2022 Armada Declivity 88 C

This one will sneak right up on you. The use of carbon instead of metal over the past few years has not only gotten more popular, but also more effective. Ski companies have simply gotten better and more sophisticated in their use of the stiff and light material, and Armada has caught right up. The Armada Declivity 88 C is a twin of the women’s Reliance 88 C, and this thing is about as quick and energetic as they come. There are a lot of strong, metal-laminated skis in the 88 mm waist width, and while that’s an important section of skis to be sure, there aren’t a lot of top performers in this shape without metal, so the Declivity 88 C is stepping into a strong position to differentiate itself and offer something different than a Kendo, Brahma, or Enforcer may be able to. Built with a caruba wood core and carbon stringers that run the length of the ski, the Armada Declivity 88 C has a surprising about of power and energy to it, at a light weight, and with an appropriate amount of versatility built in. In the 176 cm length, the skis generate a 17.2-meter turn radius, so these mid-range carvers have the ability to be both held in an arc as well as thrown sideways. It’s this type of behavior that will really make the 88 C stand out amongst its peers. Our testers felt pretty darn good about this ski, with many of them noting being pleasantly surprised at the performance level.

Brad Schauerman skied the 176 and found it to be “super playful and very versatile...holds an edge at speed but also makes super fun short turns as well. Good for all over the mountain, on-trail or off. Fun ski. Super stable for how maneuverable they are.” We do see a fair number of contingencies with this ski, and that’s okay, as it shows how well-rounded this simple ski may seem. Brad’s top score of 5 out of 5 was given for quickness and maneuverability, and this is not that shocking considering the strength to weight ratio of this great ski. Also on the 176, John McIntosh felt the length was just right for him. His scores were mostly 4’s including for edge hold, quickness, and overall impression. A few 3’s sprinkled in for flotation and stability aren’t too surprising as that’s not the intention of the ski. But when we see consistent scores in the 3-4 range, that usually indicates a well-rounded ski. John notes that the Declivity 88 C “felt lively and had good edge hold. New for 2022, this would make a good introduction for an intermediate to advanced East coast skier to the all-mountain category.” This 88 mm waist shape of ski certainly checks a lot of boxes for eastern skiers like us, but it’s also quite versatile for the western skier looking for a lower-snow type of ski.

Jeffrey Siegel skied the appropriately sized 184 Declivity 88 C and had a very positive experience on it. “Armada hit a home run with this ski. I don’t know how they got such a light ski with no metal to hold an edge so well, but this is a carving machine. I was railing through frozen garbage like it was perfect corduroy. It felt powerful and very, very smooth at the same time. It also is extremely forgiving. I had a bobble and got way in the back seat, but the ski didn’t buck me. It stayed calm and collected and let me recover with ease. What’s most impressive about the ski is the amount of rebound it has for how smooth it is. When I really jammed on the ski, it gave me plenty of pop, but the pop came far more evenly than I would have expected. It almost felt like time slowed down a little bit so I could do exactly what I wanted to do with the ski. And I’m not sure I’ve ever skied such a forgiving ski that had as much rebound. I like the ski soft snow and bumps. I didn’t find it as surfy as the Declivity 92, but I was able to make quick turns with ease. Anyone except for novices can ski this ski. Maybe an expert looking for the beefiest plank might prefer something different, but at 200lbs I could ski this ski at full speed and I never felt it wasn’t enough. I think this ski is best for someone who’s confident with their carving skills, but an intermediate skier wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by the ski and might really like it for its stability.”

My fear is that this ski is going to get overlooked for one reason or another, and that skiers are going to miss out on a potentially great choice. Typically, this happens at the marketing and sales level, and we’re going to do our part to make sure that skiers are aware of the Declivity series (which they seem to be) and especially this 88 C.