Another great big mountain ski from Volkl, with the emphasis on freeride rather than freestyle, the Gotama floats in soft snow and charges effortlessly through chopped up crud - perfect for high speed backcountry skiing.

Great for :

Pretty much everything off piste

Not so great for :

Never going to be the best ski on hard snow or ice

Target ability level :

As big country freeride skis go the Gotama is up there with the best of them, and deservedly so.

At 107 underfoot the ski has plenty of surface area for flotation in soft conditions and the full rocker construction helps the ski glide effortlessly as well as making it less catchy and therefore able to cope with unexpected terrain variations.

The Multilayer Sensorwood Core is light and damp for a smooth ride whatever happens. Carbon fibre layers strengthen the ski torsionally for improved edge grip - important on a ski that's nearly 11cms underfoot - and give it a lively nature.

Of course the extra width and full rocker construction with only a very short camber section does mean the Gotama's never going to be a great ski on hard snow or ice, but we guess if you're looking at a Gotama you probably know that already!