2022 ELAN RIPSTICK 96 BLACK EDITION SKI REVIEW

This time of year is always very exciting at SkiEssentials.com. We’re smack-dab in the middle of ski season, conditions are starting to get really good, and we get a lot of new skis to play with. This one is special in the sense that it’s also an early release that you can actually buy starting today: the 2022 Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition. Elan has been leaving their mark on the industry over the past few years and the Ripstick collection is a big reason why. If you follow along with our content, you may already know that Elan took a break from the Black Edition versions of their Ripstick skis for 2021. A lot of us expected we’d see them return for 2022, and that’s exactly what has happened.

In general, the Black Edition skis have been positioned as the premium versions of the Ripsticks. That trend stays true for 2022, and Elan has achieved an impressive, unique feel in these new skis. In previous iterations of the Ripstick Black Edition skis, we got a full extra sheet of carbon fiber compared to the regular Ripsticks. For 2021, they changed the Ripstick shape and construction to further enhance their asymmetrical Amphibio concept. If you’re unfamiliar with those changes, go check out our review of the 2021 Ripstick 96. We loved the changes to the shape and performance of the Ripsticks, but it left us wondering what might be in store for a potential new Black Edition.

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Let’s start from square one and talk about shape. The Ripstick 96 Black Edition shares the same shape with the Ripstick 96 non-Black. Camber underfoot is paired with tip and tail rocker, which isn’t exceptionally pronounced, but is relatively significant. They also utilize early taper in both the tips and tails, which is essentially matched with the length of the rocker. Unique to Elan is their Amphibio profile. The inside edges have more camber, while the outside edges have more rocker. We’ve talked about this concept before and how it helps a ski feel more intuitive, and we’ll get to that in more detail when we talk about performance. In the 2021 Ripsticks, and these new 2022 Black Editions, we get construction that supports that profile more than anything they’ve done in the past.

Elan’s Carbon Line Technology combines multiple applications of carbon to achieve a balance of a lightweight feel with power and performance. In the 2021 Ripstick 96, we get a partial carbon laminate along the inside edge in the forebody of the ski. In the 2022 Ripstick 96 Black Edition, that layer of carbon is also used in the tail and is fused to a full width sheet of carbon underfoot. Elan has a really good visual, which you can find in this article for clarification. The other application of carbon is in their Carbon Rods. We’ve talked about these a lot over the past few years and how this 3-dimensional use of carbon acts differently than carbon sheets or stringers, providing much more vibration damping and a smoother feel than we’ve come to expect out of skis that rely on carbon for their performance. In the new Black Editions, we now get QuadRod construction. The two Carbon Rods along the edges are still there, just like the Ripstick 96, while the Black Edition gets two additional rods in the center of the ski, one in the forebody, and one in the aft section of the ski. Basically, to dumb it down, it’s significantly more carbon than the normal Ripsticks, which is reflected in the price, $150 more than the normal Ripsticks. We also get Elan’s Vapor Tip Inserts and SST Sidewalls--technology that carries over from existing Ripstick skis.

Alright, so what does this all mean for performance? If you follow our reviews, you know we already think highly of the Ripstick collection. They provide a level of playfulness and versatility that’s lost on other high end all-mountain skis. While doing so, they also have impressive edge grip and, as mentioned above, better vibration damping than just about any other ski that relies heavily on its use of carbon. The new Ripstick 96 Black Edition thankfully retains all of those characteristics. It’s still playful and maneuverable, but holy heck, how did they make it this smooth? The QuadRod construction is the real deal, and the extended and widened sheet of carbon helps a lot too. The stability and vibration damping these skis achieve is outrageous when you consider how light they still are (the 180 cm length comes in at 1710 g) and how maneuverable they are. Even with weightier demo bindings on our test pairs, they still feel insanely light. The first turns we made on these skis basically blew our minds. I don’t think any of us really expected to get this level of vibration damping, and we all felt like the skis were glued to the snow as we made our first carving turns on them.

You can ski these faster and more aggressively than any Ripstick to date. The edge grip and confidence they provide takes what we love about the Ripstick 96 to another level. The shape also gives them such a smooth, intuitive feel when linking turns. It’s partly the Amphibio shape, and it’s partly the smooth early taper/rocker combination in the tip. They initiate a turn incredibly easily. They’re not crazy-stiff, which I think really helps achieve that smooth feel. This is probably a good time to point out that there are definitely stiffer skis out there that feel heavier and more powerful, but those skis can’t touch the playfulness and versatility of these skis. Even Bob, a heavier skier who can ski with a lot of power rarely felt like he was pushing them past their limits. Ski performance is all about balance. If Elan had made them stiffer, it would’ve taken away from their fun-factor and overall appeal, and I can confidently say that there won’t be many skiers out there who think they’re too soft for aggressive skiing. As Bob falls into that heavier category, I thought it would be beneficial to get some direct feedback from him:

As a heavier and more aggressive skier, I really appreciate the extra carbon rods and larger carbon laminate in the new Ripstick Black. It's not that they've invented the use of vertically placed rods or tubes or struts in the central chord of the ski, but they've certainly added their mark to the technique. You could always feel the tubes running along the sides of the ski, but now with them in the middle, it adds yet another dimension of performance to these already entertaining skis. The 96 remains as quick as ever, but the additional carbon rods and the wider Carbon Line laminate are very successful in making the carbon feel and behave more like titanal laminates in competing skis. This is probably the most effective use of carbon as I've seen in a ski, and since it does so at a fraction of the weight, this ski should appeal to a lot more skiers, especially of the advanced and expert ilk.

More stable at speed, more vibration damping, a more powerful feel, more edge grip… All sounds pretty good, right? That would all be moot if Elan couldn’t retain the other side of the Ripstick appeal, their playfulness. We’ve often talked about the energy that these Ripstick skis achieve. They have tremendous pop and feel lively and fun. The Ripstick 96 Black Edition does sometimes feel like it’s just glued to the snow, like when you’re linking pure carves, but when you take them into variable conditions, technical terrain, or just start swinging shorter, skidded turns, that Ripstick playfulness shines through. Edge release is so incredibly easy, and the Amphibio profile really helps in softer snow conditions. Despite having a damper and quieter feel than the normal Ripsticks, you can still load them up and achieve a lot of energy while they still feel maneuverable, easy, and forgiving in technical terrain. Add in the fact that they’re relatively lightweight, and we think the Ripstick 96 Black Edition would be a very valuable ski for a lot of skiers. The shape even works well when conditions get deeper. You might not even be reaching for your powder skis if you have a pair of these in your quiver. The tip shape gives them a ton of float and they have a smooth taper that never feels catchy.

Stable at speed, strong edge grip, easy maneuverability, a lightweight feel, and still a playful Ripstick attitude. That’s a lot of boxes to check, and the Ripstick 96 Black Edition is easily one of the most well-rounded all-mountain skis we’ve tested recently. Sure, there are skis that will “beat” it in singular performance characteristics… like there are skis that are stiffer, and there are skis that are lighter, but when it comes to versatility and having an even mix of performance characteristics, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Their performance is reflected in their price. This is a premium ski at $799 and that makes a lot of sense to us. In testing it, we also talked about how these stack up against the normal Ripstick line. Overall, the Ripstick 96 still has a lot of these same characteristics. The Black Edition is noticeably better when it comes to vibration damping, stability, and edge grip, but I think it’s important to remind everyone that the Ripstick 96 is still darn good at all of those things, and feels like a really good value at $649….

Well done, Elan, well done.

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Written by Jeff Neagle on 01/19/21