There must be something to these Evolv series skis, because Liberty keeps churning out new ones. From the moment I got on the Evolv90 last year, I knew that they had something cool and unique, and I was hopeful that they'd expand the line. Fast-forward a season, and we now have Evolv skis ranging from 84 to 110, comprising a comprehensive line of all-mountain skis with fresh and interesting personalities. On the narrow end, the 84 is going to have the strongest on-trail presence, the most torsional stiffness, and the best east-coast prowess. Liberty, as a company, has long been known more for their freestyle and freeride skis, so this recent departure into the world of front side/all-mountain skis is an interesting one. They've successfully managed to blend the disciplines, at least as far as ski personality and character is concerned, and come up with something that a lot of skiers really like.
ROCKER PROFILE
Rocker / Camber
CORE MATERIALS
2 Carbon Stringers
PREFERRED TERRAIN
Groomers, All Mountain
With a blend of bamboo and poplar wood, the Evolv84 has a light, smooth, and silent personality. The first time I got on the 90, I was blown away at how quiet and stable the skis were, and that build quality and type is the same on the 84. Adding to that core, Liberty adds its secret weapon, the Vertical Metal Technology. By standing metal strips up vertically that run the length of the core, Liberty is able to take advantage of the damping properties of titanal without the weight and heft of a full-sheet mounted horizontally. With two strips of metal, the Evolv84 has a unique and innovative flex that isn't really seen elsewhere on the market. There are some other companies that use vertical metal laminates, as it's found in the race world, but Liberty's use of two (three in the V Series skis) strips in an all-mountain ski is pretty impressive. In addition to increasing the fore/aft stiffness of the ski, these metal strips do a fantastic job in preventing counter-flexing on the back end, or rebound, of the turn. This keeps you on a more predictable path, leading to more confidence driving into the turn.
Speaking about driving into the turn, the lack of taper and minimal rocker makes these skis behave like something totally different, and that's what Liberty seems to set out to do. With pretty much full effective edge contact, the flatter tip with minimal splay engages into the turn quickly and with a ton of precision. Again, with that bamboo and poplar core, the sound of silence is all you'll hear. The minimal rocker helps a bit with that initiation, and a tad with flotation, but it's really all about edge contact. Same goes for the tail. The back end of these skis is really quite flat, allowing the ski to hold the turn until the very end. The true tip to tail edge contact creates an incredibly smooth ride, and for an 84 mm underfoot ski, it's pretty darn quick from edge to edge. This combination of strength, speed, silence, and quickness is pretty rare for any ski, much less something from a company that has hedged more on the freeride side of the spectrum.
It's been all love for these Evolv skis from Liberty so far. The 84, representing the front side of the mountain, has the most appeal to eastern and hard-snow skiers, while the wider models are more suitable for softer snow and further west riders. In the end, there's not a whole lot else like these skis out there, and while the mid-80's is a popular place to be, nothing else has the same combination of shape, build, and profile.
