The Elan Amphibio 84 XTI is a Power ski conscripted into the ranks of our Finesse Favorites lest its ultra-silky moves be misconstrued as hard to extract. If you can stand up under your own power, you can ski the Amphibio 84 XTI. Any pressure to the inside edge and it’s “Look, Ma, I’m carving!” Increase the edge angle and you get the same, even-handed response, only in a tighter radius.

The Amphibio 84 XTI’s acts like a turn conductor, indicating when to tip, how long to hold the beat and when to snip off the end of each note to make room for the next. The sidecut acts as its metronome, cambered for early contact on the inside edge and subtly rockered on the outside edge. The shape of the top surface reinforces the to-and-fro rhythm, convex in the forebody to accentuate pressure on turn initiation, a concave tail to lubricate release. The outside ski is always engaged, and since the inside ski is always in the process of becoming the outside ski, it has to have the presence to track alongside its mate until their roles are once again reversed. Hence the dual-track style the Amphibio 84 XTI encourages.

Instructors take note: the Amphibio 84 XTI would be a great tool for demonstrating carving at the modest speeds instructors must travel or risk losing their flock. It flows edge to edge through a medium-radius turn with a style that emphasizes smoothness over aggression. The main advantage of the Amphibio 84 XTI is you don’t have to run hot or stomp on it to bring it around. While short-radius turns aren’t its specialty, it’s more adept at tight turns than most of the Frontside fraternity.

Once class is over, our instructor doesn’t have to switch skis to take it up a notch or two. The single sheet of Titanal in its chassis takes the teeth out of the chatter that would otherwise disrupt the Amphibio 84 XTI’s placid edge at higher speeds. A hard snow specialist, it follows uneven terrain with serpentine ease, so moguls don’t faze it. “Damp and solid, it hugs the snow and terrain,” assures a Mammoth instructor. “A wonderful everyday ski,” echoes Larry Rhoads from Footloose.