The Ripstick 106 is the second widest ski in Elan’s new Freeride collection. These skis use relatively lightweight construction made up of wood cores with “Vapor Tip” inserts and tubelite carbon fiber strips along the edges. Their shape is inspired by powder skiing with big, fat tips and tails with a good amount of early taper as well. Tip and tail rocker corresponds with the early taper and even in the narrower skis the shape is distinctly “freeride,” as opposed to some all mountain skis that borrow shapes from carving skis. This rockered, early tapered shape combined with the skis relatively light overall weight suggests it should be very maneuverable and this is only further supported by the ski’s 18.1 m turn radius at the 181 cm length. A lot of skis of this width use larger turn radii, but the Ripstick 106 remains on the shorter side.
Joe Cutts definitely noticed this shorter turn radius, commenting that the Ripstick 106 feels “like a fat little slalom ski.” Joe “had the most fun in super short high angle arcs, where it’s quick, snappy, and well behaved.” We had a good mix of snow conditions for testing a ski like the Ripstick 106. There was some firm snow up top, but as you dropped in elevation the snow softened to almost spring-like conditions at the bottom. Joe did mention that he “didn’t dare push it to high speeds” as he thought it “felt small.” It’s important to note here that Joe was skiing on the 174 cm length, which seems really small for him considering he’s 6’3” and 225 lbs. We think if Joe had been on the 188 cm ski he would have felt a lot more comfortable skiing at high speeds. He did mention, however, that he thought it was “super fun at moderate speeds in soft snow,” which corresponds to Joe’s 5 out of 5 scores for flotation, quickness, playfulness, and forgiveness. Next time grab a longer ski, Joe!
Steve Sulin echoed the thought that it’s not a ski you have to worry about downsizing. Steve made sure to note that the Ripstick 106 “skis short,” and added that you certainly “don’t want to downsize.” On the contrary, it’s the type of ski that you should be able to ski in a much longer length than a more traditional, more cambered all mountain ski. Just like Joe, however, Steve found it to be very maneuverable. Steve skied the 181 cm and is much shorter than Joe. He described it as an “easy-skiing powder ski,” but we think the 106 mm waist width makes it more versatile than just a powder ski. Western skiers have been gravitating towards wider widths for their everyday skis and even some eastern skiers spend most of their time on skis wider the 100 mm under foot. There’s also an even wider Ripstick, the 116, so it’s kind of not fair to call the 106 a “powder ski.” Steve also commented that it “turns on a dime” and that it’s relatively user-friendly. “Super fun and forgiving ski you can ski all day without working up a sweat. Loves to carve in soft corduroy as well.”
We think the Ripstick 106 is going to be a great choice among adventurous all mountain skiers who want to venture off-piste whenever possible, but still want to retain some ability on groomers. You don’t need to be the world’s greatest or most aggressive skier to enjoy them either; it’s really quite easy to ski and provides less aggressive skiers a platform to confidently explore new terrain. We think Elan did a great job with these new skis and their lightweight, easy-to-ski feel offers a refreshing alternative to some heavier, more aggressive skis on the market.
