By adding carbon tubes to a wood core ski, Elan has created a light, stiff, and stable ski that has no metal. The 2019 Ripstick 86 is an awesome choice for skiers who are not looking for a heavy duty ski, but still want tremendous performance and feedback. The end result of the Ripstick 86 is an all-mountain ski that has the capabilities for off-piste performance, and is equally happy ripping carves on groomed trails. Our testers loved the lightweight versatility of the skis, and all testers scored the skis 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability. This speaks volumes about the ability of the skis to perform lightning fast turns and edge to edge speed. Elan’s Vapor Tip technology lowers the swingweight of the skis, and that helps initiate turns as well. The tip rocker and general shape keep the skis floating up atop fresh snow, but the 86 mm waist is perfectly at home on the hard pack. As a result, the Elan Ripstick 86 is able to appeal to a broad range of skiers of many diverse abilities.
Michael Rooney skied the 184 cm length and, aside from quickness, scored 5’s for stability, forgiveness, and versatility. This cross-category ranking speaks volumes about the ability of the ski to handle anything you can throw at it. The adaptable nature of the skis caught Michael’s attention for sure. “the Ripstick 86 is a good intermediate ski and is suitable for an aspiring intermediate too. It even sings to you when you get it on edge on a steeper slope.” We’re assuming he’s talking about the vibrating sounds when the ski is on edge. I remember my Salomon Pocket Rockets sang to me back in the day, so that’s not too weird of a statement. Michael also speaks to the forgiving nature of the skis, indicating that you can relax on them, you don’t have to be fully engaged at all times: “It is forgiving if you are not on edge, too.” So whether you are carving, sliding, smearing, or skidding, the Ripstick 86 will behave appropriately.
Charlie Roy found himself on the 184 cm length Ripstick 86 and thought that it felt a bit short. As such, his score of 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability is predictable. The rest of his grades are right in the middle of the pack, so it’s fairly obvious that he thought the skis were well rounded and capable of holding contrarian proficiencies at the same time. He has some nice comments about the Ripsticks: “This ski is lively! Make sure to stay on top of them because they definitely push back. Loads of rebound and awesome for short radius turns. They are very light which makes them very maneuverable in the bumps and trees. For normal sized people, it is a great lively ski.” We’ll assume that “normal sized” equates to average. Certainly great feedback from Charlie here, highlighting the fact that the Ripstick 86 is no slouch, and that the rebound is tremendous if you’re putting a lot of energy into the skis.
Also skiing the 184, James Stewart was another skier who scored the Ripstick 86 5 out of 5 for quickness and maneuverability. He states: “If you haven’t been on an Elan in a while, it’s time to amend that. They’re super lightweight and lively, but still stable at speed. Lots of energy in this one!”
Again, we’re hearing from our testers that the Ripstick 86 is incredibly stable given the lightweight nature. It’s almost as if the testers are continually surprised by this, and can’t help but wonder what is actually going on in these skis. We’ve found it’s better not to get too hung up in the details of how or why these things happen, but rather to just forget about it and enjoy the ride.
