2021 Liberty evolv84w

The mid-80's range is the real sweet spot for all-mountain carving performance. Skis of this width have a lot of attributes that help the skier carve clean, round turns and also have some versatility built in for adventurous skiing both on and off-piste. Liberty, as a company, is known more for their freeride and freestyle skis versus their on-trail sticks, but over the past few years they've really reached out and tapped into that front-side/all-mountain market. The Liberty Evolv84 W is a prime example of how Liberty takes some innovative build techniques and applies them using some more established methods. It's a great blend of performance and light weight carving that makes these Evolv84's stand out among a pretty crowded field of mid-80's skis.

The big thing is the vertical metal struts that Liberty uses. Starting with a wood core made from bamboo, paulownia, and poplar, the skis are light and flexible to begin with, so in order to achieve that edge grip and high-end carving performance, they need some additional materials to boost the strength and power. The vertical metal struts do just this heavy-lifting. By sandwiching these metal beams vertically among the core, the stiffness of the skis really comes to life, and they do this by using a fraction of the metal used in a traditional horizontal sheet of metal. When placed vertically, the metal struts do a fantastic job of preventing counter-flexing on the back end of the turn, allowing skiers to really bend the ski into the turn and channel the energy appropriately. Both on and off-trail this technique works quite well at harnessing your input and providing accurate and precise feedback. We are seeing a lot of ski companies use these vertically-laminated struts these days, and since it filters down from most race departments, you know there's a lot to it.

In terms of performance, the shape also boosts the ski's ability to hold a strong edge. Minimal taper and rocker are both nods to the ski's frontside mentality, and with the dearth of taper, the skis have an incredibly long effective edge. The longer the effective edge, the smoother the ski. When paired with the bamboo wood in the core, these skis are incredibly quiet and stable at any speed. Pretty stiff, too, the Evolv84 W loves to be pushed to the edge. Just a smidge of tip rocker facilitates the entry into the turn, as the lack of taper would really make these skis twitchy if they were fully cambered. While best suited for true on-trail carving, they do have the width and the weight to provide some off-trail fun as well. The quickness of the ski and the maneuverability makes them strong contenders for both mogul and tree skis, but they're certainly more at home on smoother terrain and groomers.

So, who will like/love these skis? Mostly advanced skiers who are looking for that higher-end of carving boards will glean the best performance. Intermediates and experts will both be able to access the light weight performance, but these skis fall squarely into the advanced category, especially for skiers who spend most of their time on-trail.