by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
The All-Mountain East genre is split into two camps: models that represent the top end of on-trail, Frontside families (think Head V-Shape 10, Salomon XDR 88 Ti, Liberty V92) and the narrowest versions of Big Mountain fatties (e.g., Enforcer 88, Rustler 9, Kore 93). The Elan Ripstick 88 falls into the camp populated by off-trail offspring, tilting its terrain predilections towards soft snow and its pilot preference to skiers still polishing their skills.
The 19/20 Ripstick 88 replaces an 86mm-waisted version that didn’t share the same guts as the rest of the Ripstick clan. This oversight has been corrected, so the 88 now incorporates every family feature, including Elan’s signature asymmetric design, Amphibio, that puts a longer edge on the inside and longer rocker on the outside. While Amphibio helps the Ripstick 88 cope with hardpack, every other important design element, from its lightweight carbon/glass structure to its tapered tips and tails, is biased towards off-trail conditions.
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 16, 2019
Let the record show that no ski made as giant a leap forward in 2020 as the Salomon QST 92. In its two earlier incarnations it barely met our Recommended minimum standards, barely hanging on the tail end of the Finesse ski standings. Now it resides at the top, and the result is no fluke.
The new QST has more of everything you want – edging power on trail, a better shape for off-trail, a more solid platform – and less of what you don’t want: tip chatter, indifferent grip, overall looseness. Salomon pulled off this coup by reconfiguring how it used its primary components, flax, basalt and, of course, carbon. The basalt and carbon are now woven together in an end-to-end matrix, while the flax gets its own mat directly underfoot. An all-poplar core is reinforced by a patch of Titanal in the mid-section and finished with new cork inserts in the tip and tail.
by Jackson Hogen | Sep 3, 2018
The better your ability, the more you’ll appreciate one of our Power Picks. Not that one has to be a flawless technical skier, but there’s not much point in saddling up a Power ski unless one has the talents to extract its best behaviors. If honest self-appraisal...
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
Most of our feedback on the Ripstick 86 W came from eastern skiers who had no chance to test it in western off-trail conditions. Considering it was somewhat a fish out of water, its scores are even more remarkable. “I felt very comfortable and confident on this ski, writes one of Willi’s Divas. “For an 86, it carved well on hard pack. Perfect ski for cruising down soft groomed powder as the ski would do most of the work. Nice, light weight too.” A major benefit of a lighter ski is energy conservation, a point not lost on the Diva who wrote, “This was the last ski of the day I tried and I really liked it. Despite being 86 underfoot, I found it skied like a more traditional sidecut ski.”
by Jackson Hogen | Aug 31, 2018
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