The Elan Ripstick 96 is in the vanguard of the Lighter is Better movement. The core combines vertical laminates of two lightweight woods, poplar and Paulownia, sandwiched between sheets of fiberglass. To dampen the ride and add energy out of the turn, two 3mm-diameter carbon rods run the length of the ski near the edge, tracing the path of the sidecut in CNC machined grooves near the base of the core. Inlays made from a synthetic dampening agent, called Vapor Tip inserts, are integrated into the shovel to boost the lightweight chassis’ ability to absorb shock.
Another major contributor to the Ripstick 96’s high scores for ease of operation is Elan’s unique asymmetric Amphibio design that abbreviates edge contact on the outside edge – i.e., adds rocker to it – while maximizing snow contact on the inside edge. For practitioners of continuous carving in which two edges are always riding on an unbroken, parallel path, the Amphibio design makes carving feel as natural as walking.
Like every ski in the AMW genre, the Ripstick 96 tries to perform with equal panache on both groomers and untamed terrain, but its tapered tip is much more at home pushing against a bank of loose snow than it is trying to tuck into the top of a turn on hard corduroy. A technical skier can rake them up to a high edge angle, but they feel more at home at lower angles in softer snow where they can take advantage of the Amphibio design’s rockered outside edge and drift a bit. Skiing from a centered stance with a less aggro approach lets its glass laminates display their playful nature, bowing and rebounding from turn to turn, setting up an even stream of mid-radius, dual-track ribbons.
One advantage to being lightweight and less torsionally rigid is that a wide ski like a 96 feels less plump than it measures, feeling quicker both at the top and bottom of the turn. “Pretty quick edge to edge for a 96mm underfoot,” avers Steve Isbell a Squaw local and as such a talented all-condition skier. “Stable in the turn on piste and off, and particularly pleasant in a little bit of powder.” At its best when it isn’t been pushed too hard, its compliant tip makes it ski a little short, so when choosing between two lengths, go long.
