2025 Elan Ripstick 102 Ski Review

With a whole new Ripstick lineup for 2025, Elan has made a bold move in revamping this amazing freeride collection. While the 88’s and 96’s retain their names, we do get new 102’s and a 108 while dropping the widest 116. The 96’s will still likely get top billing from a marketing and sales, closely followed by the 88’s, but these new Ripstick 102’s will find a big following from those that are looking for playful and creative freeride skis that are smooth, fun, and incredibly easy to ski. Elan has always done a great job at creating skis with multiple personalities, and the Ripstick 102 follows in that format. We often wonder how Elan does it—how do they make skis that are so light and flexible have such high-performance ceilings? When we ask that out loud to Elan’s product managers, they always respond with the same thing—it’s the carbon tubes. This secret sauce has been in the works since inception and it’s simply amazing how well it works. If the Ripstick existed, in its current weight and flex pattern, without the tubes, these skis would be wobbly noodles. When the 360-degree application of carbon enters the chat, the skis come to life, providing energy and rebound to go along with smoothness and power. The new Ripstick 102 takes the agility and quickness of the 96 and pairs it with a wider-bodied format for softer snow exuberance. The result is a very well-rounded ski that will satisfy adventure seekers and fun-loving skiers in many applications.

Featuring both a new shape and construction, the entirely new Ripstick 102 starts with a clean slate. One of the few aspects that carries forward is the use of the tubelite wood core. This mix of poplar and paulownia works well together in this ski, providing the proper blend of light weight and high energy. Paulownia is uncommonly stiff and light—many times we flex a paulownia-only ski and are surprised at the stiffness to weight ratio. The poplar adds flexibility and predictability to the mix and allows the engineers to add smoothness to the snow feel. After that, pretty much everything is new. Starting with the carbon rods, the overall implementation and philosophy still exists, but for 2025, they are slightly shorter than the previous generation Ripstick. They had to do this to accommodate a new carbon layup below the core featuring uni-directional carbon bands. Quickly back to the rods, the fact that they are hollow tubes that follow the path of the sidewall and are inlaid under pressure makes all the difference in the world. When you put the ski on edge, the rods already have energy stored, and with each angle of pressure you put to the ski, that stored power increases exponentially and delivers it in the rebound phase. Since carbon, which is light, replaces wood, which is also light, this power and stability does not come at the cost of weight, as it often does when metal is used to achieve the same principles. The addition of the UD carbon completes what Elan calls “Carbon Deck” technology. The carbon strips on the bottom of the core, as opposed to Carbon Line in the previous ski on top, running the carbon bands lengthwise, along the edges, increases responsiveness while decreasing vibrations. Carbon is a tricky material in skis, but Elan seems to have a firm grasp on the best ways in which to apply it. Completing the deck tech is a layer of flax in the shovel. This replaces the vapor tip inserts that we always thought were a bit strange. We’ve always wanted to see what a Ripstick felt like without Vapor Tips, and now we have it! By adding a flax layer to the top of the shovel’s core, the ski becomes quieter and smoother, especially in the initiation phase. While there’s a lot going on here in terms of materials, the skis are still very light, with the 182 sitting on the scale at 1720 grams per ski.

At a Glance:

2025 Elan Ripstick 102 Skis

We also get new lengths in the Ripstick 102, starting at 161 and going all the way up to 189, breaking every 7 cm. In addition to the drop in the sizing gaps, Elan also made a move towards truer sizing. The older versions would typically measure about 1.5 cm shorter than stated, so the 180 would measure more like a 178.5. Coupled with the light weight and mobile nature of the ski, we normally recommended skiers to size up if they were caught in the middle. With the new sizing format, paired with the construction, we feel that size selection will be easier and more straight-forward with the 2025 Ripstick series. With measurements of 138/102/118, the ski generates an 18.8-meter turn radius in the 182 cm length. This is on-par with what a lot of other ~100 mm underfoot skis are producing these days, allowing for easier turn choice and selection. Since there’s no direct comparison, like the new 96 to the old 96, we’ll simply say that it falls in line with what the entire lineup is going for—a bit narrower in the tip, and a bit wider in the tail than previous Ripsticks. This shape promotes creativity in the front portion of the ski while properly engaging the rear into the completion of a carved turn. The ski feels turny, but not hooky as a result, creating a less directional feel that focuses on the freeride. It’s been impossible to talk about Elan skis and not discuss the impact of the Amphibio rocker profile. Since Elan builds skis asymmetrically, they’re able to take certain engineering liberties that other companies simply cannot do. By rockering the outsides of the ski more than the insides, they put emphasis on the smoothness and flowiness of the ski’s character. It’s a simple thing, but it drastically increases the cohesiveness of the turns—the ski feels like one unit instead of two independent things on your feet. In softer snow, this makes all the difference in the world as they track together and function as one. On firmer snow, you get the benefit of extra grip and rebound on the downhill ski while the uphill ski simply follows along and delivers seamless performance. With the new 102’s we’re seeing a lower overall profile in the tips and tails. This closeness to the snow also aids in the smoothness department. Due to the lower splay distances at the end of the ski, the Ripstick 102 is engaged in the snow more, leading to a quieter feel and a slightly longer effective edge as opposed to a more drastically shaped ski that only touches the snow in the mid-section. This gives the Ripstick 102 more of an all-mountain message despite the gratuitous flex.

Due to the combination of shape, profile, and construction, the new Elan Ripstick 102 blurs lines of application and intent. You could argue that this ski is best suited to softer and deeper snow, but that might discount the experience that many skiers will have in an on-trail format. From a marketing perspective, this ski certainly fits in the more freeride and off-trail realm since Elan has the Wingman series to promote as its all-mountain offering. On the other side, the Playmaker series leans more to the freestyle side of the freeride zone, with the now-widest ski in Elan’s lineup, the Playmaker 111. As more directional freeride skis, this 102, specifically is targeted as the all-terrain and any condition ski. It’s not going to carve as well as the 96 or 88, nor will it float like the 108, but it’s got its own category all to itself. Starting with off-piste performance, the Ripstick 102 is one of the more capable adventure skis out there. You can point and shoot this ski down any line, no matter how tight or open, taking full advantage of whatever snow condition you may find. We got on the 102 a few times this year, with a mix of firm and soft snow each outing. Where the ski really shines is in the tight woods and technical zones. Here in Vermont, we get a lot of smaller snowfalls to accompany some big dumps as well as some serious thaws. The number of times a 102 comes in handy is very high. In the woods here, the skis need to be able to swivel, steer, and slash with ease, and that’s what this 102 does better than most. If the snow gets deep on one of those dumps, we’d probably reach for something else, but that doesn’t happen too often, and when it does, it gets tracked out quickly. At that point, there’s no ski we’d rather be on than a 102 like this, especially in tighter spaces. In wider zones, and at higher speeds, there are more stable 102’s, especially for heavier and more aggressive skiers, but at mid-range speeds and in close quarters, the Ripstick 102 is an all-time performer. Our trees get bumped up as well, and that’s good news for skiers who enjoy both moguls and woods at the same time. There’s a very short list of skis that excel in this particular combination, and the Ripstick 102 is at the top of that list. Atomic Bent 100, Armada ARV 100, Dynastar M-Free 99, and the new Volkl Blaze 104 are all in this group, but the Ripstick has the quickness and directional capabilities that put it right there with the best of them. In pure powder, while the ski has enough surface area for up to about 8-10 inches of snow, the flex will keep the heavier and more aggressive skiers from pushing it too hard. You do need a defter touch to get the most out of it in deep snow—ski it centrally, don’t drive the tips, and enjoy the ride!

On-trail, and in a groomer format, the Ripstick 102 can hold its own. Again, Elan will lean on the Wingman and even the Primetime series of skis if you’re really looking for a carver, but for a ski that can walk between both worlds, Ripstick 102 can make a turn. These skis rely heavily on the use of lightweight carbon to maximize the energy and pop, and they do so better than anyone else. You’re not going to get the same stability and power as a ski with metal, but you are going to get unrivaled zest and pep into and out of a turn. The tubes make it so, and the new uni-directional carbon keeps the ski quiet underfoot. The harder the snow and the higher the speeds, the looser the ski gets, but if you keep it under control and make more deliberate turns, you’ll be rewarded with very satisfying carves at a pittance of the effort. Sure, you can ski a Volkl Mantra 102 at 50 mph and not feel a thing in terms of chatter, but it takes a lot of work. Not everyone is up for that type of day. Ripstick skiers like to make a variety of turn shapes and styles with ease, and that’s something a Mantra, Enforcer, or Anomaly simply cannot do. Like how the ski wants to go in powder, the 102 works better when skied centrally on groomers. If you pressure the tip too hard or too fast, it’ll bend more than you want. If you ride the middle of the ski and play around with different edge angles and release points, the ski comes alive and feels more connected to both skier and snow. Most skiers will not look to the Ripstick 102 as a dedicated carver, nor as a powder specialist. The power of this ski is found in its versatility and capabilities to be many different things to many different skiers. We found that if you encounter firm snow and steep terrain, the Ripstick 102 is happier in short to mid-radius turns with shallower edge angles. The faster you go, the more you’ll want to tip it higher and ride through the sidecut of the turn. One of the most fun parts of the Ripstick 102 on groomers is the ability to throw it sideways at a moment’s notice at any speed. Try doing that on a Mantra 102 and see what happens.

Skiers looking to make the most out of an adventurous day will get along great with the 2025 Elan Ripstick 102. It’s another ski that has more weight dependence than ability. Lighter skiers will find more success while heavier skiers will need to keep their forward momentum in check. At the same time, it’s perfectly reasonable that a heavier and more aggressive skier will do well here if they simply don’t want to work too hard to access performance. That’s the key—accessing the performance is so incredibly simple and rewarding with Ripstick 102. The ski turns automatically, smoothly, and naturally almost anywhere on the mountain. Because of the light weight and high energy, it has more of a robust feel than you may think. This intuitive style of ski is uniquely Elan because of the asymmetric build and shape. The energy comes from the tubes while the new updates provide quieter and more predictable performance in a variety of conditions and terrain. Whether you’re using this ski as a daily option for adventurous skiing or as a wider ski to complement a carver, the new Elan Ripstick 102 is sure to impress and deliver fun-loving and eager performance any day of the year.