The RTM 86 UVO appears in the All-Mountain East genre by dint of its waist width, not its predilections. This is a carving ski through and through, cambered underfoot with a well-scalloped sidecut that engages readily despite its slight tip rocker. It has every technological advantage a carver could want: two sheets of Titanal around a wood core, a UVO damping device that definitely improves snow connection and the 3D.Ridge design that cuts lines groomage that look like they were made with a fencer’s foil.

As you might expect from a ski this strong, the RTM 86 UVO likes to run at a medium-high RPM. Once up to speed, it shows its versatility, knitting together short, medium and long arcs without dropping a stitch. If you’re a conservative skier, you don’t need all the damping ingredients folded into the RTM 86 UVO; but if like to let your ponies run before putting them through their paces, the RTM 86 UVO handles like a two-seater car with fresh tires.