GEAR:30

Volkl is unveiling today the new Mantra M5, the fifth iteration of the Mantra that Volkl originally released back in 2005. A lot has changed in skiing since then, but the Mantra is still one of the most recognizable and most iconic names in the game.

Last month, Blister editor Sam Shaheen headed to Germany to ski the new Mantra M5, to tour the extremely impressive Volkl factory in Straubing, Germany, and to speak to two key designers at Volkl: Tobias Heil, the head of R&D at Volkl, and Dominik Grunert, the lead designer on the Mantra M5 and the women’s version of the Mantra, the Volkl Secret.

This is a really fascinating conversation — and an extremely uncommon event. In 90+ years that Volkl has been around, rarely (if ever) has a review publication been granted this degree of direct access to Volkl R&D and Engineering, and Tobias and Dominik were extremely interesting, candid, and knowledgeable talking about the Mantra M5 in particular, and about the guiding design principles at Volkl in general.

So you can check out Sam’s conversation with Tobias and Dominik here, then head over to blisterreview.com to read our accompanying writeup and Sam’s initial on-snow impressions of the new Mantra M5.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What were your trying to achieve with this 5th version of the Mantra, the M5? (2:28)
• Changes and the guiding design principles (3:38)
• History of the Mantra (6:55)
• Will this new shape and / or construction make its way into other Volkl skis? (9:35)
• The women’s version of the Mantra — the Volkl Secret (10:08)
• Which skis on the market is the Mantra M5 set to compete against? (12:20)
• Of the 5 different iterations of the Mantra, which are your personal favorites? (13:38)
• Dominik on the Volkl 100Eight (16:30)
• Rocker Profiles & Flex Patterns (17:50)
• Weight — what is Volkl’s position on construction & weight? (23:03)
• The possibility of bringing back a limited run of the metal Katana? (25:35)
• Predictions: where is ski design headed in the next 5 years? (28:15)