2022 Armada Tracer 88

On the lighter side of the mountain, the 2022 Armada Tracer 88 is built and shaped for all of your touring and backcountry needs. This isn’t like the other Tracers in Armada’s line, the 88 is built with a caruba wood core and a titanal binding reinforcement with Adaptive mesh, but it’s quite a bit lighter due to less overall material. With a skin notch in the tail, and less dramatic of a rocker and camber profile, the intent of this ski is fairly obvious—it's designed to go uphill fast, with less overall concern for the downhill performance. That’s not to say it’s a slouch when it comes to the downs, but the ups is where this ski really separates itself from other models in Armada’s line.

In the 172 cm length, the skis come in at a paltry 1225 gams per ski. In a faction of the sport where every gram counts, the Tracer 88 has a leg up on the competition for sure. Starting with a Caruba wood core, the skis do have a good amount of energy to them, even at that lighter weight. The whole thing about the AT setup is that the skis have to have a good blend of both uphill and downhill performance in order to be truly effective. So, starting with that light weight wood is a good place to begin. Armada also uses their adaptive mesh to boost that downhill performance without adding much weight at all. This braiding of the mesh is meant to dampen vibrations and filter out any unwanted chatter. It does so without weighing the ski down, and that's probably the most important aspect of the ski touring world. Really the only thing that weighs much in this ski is the Ti binding reinforcement plate that is pretty darn necessary, given some of the terrain that you're likely to access. You do not want your tech binding pulling out of your ski, especially with the lighter Caruba wood core, you need some extra material to hold you in.

The shaping of the ski has more to do with its weight as well. At 88 mm underfoot, the skis don't have the surface area or the amount of material that's going to weigh it down. Keeping things slim in the shape goes a long way in making the ski light and good on the climb. While there's a lot of skiers out there who, when they tour, are only seeking one big line, and as a result, they don't need the lightest possible gear. These Tracer 88's are more aimed at the skier who's looking to do a longer tour, and doesn't quite care so much about ripping that one huge run. The Tracer 88 skier is looking for a longer adventure, and while the downhill portion of the day is all part of the equation, it's not the most important part, so 88 underfoot is a good compromise for sure. The tips are quite tapered allowing for a lighter weight and a better skin connection. As a side-bonus, it allows for a smoother cut through the snow and better flotation.

Thanks to the explosion of backcountry skiing and touring over the past few years, the equipment and gear has really caught up to the passion. The Armada Tracer 88 is one of the better skis in this category, mostly because it has a great heritage to stand upon, allowing it to draw the positives and filter out the negatives for skiers who are either looking to get into the sport, or for those who are already passionate and know precisely what they are looking for in a ski.