Click Here to see the updated Volkl RTM 84 Review

The entirely new Volkl RTM 84 is the successor to the long running line of AC 4/AC 40/AC 50 skis that date back several years.  Those past models were pretty stiff at the start and got continually stiffer as the years passed.  Recent skis like the AC 50 may have been dubbed “All Conditions” but they were not much good outside of firm, packed slopes.  The RTM 84 changes all that and does so in a big way, this is not just an incremental change to an existing model.  At first glance, the raised shoulders and top deck geography look fairly similar to past skis of the AC group but when you pick one up and flex it, it feels very different.  The flex of the RTM 84 is still pretty firm but it is much more balanced and somewhat softer than in the past.  In addition, the RTM 84 uses Volkls’ ELP full length rocker.  This is a continuous tip to tail rocker profile and is one of the very few skis in the narrower widths that uses rocker like this.

I first skied the RTM 84 at Winter Park on very hard snow.  Given the past history of the AC 50, I had placed the RTM into the hard snow biased group for testing.  The first few turns on the flat part of the trail were a little disconcerting.  At lower speeds and with low edge angles, the lack of a cambered section made the RTM feel a little indecisive.  It didn’t really turn out to be detrimental, it just felt odd at first.  As speeds picked up, so did the edge angles and the more angle that was applied the more stable the ski felt and the more positive the engagement became.  As the trail dropped lower, the pitch got steeper and the snow got harder.  The RTM displayed plenty of grip and tended to blend turn shapes very well.  In the transition between turns, the ski released very easily with a modicum of energy.  The older AC models were favorites of some skiers but personally, I always found them to a little too stiff and a bit too much work for my own liking.  At the bottom of the test run at Winter Park, I reflected that I personally liked this new ski far better than I had the older versions.

Later in the season, when the Demo events moved west, I had the chance to try the RTM again.  Here, the ski was thrown in with some mostly softer, mixed snow skis models in similar widths.  While the RTM 84 was not as good in bumps and softer snow as the more soft snow biased skis, it was manageable, stable and predictable.  Probably most important of all it did not require a lot of energy from the skier to get the ski to flex.  The RTM 84 did its best in crud at medium or higher speeds where the firmer flex allowed it to push through choppy conditions with ease.  The Volkl RTM 84 is still a ski with a slight bias toward hard snow but it is vastly better at a wide range of mixed conditions than the older models that it is replacing.