There is a strong trend to try and break away from rigid classification this season and Volkl have joined in by splitting their offering into 'Piste All Mountain,' 'Pure Freeride' and 'All Mountain Freeride categories. The Kendo 92 sits in the latter.
Other than a graphics update, the ski is unchanged from the previous season.
Volkl may be onto something with their classification. Despite having many freeride characteristics, the Kendo 92 is - at least on the face of it - a very all mountain type ski. It's at the narrower end of this family of skis (Volkl have the Katana 108 in this same grouping!) and it rails on piste!
We're big fans of Volkl's titanal frame construction, which takes the very stiff metal and applies it only around the edges. This minimises the 'deadening' effect that Ti can have in the middle of the ski, but makes for super-solid grip. And the Kendo 92 absolutely grips the hardpack whilst being incredibly nimble edge to edge.
Unfortunately though it's a little chattery at speed, which is irritating on solid, bumpy snow. The flappy tip did seem to absorb some of the bumps off piste, but that really should be a freeride ski's bread and butter.
It's out of it's depth in the freeride category frankly, but judged on it's own merits, this is a very capable all mountain ski.
