2024 Armada Declivity 92 Ti Ski Review

Since its inception, the Armada Declivity series has been turning heads and commanding respect from many other directional all-mountain skis. Known for their freeride inspired constructions and shapes, Armada quickly emerged into the all-mountain category with the Declivity’s introduction. Going unchanged since its establishment, the Declivity 92 Ti has withstood the test of time and has been the secret heavy hitter that may have been stealthily flying under your radar. This review will specifically detail our experience with the Declivity 92 Ti, where its versatility both on and off-piste truly came to life. All the technology incorporated into this ski lends to an energetic and stable charger that can be found in many of our staff’s quivers.

Armada’s use of a lightweight Caruba wood core, full AR100 Sidewall, and two layers of Titanal with Articulated Titanal Banding culminates into superior grip on hardpack and energy generation in a predictable and effortless fashion. The Caruba wood core, in addition, has a triaxial glass lay-up which makes the core not only lightweight, but also robust and responsive. As for the Articulated Titanal Banding, this technology can be found in the forebody of the ski and assists with more effortless turn initiation along with some dampening qualities. The “Banding” aspect of this technology refers to the slits made into the Titanal. The slits make the sections of Titanal into finger-like shaped bands, if you will. Armada has filled the spaces between the slits with an Elastic Compound Layer that gives the ski a quieter, damper feel and positive energy. The “Articulated” aspect of the technology now comes into play as those “fingers” can move and twist slightly more freely than the rest of the ski. This allows for the nose to grip the snow quicker and easier without feeling floppy or chattery. The tip articulation offers some much-needed forgiveness that is normally not found in dual Titanal laminate skis, which contributes massively to its all-mountain, variable snow capabilities. There is no Articulated Titanal Banding in the tail, which provides an extremely stable and powerful finish that accelerates the skier into their next turn. Having that stability in the tail is where a lot of the energy generation is happening as the ski wants to drive forward instead of smearing or slipping. What was really interesting was the level of dictation you could have over the ski once it is on edge. If you wanted to hold an edge on the hardpack and make race-like turns, go ahead, they will do that all day. However, if you find yourself in a carve and need to abort the second half of the turn and smear it out, the tails are easy to disengage when you want them to. It’s important to distinguish the “when you want them to” part of that sentence. In other words, if you want the skis to hold throughout the turn they will, but if you want them to disengage before the end of the turn, they will do as asked.

---

The shape of the Declivity is an interesting conversation, as there isn’t anything new or unique about it, but the feel of it on snow is most certainly one that makes your skiing feel groundbreaking. Armada did a great job by sticking to the basics and doing them well. Starting off with sidecut at the 180cm length, we get a width of 132mm at the widest part of the forebody, 92mm under foot, and 118mm at the widest part of the tail which produces a turn radius of 17.5 meters. The turn radius itself is already indicative of an all-mountain ski with a lot of versatility. Now, the taper of this ski from 132mm in the tip and 118mm in the tail by comparison lends for some really interesting turn shapes and carving performance to be had. The taper shape compliments the Articulated Titanal Banding by contributing to easier turn initiation and completion.

The 92 has longer tip rocker than tail rocker, giving the ski the ability to tackle all snow conditions while still sustaining the playful nature that Armada is known for. There is still enough tail rocker and splay to allow for switch skiing if you are so inclined.

A good amount of underfoot camber can be found in the 92, and that camber in conjunction with the stiff tail acts as a powerplant of sorts for producing energy and speed. The camber profile provides a relatively long effective edge that exudes edge grip while still allowing for smoothness and a playful side.

I had never skied the Declivity 92 Ti entering the 2023 ski season and immediately found them to be one of my favorites of the year. Given my backcountry, freeride, park, and competition Skier-Cross racing background, the Declivity 92 Ti was not on my radar whatsoever. During our media day with Armada, a pair of the Declivity 92 Ti’s were handed to me, and I was almost reluctant as I don’t normally ski anything below 100mm in waist width. After my first 3 turns... I was completely hooked, and I did not want to give them back. Being 6’2” and 200lbs, the 180cm length that I was skiing felt a little short for my taste, but that did not take away from the stability and balance that I experienced throughout my testing. The first attribute of the Declivity that I noticed was combination of raw power and grace when aggressively carving down groomers. The Articulated Titanal Banding encourages smooth turn initiation and acts like a mountain bike’s front suspension by soaking up small bumps and variations in the snowpack. With that, edge grip was at an all-time high no matter how high the edge angle you were generating or the speed at which you were travelling. Given how much splay there is in the tips, the lack of chatter when on firmer snow was incredibly surprising. This is all due to do with the Articulated Titanal Banding and Elastic Compound Layer as the technology has some serious underlying dampening properties. That dampness contributes to the edge retention abilities when moving quickly over firm snow conditions. The second aspect that I quickly picked up on was the level of maneuverability these dual Titanal laminate skis offered. Going from edge to edge was extremely smooth and provided the ability to make turns of all shapes and sizes. The Declivity has slight tail rocker which strikes a balance between edge grip and edge release, allowing the skier to better dictate turn shape and timing. Chopped-up snow along the sides of the trail was no match for these machines. The term “tip deflection” never crossed my mind when blowing through powder piles and variable snow. They liked to be told where to go and did not put up a fight when asked to do so.

When venturing into off-piste terrain, the Declivity 92 Ti’s felt just as alive as when on-piste. Their sheer maneuverability and quickness could not be ignored as most skis in this category tend to slightly drop off in performance. Floatation in fresh snow was good, on the other hand there is always going to be a bit of a cap in the floatation department when you have a low 90mm waist ski in powder. With that being said, these skis go the distance and come right up to that cap. The Articulated Titanal Banding provided the forgiveness needed to soak up impacts and small bumps that go unseen under fresh fallen snow. Even when there isn't fresh snow, the tips have enough flex in them to permit smashing through bumps in between the trees. The firm latter end of the ski delivers the stability you need if you end up in the backseat instead of punishing you for your less than perfect form.

Versatility, versatility, versatility. That is the one word that keeps coming out of our mouths when we talk about this ski. As a skier with a lot of freeride experience, I found this to be an unbelievable crossover ski that blurred the lines between a frontside, freeride, and all-mountain ski. This makes the Declivity 92 a great ski for someone looking for a one ski quiver that can handle any and all conditions thrown its way. For example, the first day that I was on this ski, we had 4-5 inches of fresh fallen snow on top of perfect packed powder groomers. So, I was going from powder to groomers consistently every run and there was no adjustment period needed between transitions. The swing weight was very manageable as I found myself spinning off of every side hit that I could find, adding yet another facet to its versatility. Whether you are a freeride skier looking for a carving ski, or a frontside skier looking for a do-it-all one-ski-quiver, the Armada Declivity 92 Ti will deliver on all fronts.

---

Written by Matt Stromecki on 05/17/23