Volkl AC50 (2010)

Category ranking: No. 1 Average score: 3.49 Balance of skills: 3.18 Best For: Taming crud, carving trenches on softpack Not For: Surfing and smearing in powder; tight bumps

Year	2010
Level	Expert
Gender	Unisex
Tip/Waist/Tail	128/85/112
MSRP	$1235.00
Availability	Buy Now!
Testers' Average Score	3.49 / 5
Stability	4.08 / 5
Short Turns	3.28 / 5
Quickness	3.28 / 5
Forgiveness	3.28 / 5
Hard Snow Grip	3.81 / 5
Crud	3.69 / 5
Powder	2.84 / 5
Moguls	3.28 / 5

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Völkl’s German designers must see it as a challenge: How wide can a ski be and still have hard-snow integrity? With the AC50, they’re really showing off. Does it float? With an 85-mm waist, that’s a given. Meanwhile metal laminates, an extra-wide binding interface and extra mass stacked over the edges combine to give the AC50 the kind of power and stability you once only expected from a race ski. It’s a lot of ski, to be sure. “Don’t lay off it, or it’ll get bored with you,” said McGrath.