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A perfect ski to have for your east coast one ski quiver. Of course, that is only if you're doing less than 50% all mountain. (If you're doing more than 50% all mountain and want a ski similar to these, go for the volkl bridge) The only thing keeping these from a 10/10 is because they just aren't perfect. No ski is. I would love if these were just a tiny bit softer, but then I also don't want to give up stability or the ability to just chop through crud. So really, they are as perfect as you can get.
Performance
Four completely different days on these and I have never once regretted my choice of them as my one ski quiver for the mountain.
Groomers- These skis are amazing. Nice, long arcs when on edge, and super stable at high speeds (I put my all mountain background to use on a nice windy trail, using the turns of the trail for nice GS turns)
Switch carving on groomers was a breeze as well, due to the symmetrical flex and sidecut.
Bumps- A little bit more difficult, but halfway down the run I was used to the stiffness and was able to get some smooth flow.
Trees- I was used to 158cm soft as noodle skis before these, and obviously it took time getting used to the length. After that, these skis were quite nice even when dodging trees.
Powder- So I am talking about east coast here, but i found enough snow to be over my boots in it and, surprisingly enough, these skis were great in it. For a symmetrical park ski, these do float pretty well and can take 8-10 foot drops with ease.
Rails- Edges are holding up nicely, and I haven't bobbled once on a landing. A very nice thing about the wider waist of these skis.
Jumps- Haven't gotten anything big on these, but I can spin threes off basically anything if it gives me a few feet of travel in the air. Obviously, these will be very stable for large jumps and a few drops. The won't be as forgiving though so don't land backseat a lot on these.
Design
The skis look great with the graffiti style topsheet design, and they appear to be really well built.
Without bindings, they were really light; easily as light as my shorter skis when they didn't have bindings. With the px12 jib TI bindings, they seem somewhat heavy in comparison, but not unbearable or to a point that they will hurt my skiing.
Just another comparison, these 169cm skis with bindings are about the same weight as my 158cm scratch pro's with look pivot bindings. If anything, they are lighter than the smaller skis.
Value
They certainly weren't a great value, but you get what you pay for, definitely. I ended up paying $360 for these from evogear with a discount code and free shipping. Got a deal on the bindings at backcountry at $137 with free shipping as well. At close to $500 total, these skis are worth it for sure.
Fit
Perfect length at 169.
I am 5'6" and a bit more than 120 pounds.
I am an aggressive skier with some racing background.
60/40 park/all mtn
Characteristics
These are not a soft ski, but they really aren't as stiff as I had expected from all the reviews I read. I would say they are a medium flex and are very lively.
Torsional Stiffness is a very key thing with this ski. Volkl does a great job of this with all their skis and it allows the ski to refrain from twisting in the tip or tail when on edge or beating through crud. Perfect for east coast.
Durability
I slid rails on the first day out with these and didn't bother with a detune. My edges have worn down perfectly fine and I don't see any edge cracks or any signs of an edge pulling out. Only had one bad fall from the edge catching too, so I guess I am lucky with that.
Topsheet chipping is pretty common on these because of the vertical sidewall, but each day out, I see less and less new damage as the typical spots are worn down and smooth. It really isn't that bad anyway, and purely cosmetic.
The only small complaint about the Walls that I have is the pow performance, but that doesn't matter a whole lot since i live in the east, and 4'' of snow is a "dump". Decent value, good looks, great performance, the Walls are the complete package.
Performance
They kill it everywhere- jumps, rails, groomers, moguls, trees- except 4 or more inches of powder. However, that might be because mine are center mounted. If you're after more pow, go for bridges- I demoed and loved them in it. Also, the symmetrical sidecut has done wonders for my switch skiing. It just feels easier and more natural than a normal one. It also helps on rails+boxes, where the weighting is perfect.
Design
I don't like the design as much as the 07-08 walls, but this years is still pretty nice. As i said before, these skis made everything feel really easy and natural.
Value
I would say there were worth the $650 I paid for them. They're definitely an amazing ski worth the money. Plus, if you could find some in spring, I bet you could get them for around $450-$500.
Fit
I'm 5'7'', 150lbs, and i went with the 161s. From what iv been hearing, i might have wanted to go with the 167s, but what the hell. i can ski everything with them fine
Characteristics
absolutely perfect. its stiff enough to be real solid off any jump, and kill it on groomers, yet soft enough to butter and be a playful ski.
Durability
Sure, the sidewalls have plenty of chips in them, and the base a few small gouges, but I've skied on all kinds of crap on these things, and they still perform the same as when i first bought them. Definitely a very durable ski.
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