Voile Objective BC Ski Review

[Johnny]

UPDATE: Ok, so after a few months on the Objectives, I can only say that this is the best BC ski ever. It's just the best ski in its category. It's lighter than the Kom, lighter than the Annum, lighter than the Helio Carbon 88 and lighter than the S-Bounds 112.

What is it? It's the new Voile ski coming up this fall 2016. It's also one of the lightest non-racing ski on the market. The Voile Objective is not yet available for sale, but the very cool folks at Voile were kind enough to send me a pair for review. No, it's September here in the East, and there is no snow yet, so I haven't skied them yet. But here are my first impressions. Actually, these are my second impressions, as I already wrote something about them when they were first announced last June...

First of all, the Objective ranks as they should on The XCD Scale. As described by Voile, they weight 1135g per ski. Quite amazing for a ski that fat at 178cm. Lighter (and larger) than the Annum/Guide, Epoch/10th Mtn and the S98, other similar classic XCD skis currently on the market. Now that is a very good start...!

It's now official: My 15 year old Karhu Guides are finally retiring. The Voile Objective is the perfect replacement. They are a bit fatter then the Guides and lighter at the same time. The next big difference is the nice rocker tips, which are lacking on the Annum, the actual XCD ski with the closest specs. Holding the Objective in my hands and twisting it in every possible direction, I can definitely feel the very high quality of the ski's construction, not unlike Asnes skis. While almost all the other skis on the market are made in China, all Voile skis are made in the US in SLC, Utah. They even source their cores locally which not many companies can say.

I've always been a huge Voile fan. I really enjoyed all my Voile skis for big powder days at the resort with either beefy 75mm setups or NTN. But to me, their skis were just a bit too heavy for backcountry XCD use. While all Voile skis were always big, nice fat skis for big powder days, it's the first time they come out with a super light ski in that size: 117-84-102 at 178cm. They are light enough for XCD with leather boots, and not as fat as the Vector for adequate control with pins or NNN bindings. The Objective is Voile's skinniest ski besides the Wasatch Speed Project, which only comes in 160cm and without a waxless pattern.

According to Wild Snow, if you calculate the weight versus running surface ratio of the lightest skis in the world, the Voile Objective comes near the top of the list. And almost all the skis mentioned in this chart are much more expensive than the Objective...

They have less camber than the Annums, while the flex is about the same. I would say they're pretty much single camber, almost like a normal alpine ski. Maybe one and a fourth camber?

The BC version offers a nice waxless pattern for climbing around without skins. The pattern is very similar to the good old Karhu pattern. Because of the subtle camber, I suspect them to be a bit less 'springy' for tracking but much more smoother on the descent. Exactly what I've been looking for since I started the telemark thing. It's finally here, all I ever wanted on a ski, and for quite a decent price...!

I can't wait to try them on snow. Really, this is going to be a game-changer in the XCD scene. First because unlike all other rando-racing skimo skis, they come in a fish scale traction base version, and second because they are available up to 178cm...! (And they sell for a lot less then 1500$...)

This might be the best BC ski ever...

Meet the Objective BC ski, Voile’s new and upcoming BC touring ski. Inspired by skimo racing, the latest member of Voile ski family places an emphasis on fast ascents and long-distance travel. It resides somewhere between the WSP and Vector skis. 4lbs 3oz, waxless, rockered tips…A lot of sidecut... And up to 178cm!

Lightweight Paulownia Wood Core
2 Carbon Fiberglass Layers
Durable Polyamide Topsheet
1.8 mm Steel Side Edges
Rockered Tip

164cm 171cm 178cm
Tip Width (mm) 112 115 117
Waist (mm) 80 82 84
Tail Width (mm) 97 99 102
Radius (m) 18.0 18.5 19.5
Pair Weight 1.9kg 2.1kg 2.27kg

[MikeK]

I gotta say, the more I digest this, the more ground-breaking it is.

It really has the potential to blow everything beyond the Eon/S78/Ingstad class of skis out of the water... and the skis less than that are certainly more adept for XCd.

It really is the thing I see a lot of people wanting who are doing laps or touring for turns in low angle, low vert areas. Perhaps takes the overkill of a full-on Tele/AT setup and makes it light enough, with enough surface area to ski powder with UL boots?

Really thinking of how light and maneuverable the S98 is with leathers, and then translating that to a ski that in all metrics blows it out of the water really puts it in perspective for me (30m to 20m radius, 69 to 84mm underfoot, 2.49 to 2.27kg!).

I think this will be my next pair of skis.

[Johnny]

I gotta say, the more I digest this, the more ground-breaking it is.

Ground-breaking? Hummm... I would say that it was about time that a ski company had the guts to release a major upgrade to the 20yo Guide/Annum... Ok ok, I'm very well aware that only a few bunch of freaks like us will fully appreciate a ski like the Objective, who can be skied with floppy leathers and NNN... And I cannot thank Voile enough for doing this and taking a big risk here... (Hey, Karhu didn't stop making skis without a reason...)

But all the ATers and the plastic-boot-telemarkers will also be able to appreciate it... While the Vector is a super-cool ski, it is overkill for what most people do...

It's a new era for Cross-Country Downhill... Now please Voile, do some even skinner perfect skis like this...!!!

[MikeK]

I don't think you will have to be a freak to appreciate these.

I'm thinking my S98s would go away and I'd put the plain pins from them on these. I'd wear my Svartisen when I want to XCD and my Excursions when I want to Tele. I could see a lot of people using them like this, although, I think they'll see a lot more switchbacks than plain pins.

[Johnny]

Using the SB on a ski like this wouldn't make sense to me... Rotte's ST: 370g a pair...

[lowangle al]

This is the ski I've been looking for for a few years now. I think it will go a long way in promoting xcd skiing compared to the xcd stuff available since the advent of plastic boots and dh oriented skis. Just the fact that they are 20 cm shorter than what most of us skied will make them easier to learn on.

I would hope people don't put heavy bindings on them, that would defeat the purpose of them. I don't know about nnn bc but a 3 pin with or without a cable should be plenty. Personally I would put a light Riva cable cable on them.

It's a new era for Cross-Country Downhill... Now please Voile, do some even skinner perfect skis like this...!!!

I agree, if they asked me I would have gone 10 mm more narrow overall. I guess they were going for a more dh orientation which is what I felt xcd was missing. If they are good sellers maybe they will come up with another model.

[MikeK]

Al - this could be your chance to get back under 10 lbs! And perhaps make the Vector obsolete... I'm already concerned for the future of the KOM - it had my interest last year, but now... not even on my radar.

I agree - plain pins would make this ski the lightest, most versatile the ski could be... or, perhaps the HW. Voile claims it can hold an edge on boilerplate, so it could perhaps do dual duty at an eastern resort.

I think NNN is pushing it for a ski this wide, but the weight is about right (2kg would be my limit). Maybe the next gen (10mm narrower) will be just right?

[Johnny]

We are talking here of a complete fat setup under 6lbs including the bindings, at 178cm...!

It's perfect for NNN... All my NNN skis are heavier than this... Width doesn't matter much, as the big metal bar on NNN-BC can handle much more lateral force than pins... I could easily ski something 10-20mm larger than this with NNN... It's the future, and it's right here...!

[Woodserson]

This ski 10mm THINNER would basically be the Rossi Bandit XX/Big Bang. Without the rocker and the lightness of course. Just saying. (107-74-94 if I remember correctly)

I have the smooth Vectors, I think the Objective BC would be a better choice than the Vector BC now, if I'm going to be in terrain where I would favor scales over skins.

[Woodserson]

I'm already concerned for the future of the KOM - it had my interest last year, but now... not even on my radar.

Even a KOM in a 174?