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Volkl Secret 96 Review

This ski is a beast at high speeds, through big turns, and in any snow condition
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Volkl Secret 96 Review (The Volkl Secret 96 is an excellent choice for skiers who love to ski fast.)
The Volkl Secret 96 is an excellent choice for skiers who love to ski fast.
Credit: Nate Greenberg
Price:  $850 List
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Manufacturer:   Volkl
By Renee McCormack ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Oct 31, 2024
77
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#3 of 16
  • Stability at Speed - 20% 9.0
  • Carving Ability - 20% 9.0
  • Powder Performance - 20% 7.0
  • Crud Performance - 20% 8.0
  • Terrain Playfulness - 15% 6.0
  • Bumps - 5% 4.0

Our Verdict

Volkl's historical power in the all-mountain ski category continues to flex with the Secret 96. We've awarded this ski a Top Pick for its impressive ability to confidently ski hard snow, soft snow, and every type of snow in between at maximum velocity. Although slight adjustments to the flex make this ski a touch more accessible than previous models, the new Secret 96 still requires a powerful operator to realize its potential. Ladies with less body mass or self-assurance on their skis may find it challenging to wrestle this ski into a tighter radius, or more skidded turns. Anyone who wants poppy, playful ski or one that is quick through the trees or agile in the bumps should look at some of the other top-rated women's skis. But if you love putting the pedal to the metal with unconditional stability, the Secret 96 is your power play.
REASONS TO BUY
Excellent edge hold
Super stable at high speed
Busts through crud
REASONS TO AVOID
Difficult to pivot turns
Not very playful
Not agile in deep powder or bumps
Editors' Note: The updated Secret 96 hits Volkl's lineup for 2024-2025. Fortunately, we were able to purchase and test this new ski through the 2023-2024 season to bring you this comprehensive review.

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volkl secret 96
This Product
Volkl Secret 96
Awards Top Pick Award
Most Stable at Speed
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Women's All-Mountain Ski
 Best Buy Award
Great Value for a Powder Ski
Best Buy Award
Best Buy for Intermediates
Price $747.99 at Amazon
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$749.95 at REI
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$748.95 at Amazon
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$428.95 at Amazon
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$699.95 at REI
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line This powerful ski offers a very smooth ride at top speed, but fumbles a little in tight spaces and with making smaller turnsThis ski excels at basically everything, in any terrain, except for making a large-radius turnLively and nimble, but also stable and grippyA blast to ski in fresh snow, mogul fields, and popping around on groomersFor intermediate and advanced skiers looking for something that’s easy on the snow and on the wallet
Rating Categories Volkl Secret 96 Blizzard Black Pear... Blizzard Sheeva 9 -... Elan Ripstick 94 W Salomon QST Lumen 98
Stability at Speed (20%)
9.0
8.0
8.0
6.0
6.0
Carving Ability (20%)
9.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
6.0
Powder Performance (20%)
7.0
8.0
7.0
9.5
5.0
Crud Performance (20%)
8.0
7.0
7.0
5.0
4.0
Terrain Playfulness (15%)
6.0
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
Bumps (5%)
4.0
9.0
5.0
8.0
6.0
Specs Volkl Secret 96 Blizzard Black Pear... Blizzard Sheeva 9 -... Elan Ripstick 94 W Salomon QST Lumen 98
Length Tested 170 cm 170 cm 174 cm 178 cm 176 cm
Waist Width 96 mm 94 mm 96 mm 94 mm 98 mm
Sidecut (Tip-Waist-Tail Width) 139-96-121 mm 132.5-94-114.5 mm 129-96-118.5 mm 136-94-110 mm 132-98-120 mm
Turn Radius 15.2 m 15.5 m 16 m 18 m 16 m
Available Lengths 149, 156, 163, 170, 177 cm 152, 158, 164, 170, 176 cm 150, 156, 162, 168, 174 cm 147, 154, 161, 168, 175 cm 152, 160, 168, 176 cm
Camber Profile Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot Rocker tip and tail, cambered inside edge, Amphibio tech Rocker tip and tail, camber underfoot
Manufacturer Claimed Weight per Pair 8.4 lbs 8.1 lbs 7.9 lbs 7.4 lbs 8.2 lbs
Core Material Multilayer Woodcore (Beech and Poplar), Titinal TrueBlend All Mountain Woodcore (Beech and Poplar), Titinal W.S.D. Trueblend Free Woodcore; Beech, Poplar and Paulownia Tubelite wood Poplar

Our Analysis and Test Results

The newest iteration of the Secret 96 is far more accessible to mere mortals than versions of this ski we tested previously. Strong-legged ladies will appreciate the speed this Volkl ski lends its driver, and despite a kinder flex pattern, this powerful ski was still created with hard-charging beefcakes in mind. The most meaningful update is Volkl's 4-Radius Drive, an upgrade to their 3D Radius sidecut. This innovative design builds a 20-meter, 40-meter, 15-meter, and 25-meter radius into a single sidecut, which makes it even more versatile through a variety of turn shapes than the skillful, beloved, and now sadly discontinued Secret 92.

Performance Comparison


The Secret 96 does especially well in a large-radius turns.
Credit: Renee McCormack

Stability at Speed


The Secret 96 is at home in the fast lane, regardless of snow conditions. This ski can make large-radius, high-speed turns whether you're skiing firm snow, bulletproof ice, post-powder-day chunder, or even deep powder. (Although there are some limitations to this last instance, as we will discuss below.) Even though it wins an award for stability at speed, the Secret 96 could have just as easily earned the award for confidence on hardpack, where it truly dominates our lineup.


Our testers loved that the Secret 96 is a touch more forgiving than recent versions yet still provides that heart-pounding rush of adrenaline and confidence at speed. It doesn't deflect in choppy snow and reliably drives forward through every turn. Within a carved turn, however, a skier will only get out as much as they put in. If you give it your all, then the Secret 96 will provide a dependable ride. Anything less, and this ski will feel overwhelming and less accessible.

volkl secret 96 - the tips stay firmly planted in the snow, helping this ski blast...
The tips stay firmly planted in the snow, helping this ski blast through any snow condition at maximum velocity.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

The Secret 96 absolutely prefers to be on edge rather than smear turns, and this characteristic holds true across the mountain. It's rare to find a ski in the all-mountain category that doesn't have at least a little flop in its tip, but our test team all agrees that the Secret 96 is the most solid ski they came across this season. One tester even admitted she “could hear this ski say 'I've got you' all the way down the mountain” – her trusted secret weapon.

volkl secret 96 - blasting down early morning groomers, feeling the support of the...
Blasting down early morning groomers, feeling the support of the powerful Secret 96 under our feet.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Carving Ability


The Secret 96 rewards solid body movements and dynamic skiing and is incredibly brawny when skied well. Even though it's significantly more forgiving and much more fun than its predecessors, it still takes a confident skier to unlock its full carving ability. On her first run, our lead tester exclaimed, “You need a two-factor authentication to get it to let go of the turn!


It appears that Volkl has traded in their standard fare of “chew it up; spit it out” – the secret ingredients mixed into the Secret 96 make it much more palatable to the masses. The newest version of this ski requires less force to flex, and it responds with more energy when you release pressure, which aids in turn initiation.

The new flex pattern is a bit easier to bend for lighter weight skiers, although it still demands a powerful driver behind the wheel.
Credit: Renee McCormack

Turn Radius


The Secret 96 performs carved turns with a tenacious edge grip and is particularly impressive through medium-to-large radius turns. Although Volkl touts the combination of four different sidecuts comprising their 4-Radius Drive design, our testers all agreed that they could only ever feel one radius through a single turn.


The combo-sidecut claims an average turn radius of 15.2 meters, but everyone who tested it feels like it skis more like a ski with an 18-meter sidecut. Perhaps much heavier skiers could make it bend that tightly, but close-cutting carves were not easy for a majority of our testers. It's really in those larger radius turns that the Secret 96 unleashes its power.

volkl secret 96 - lining up the edges and driving through another trademark powerful...
Lining up the edges and driving through another trademark powerful turn on the Secret 96.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Powder Performance


In deep snow, the Secret 96 is a bit of a puzzle to unpack. To score this metric, our testers typically first ask the simple question, “Does it float well?” But with this ski, we had to ask, "Why is it floating in some turns and not others?"

volkl secret 96 - a wider stance and an "edgier" approach is the secret to skiing the...
A wider stance and an “edgier” approach is the secret to skiing the Secret 96 in powder.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Waist Width


Our testers learned that when they took a more traditional approach to skiing powder – a pivoted, short-radius turn with a narrower stance – the 96-millimeter Secret 96 didn't resurface regularly enough to keep it afloat.


They eventually discovered that if they made medium-to-large radius turns with higher edge angles, it consistently popped back to the surface. We shouldn't have been surprised – the Secret 96 wants to rip turns in powder, too.


In the oft-used short turn, you simply don't have the momentum to build enough pressure to bend this stiff, hefty ski to drive rebound. It's much more comfortable to build pressure through fast, larger-radius turns, adding in a retraction movement for extra force just before the turn transition. Then – pop – the Secret 96 rises to the snow surface. Because we had to force this ski through higher speeds and larger turn radii, we don't recommend it for novice powder skiers or for folks who want to ski deep snow in tight trees or couloirs.

volkl secret 96 - this can be a fun powder ski, in wide open spaces in particular.
This can be a fun powder ski, in wide open spaces in particular.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Crud Performance


High scores in this metric have eluded most competitors in our review in recent years. The Secret 96 breaks that cycle by crushing and bashing its way through poor snow conditions. The torsional rigidity supported by the tailored titanal frame helps it slice through chunky snow, and the stiff yet smooth flex pattern blasts through all but the very worst refrozen debris.


To ski chopped-up snow, some of our testers like to adapt their technique by popping from one turn to the next – they can avoid some of the more difficult parts of their turn by staying airborne. However, the weight and relative lack of rebound in the Secret 96 make this an impractical approach. Once these testers understood how they could simply ram through choppy snow in a high-velocity turn, they decided to take that approach instead.

The Secret 96 will easily bust through choppy conditions if you can keep up your momentum.
Credit: Renee McCormack

It's important to point out that you can't just jump on this ski and expect it to do all the work for you. The Secret 96 demands a confident driver to reap the benefits of this high-octane ski. If you try to make skidded, short-radius turns in difficult snow, you'll end up on a bumpy ride in the backseat. The Secret 96 rewards fast, aggressive skiing – like carving on this ski, you'll get out what you put in.

volkl secret 96 - a strong skier on this powerful ski can make chopped up snow feel...
A strong skier on this powerful ski can make chopped up snow feel like a fresh groomer.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Terrain Playfulness


The Secret 96 is not a playful ski in the traditional sense. At 8.4 pounds per pair (at 170 cm), it is one of the heaviest skis in our lineup. This alone makes it more challenging to get off the ground, but nothing about this ski feels particularly agile. Even though rebound and responsiveness are much improved compared to older models, it still lacks the playfulness of other skis we tested.


Yet, it is definitely still really fun to go fast on this ski. Our testers rejoiced while hauling down steep groomers and crushing through crud. As a result, they tended to score the Secret 96 higher than other comparably heavy, stiff skis. Then, there is the puzzle of powder skiing. Just as a difficult Suduko is much more entertaining for experienced players, powder skiing is much more engaging for advanced to expert skiers.

volkl secret 96 - while not playful in the standard sense of the word, the joy...
While not playful in the standard sense of the word, the joy inspired by confidently skiing a run a high speed is precious.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Bumps


As we've discussed more than once already, the Secret 96 prefers to be on edge and carve larger-radius turns, which makes for a tough time in moguls. It's not quite the worst ski we tested – some of the skis wider than 100 mm have a harder time in the bumps – but its disdain for flat, pivoted turns is difficult to overcome.


By taking a wider stance and turning up the speed a bit, the Secret 96 can maneuver through moguls to a degree. It was pretty fun to fly through medium-sized, slushy spring bumps, for instance. But in tight zipper lines or in springtime wiggles that demand sliding your tail through the turn, this ski falters.

volkl secret 96 - one of our testers doing her best to flat-pivot the secret 96...
One of our testers doing her best to flat-pivot the Secret 96 through moguls. This ski isn't agile enough to perform well in tight spaces like bumps.
Credit: Nate Greenberg

Should You Buy the Volkl Secret 96?


If you're a hard-charging skier who prefers speed to precision, you will love the beefed-up Secret 96. You should favor making longer, faster turns and should be willing to sacrifice some ability to make short, pivoted turns through moguls and trees. But if you are an advanced- to expert-level skier who already loves skis with exceptional edge hold, you will surely appreciate the confidence that the powerful Secret 96 instills at high speeds.

What Other Skis Should You Consider?


Unless you're already mobbing down black runs at high speed, you might want a ski like the Salomon QST Lumen 98 that is able to make more novice-friendly skidded turns at slower speeds. For folks who like a more lighthearted, playful ski, the Blizzard Black Pearl 94 performs much better in the bumps and just so happens to be our favorite all-mountain ski. The DPS Carbon Wailer 100 is equally lively but is the best powder-focused ski in our lineup.

Renee McCormack