The traits that are anathema on hard snow are rejuvenating elixir in the off-trail habitat. The Anima’s soft extremities and limited camber zone create a compliant ski that would rather follow terrain than fight it. Its mutable tip may be mobile, but the Anima imparts a sense of secure edge grip underfoot that endures exposure to ratty terrain. The Anima doesn’t require much impetus to bow into a trustworthy arc that holds its trajectory in rough-and-tumble conditions.

The Anima’s high return on minimal energy investment has a big payoff: the fuel to run all day. Skiers leery of a twin-tip’s willingness to hold an edge need not fear: the Anima is accurate as long as it’s set at a sufficiently high angle. One’s awareness of the twin-tip feature and its potential for loose behavior quickly dissipates, until all one feels is the flow of the turn.