The Shiro glides through soft snow like a handmade Japanese combat sword. Once the edge is set, it glides along smoothly. The speed limit is somewhere around Mach3 (roughly estimated) - unfortunately, the test rider was unable to determine the true limit due to wide-cut and therefore slowing freeride clothing - the limit in this test was somewhere around 100 km/h.
The continuous negative camber does not have a negative effect here, as some might fear. Instead, the continuous rocker gives the Shiro a comparatively high degree of maneuverability in direct comparison to similar battleships in this category: whether powder, rutted or groomed slopes.
The Völkl Shiro feels most at home on wide, open slopes when ridden at a decent size, i.e. at least height plus x. In narrower terrain, the massive construction and the associated high weight are noticeable. In narrower forest sections, the skier has to set his turns quite precisely if he wants to ski smoothly and not just slide around. Overall, however, even these excursions that are rather alien to the Shiro are surprisingly easy to handle.
You do need a little more power compared to a modern freeride standard ski such as the Völkl Gotama to make decent turns through dense forest with the Shiro, but with a little care, even this works surprisingly well. We can therefore also tick the "suitability for everyday use" box, albeit with minor restrictions. Unfortunately, the added carbon makes the Shiro only marginally lighter. Long carrying passages should therefore be tackled with other skis if you still want to have some oomph in your legs for the descent. However, a good portion of hardness and stability is achieved thanks to the carbon.
