpack too (regular non-scaled Vectors). These skis feel slow on groomed and hardpacked snow due to the aggressive positive scale pattern and lack of camber. These skis do not like to be skied in the backseat at all and seem to have a speed limit on hard groomed snow (Non-scaled Vectors), meaning that they start getting squirrely at high speeds. They handle bumps and crud well enough to not be distracting. These skis are at home in deep soft snow (once you get some speed and get them on their edges, these things can turn on a dime!) but hold their own on hard or even semi-icy conditions.
CONCLUSION: IMO, the Vector BCs are not in the same class as the Karhu Guides/Annums or the Rossi BC125s. The main differences are that the Vector BCs have tip rocker/tail rise, sintered tip and tails, full metal edges (Guides and BC125s edges don't wrap around the tips), and alpine ski construction: they are the same ski as the regular non-scaled Vectors except the BCs have the extruded scaled section underfoot. For fast, light touring that does not involve a focus on turning, I like long skinny setups. I love my Guides/3-pins for touring in deep snow, low-angle turns, and spring corn. I love the Vector BCs for just about anything more aggressive besides skiing at a resort on groomed snow and for that, the regular non-scaled Vectors or full on alpine boards would be my choice.
ME: 80+ days/season, 185# 5'10", XC and alpine skiing since I was a little kid. I use the Vector BCs mostly for breaking trails and touring for turns in hardwood forest, on terrain anywhere from low-angle to yo-yoing closed local ski hill, to steep, super-deep powder and spring corn.
Similar skis I like: Karhu Guides 185
Similar skis I don't like: Rossi BC125 175
Similar skis I would like to try: Altai Koms, Voile V6BC, Voile ChargerBC
I've been skiing on the Vector BCs for 3 full seasons (mine are the white and green ones from a few years ago.) Where I live and ski, we have a great deal of public accessible land with short but rugged steep hills, thick hardwoods, and usually very deep, cold snow pack. In a nutshell, these skis are my favorites. They feel like 'cheating' on the ups and downs when I am out skiing with my buddies who are on Karhu Guides and Rossi BC125s. When they have skins on, I am usually still using scales for climbing: they are that good!
UPHILL/TOURING: They out-climb any scaled ski I've been on and by a long shot. They do not climb as well as full skins but in spring conditions, they actually come pretty close! The rockered tip really makes a positive difference when breaking trail. They do not track straight when touring on packed snowmobile or other hard surface trails. They are surprisingly light considering their size, although noticeably heavier than my 185 Karhu Guides with 3-pins but similar to 175 BC125s with SB bindings. They are tolerable for slogging on flats: not ideal but tolerable.
DOWNHILL/TURNING: These skis rock on the downhill. The rockered tips really bring them to the surface once you get going. They float enough in deep snow to allow a surfy/smeary feel when turning on steeps. The amount of control is incredible, fast or slow. They are stiff enough to hold an edge on scraped up hardpack too (regular non-scaled Vectors). These skis feel slow on groomed and hardpacked snow due to the aggressive positive scale pattern and lack of camber. These skis do not like to be skied in the backseat at all and seem to have a speed limit on hard groomed snow (Non-scaled Vectors), meaning that they start getting squirrely at high speeds. They handle bumps and crud well enough to not be distracting. These skis are at home in deep soft snow (once you get some speed and get them on their edges, these things can turn on a dime!) but hold their own on hard or even semi-icy conditions.
CONCLUSION: IMO, the Vector BCs are not in the same class as the Karhu Guides/Annums or the Rossi BC125s. The main differences are that the Vector BCs have tip rocker/tail rise, sintered tip and tails, full metal edges (Guides and BC125s edges don't wrap around the tips), and alpine ski construction: they are the same ski as the regular non-scaled Vectors except the BCs have the extruded scaled section underfoot. For fast, light touring that does not involve a focus on turning, I like long skinny setups. I love my Guides/3-pins for touring in deep snow, low-angle turns, and spring corn. I love the Vector BCs for just about anything more aggressive besides skiing at a resort on groomed snow and for that, the regular non-scaled Vectors or full on alpine boards would be my choice.