The Armada JJ, or ARV 116, has become an iconic ski over the years. It’s the definition of a playful, fun-loving, freestyle-inspired powder ski and has, over the years, put a smile on countless skiers’ faces. While these days, Armada has numerous other powder skis, the JJ remains a favorite among pro Armada athletes and weekend warriors alike. It might not be the strongest ski in the world, and you probably won’t see too many big mountain chargers choosing it, but if you’re the type of skier who dreams about backcountry jumps, nose butter 360s off natural rollers, and slashing and smearing turns in the deepest of snow, you’ll love it. It really feels like an Armada ski. Rooted in freestyle heritage and with an attitude that screams new school, innovation, and overall playfulness.

Construction is relatively simple, allowing for that playful and fun-loving feel. At its core, we get a poplar and ash wood core with traditional sandwich construction and Armada’s step-down AR75 sidewalls. Vertical sidewalls underfoot taper and become more like cap construction as you reach the extremities of the ski. It’s a nice touch getting the 2.5 Impact Edge on the JJ, as while most skiers probably won’t be sliding rails on it, as a freestyle powder ski, it’s bound to go through a decent amount of abuse. Armada’s always been known for good durability, and that’s certainly true with the ARV 116. Perhaps the most notable element of construction is Armada’s Smear Tech in the tips and tails. This creates a 3-dimensional, boat hull or surfboard inspired shaping on the base of the tips and tails. The idea is that it’s reducing downward pressure on the surface of the snow and creating super easy edge release in the tips and tails. It all goes hand in hand with shaping, giving the ski an incredibly surfy, smeary feel and lightning quick edge release.

Speaking of shape, the ARV 116 has abundant amounts of rocker in both the tip and tail, but retains camber underfoot for good pop and energy. The rocker profile is more symmetrical than most skis in this width range, representative of the freestyle nature of the JJ. There’s plenty of tail rocker back there to land switch in deep snow, yet the ski still feels intuitive and with plenty of float when just skiing it as a directional ski. In other words, while it has those freestyle capabilities, you don’t need to be launching double cork 1260s into powder to enjoy it. Those who love bouncing through powder-filled trees will love it too. Sidecut is somewhat interesting for a ski of this width. Often when you get into powder-specific skis, you run into longer turn radii, but the JJ retains an 18 m turn radius in the 185 cm length. While not super short, it’s shorter than most, which gives the ski a highly responsive and quicker-than-expected feel. Also, while certainly not the focus of the ski, it provides a better feel when you happen to find yourself on-piste. Surely, you’re only on the groomers to get from point A to point B and back in the deep stuff, but it’s nice to have a bit of performance there too.

Overall, the JJ is an awesome powder ski that’s a great choice for anyone looking for a fun-loving ski for deep conditions. As mentioned, it’s not the strongest powder ski in the world, and within Armada’s offerings, those chargers would likely be better off on a Declivity 108 Ti or Declivity X. That said, from backcountry jumps, to back bowls, to powder-filled trees even here in Vermont, the JJ is just a blast to ski. Bouncy, floaty, energetic, and fun. Add a pair of these to your quiver and you’ll be grinning from ear to ear every powder day.