2026 Armada Declivity X 102

With a new graphic for 2026 but the same construction and shape, the well-rounded Armada Declivity X 102 takes clean carves and smooth flotation to the next level. This ski left such a good impression on us last year that I decided to source one for myself. It works so darn well on so many different types of snow conditions and terrain—this is truly a wider all-mountain ski that can carve it up with the best of them. Last year, we saw Armada move away from the normal Ti construction and into the X build, lowering the amount of metal in the ski but keeping the overall feel fully intact. There’s a lot of pep and energy here, and also more of a freeride flair as opposed to the older Ti which was more simply a wider carving ski. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but this new X construction and shape afford smoother overall performance and more versatility, aligning better with what a normal 102 ski should be able to handle.

Built with a full poplar core and Armada’s ATBX titanal layers, this ski is ready to rip. As opposed to the full laminates of two years ago, we now get shorter laminates which still contain the Articulated Banding system. By milling out slits in the metal and replacing the metal with elastomer, Armada keeps the smoothness fully intact. The ski, especially in the forebody, articulates with the more torsionally flexible metal, keeping more of your ski on the snow and a more cohesive feeling overall. In the 180, the ski sits on the scale at 1950 g/ski, so approaching the 2000g mark but not quite there—this is an agile ski for this width and weight. They’re pretty stiff but not overpowering—it's totally accessible for a progressing intermediate or early advanced skier to enjoy. This feels like an all mountain ski that has a Freeride backbone. You can take it anywhere and on any trail and get positive return out of the ski. There’s not a lot of options for freeride terrain in the current conditions and trail count but I wouldn’t be surprised that the ski would perform well in that space as well.

In terms of shaping, this ski’s flatter overall profile leans more to the freeride side of the spectrum with smooth soft snow performance and a forgiving nature, despite feeling quite connected to the snow. In the 180, we’re seeing measurements of 135/102/125 and a turn radius of 18-meters. This is on the shorter side for a ski of this width, and it adds to the fun factor of the ski for sure. One of our veteran testers noted that it’s “Incredibly easy to ski! Initiates turns easy, powerful edge hold through the middle of the turn. Tails are easy to either finish your turn, or release and slarve. So fun in bumps! This ski rips! It’s amazing it has so much pop and can still hold an edge everywhere.” The playful shape has a whole lot to do with it for sure.

While expert skiers will be able to get the most out of this ski in terms of performance and power, I still think it’s a good option for a progressing intermediate who’s looking for their first wider ski. It’s not too heavy, turns well, and provides great flotation and soft snow performance for the width. Of course, there are wider and lighter skis out there, but for how well this ski holds up to stronger and more advanced skiing, it’s tough to walk past the Declivity X 102 and not take a second look.