After a nine-day demo at Whistler, I made my decision to purchase the Volkl Supersport 6. I had checked several other all-mountain expert skis, and the ride I got from the 6-star was superb. Johnfm's review sometime ago on this site was very helpful.

For the last four days, I've tried it in the varying conditions at Snowshoe. It's a bit stiff for deep, new powder, but for packed, ice, corn, etc, it is just awesome. My cousin bought the 5-star, quite a bit more flexible, but I really like the 6-star stiff handling. Sort of driving a car with a German chassis like a Volkswagen or a Porsche... I am in love with these new skis...

Out of curiosity, can I ask what you paid for them? And where did you buy them?

I skied the 6 Stars in powder snow at Bad Gastein and Reiteralm and found them to have less float than my G-31's, but I still did better than my wife, who was on Head Cybers and had no problem in knee deep stuff.

I think the 6 Star is probably your ultimate ski for the East Coast, which gets mostly machine groomed snow, ice, and crud. For big powder days in the West or Europe, however, one might consider renting a powder ski. No ski will perform exceptionally well in all conditions. Hence, owning a quiver or renting skis occasionally is the way to go. Every ski is a compromise to some degree, but the 6 Star may be the ski of the moment for this region.

Lou, what length did you buy and how tall are you? I bought the 168s and have no regrets.

nope - they are just for pure-carved lay-your-ass-out end-of-the-world racing carves. They do not skid, they do not release, and are stiff in bumps .. but ooooh god what an edge-hold!

lol just an addendum ... now I have noticed as of today my main concern is my friggin' inside hand makes contact with the snow and sometimes knocks me a little off-balance ... oh gee isn't that just too bad poor baby lol!

4848 had them on sale 40% off, got the ensemble for 600 and pocket change.

I had them on the slopes again today, and last week I tried them vs my cousin's 5-star. The 5-star has more flexibility; however, when it comes to edging, fast, aggressive, and in-control ski, it has no match. I'll stick to the 6-star.

John, I'm 67 inches and the skis are 168s. Just today, with the fresh snow, I was sooooooooo glad I bought them!!! My Salomon System 10s are now designated my Rock Skis....

I am really missing my 168 six stars that I've been riding all season, back east. Now that I'm in Utah for a ten-day ski vacation, I'm riding my 178 P50 F1's. Like the six stars, the P50's have tremendous edge grip, but are pretty much useless in the bumps and well tracked bowls and glades (unless you really work them). Plus the additional 10 cm length is a drag to deal with. They are great fun if you want to go fast and in big arcs.

With the lack of fresh snowfalls, the P50's are indeed doing the job on the groomed runs, but the six stars would be just perfect for the kinds of (non-powder) conditions we're getting in Utah this week.

Click here for photos of the trip.

VolklYokel - wanna make some turns? I am going to Sundance today (Sat) but will be back at the Canyons tomorrow (SUN) also JimmyZ is gonna be here this coming week.

Thanks for the invite, Crush. I'm doing family/friend visits over the weekend but will be up at Snowbasin on Monday, Solitude Tuesday, Snowbird Wednesday and back to Brighton on Friday.

Hope you had fun at Sundance. At The Canyons, I found that I had the most fun working the edges on runs like Daydream, Sidewinder, The Drop and Doc's Run at the end of the day.

I really miss the six stars.

Get ready for the "All Stars". Hopefully coming to a ski shop near you. You might not want to try them if you want to maintain that loving relationship with the 6-stars!

I made (hopefully not for the season) last turns at Snowshoe's magnificent conditions on the 6-stars. Their performance in packed powder was absolutely phenomenal. Knot Bumper, Grabhammer, and Lower Shays seemed negotiable. What amazed me the most was their ability to hold an edge on ice where moguls had worn off. Yes, stiff ski, but that same stiffness makes it great on icy sides of the moguls.

We'll see what next year's conditions at Whistler are like and how the Volkl 6-star handles in deep powder. Until then, I have found an absolutely flawless ski for the conditions in the East.

Let me add one more kudo for the 6-star -- a great east coast ski that does OK in other conditions too!. If you like the 6-star, also try the Fischer RX-8. I found it to be as capable as the 6-star but a little more forgiving and versatile in powder and variable conditions.

CRaig