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Reviewers' score
15.5
AWARD

AWARD

Völkl Kendo 88 review 2020

AWARD
Best performance!

PROSKILAB™ reviewers' comments

After the Mantra, here is the Kendo, one of the references of this market segment, renewed by Völkl and derived into two versions for the occasion: the 92 and the 88. Here, we're reviewing the second one.

The modifications are similar to the Mantra M5. The ski is narrower with a waist that goes from 90 to 88 mm. The construction changes and adopts, more or less, that of the Mantra with two plates of the Titanal in a horseshoe shape. The radius loses about 2 metres to reach 18.6 m in the size reviewed.

As soon as you put your feet on the Kendo 88, you understand one thing: the ski is made to go fast. It is certainly more agile and reactive than its predecessor, but nevertheless expresses itself better in large turns at high speed. According to the reviewers, "it needs speed and space to express itself". The grip is "excellent", the stability "exemplary", and we can feel the Völkl DNA. On the other hand, the ski is probably a little more demanding than its predecessor and requires presence and commitment.

Off-piste, the ski behaves very well with a special mention in choppy snow where its rigidity allows it to "split" lumps of snow. The bouyancy in powder remains good despite the reduction in width on this new version.

An "excellent ski", the Kendo 88 from Völkl has an extra dose of agility compared to its predecessor while aiming for performance. It is the perfect ski for sporty and committed skiers looking for the ideal mix of power and versatility.

Review: Pros

  • General high-level performance
  • Grip
  • Exemplary stability
  • Precision
  • Ski that likes to go fast
  • Transition to choppy snow

Review: Cons

  • Physical and demanding ski

The ski review scores

Turn initiation
☆☆☆☆☆
15.2
Stability
☆☆☆☆☆
17.3
Stability/turning performance
☆☆☆☆☆
17.0
Grip
☆☆☆☆☆
17.8
Short turn performance
☆☆☆☆☆
13.7
Long turn performance
☆☆☆☆☆
17.5
Skid turn performance
☆☆☆☆☆
14.5
Handleability
☆☆☆☆☆
13.8
Comfort
☆☆☆☆☆
13.7
Snow contact
☆☆☆☆☆
13.7
Soft snow fluidity
☆☆☆☆☆
13.8
Freeride - Flotation quality
☆☆☆☆☆
15.3
Handling in powder
☆☆☆☆☆
16.3
Performance on hard snow
☆☆☆☆☆
15.3
Freeride - Performance on hard snow
☆☆☆☆☆
16.8
All-terrain comfort
☆☆☆☆☆
16.3

Who's it for?

Very good → Expert

Manufacturer's remarks

For more than 14 years, Völkl has dominated the Freeride Performance category with the Mantra and the Kendo. After the new M5 Mantra, this Freeride Titanal family is growing in 2020 with no fewer than three new skis in addition to the M5: Mantra 102, Kendo 92 and Kendo 88.
All these skis have the famous Titanal Frame technology: a Titanal plate forming an arch along the straight sidewalls at the nose and the tail, and a full refined plate under the binding. At the nose, there is still a carbon layer to increase torsional stiffness, which provides more power and stability at high speed.
The new feature for the Kendo 88 is the sidecut with the 3 Radius Sidecut (3-ray side lines): a longer radius at the nose and tail rocker for easy entry into curves and more stability at high speed, and a shorter radius on the ski centre giving a manoeuvrable ski that is easy to pivot in small turns.

Features of the Kendo 88

Brand : Völkl
Model : Kendo 88
Year : 2020
Family : All-Mountain
Size tested : 177 cm
Tip size : 129 mm
Waist size : 88 mm
Tail size : 111 mm
Radius for the size reviewed : 18 m

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Reviewed by PROSKILAB™

in La Clusaz, France, March 2019