2026 Men's Mid 90 mm Freeride Ski Comparison

Next up in our Comparison Series, we’re featuring Part 1 of skis in the Mid-90'2 underfoot, focusing on the more freeride and freestyle-oriented group. These skis tend to be lighter, easier to ski, and more twin-tip shaped than the All-Mountain ones that we’ll feature in Part 2. As a result, if you’re more of a creative skier, maybe one who loves the park but wants a real ski to handle off-piste activities as well as some groomers, this is a fantastic place to be. While we don’t see a whole lot of metal in this range, there are some skis that use strategic laminates and frames to get a damper and more precise feel. Organized once again from most accessible to most demanding, there are a lot of fun, useful, and versatile skis on this wall for those looking to maximize the entertainment portion of the sport of skiing. Enjoy!

At a Glance:

2026 Liberty Scope 94 Skis

Overview:

These Scope 94’s are fun, versatile, and easy-skiing twins that feel like they could go anywhere. While the flex of the skis keeps them on the approachable side, it’ll also work great for skiers who are spending a lot of time in the park and want a buttery smooth option. They’re also very fun in the bumps and trees, as the mobility of the skis is off the charts. The tails are very bendy, so if you’re looking to take advantage of a flexible ski that you can easily manipulate, this is a great place to be. Built with a poplar core and a phenolic plate underfoot, the edge grip in the middle is fine, but nothing about this ski is overpowering.

Who it's For:

Fun-loving freestylers who want some extra float and wiggle factor for non-park activities. You like a flexible ski, especially in the tail, for increased agility.

Price: $699.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2026 Liberty Scope 94 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Armada ARV 94 Skis

Overview:

Built with a smooth poplar core and a thicker overall profile, this highly cambered twin tip has more traditional notes when it comes to build and profile, but the shape and taper are quite modern and freestyle oriented. This allows the ARV 94 to walk multiple lines, providing a satisfying ski experience to both park and all-mountain skiers with entertaining vibes. These skis work equally as well in the bumps and trees as they do in slopestyle competitions, and that’s a rare quality. They also happen to be easier to use than a lot of other skis here, making the hard stuff seem simple for a large span of skiers. Armada’s W3dge2all technology adds durability for rails and jibs while the abrupt splay in the tips and tails makes switch skiing a dream. While these skis can certainly be used in more of a casual format, they also just feel very composed for how easy they are.

Who it's For:

Park and all-mountain skiers alike. You don’t want to be pinned down to one discipline or the other—you want to do both.

Price: $599.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2024 Armada ARV 94 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Faction Prodigy 2 Skis

Overview:

This well-rounded twin blurs the line between freestyle and all-mountain, and it does so quite effectively. At 98 mm underfoot, these skis are in the sweet spot for vacillating between on-trail carving and off-trail playfulness, while adding a slopestyle component to the mix. In the 183, the skis feature a turn radius of 20-meters and a weight of 1860-grams per ski. These are middle-ground numbers and will fit a lot of different aspects and skier types when it comes to mixing terrain, this ski does a great job and can punch above its level without being demanding. There’s nothing at all offensive about this ski—it simply does what it’s told to do and does it very well.

Who it's For:

Park skiers looking for a wider ski that can handle slopestyle and freeride skiing.

Price: $649.00

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2026 Head Oblivion 94 Skis

Overview:

While the flex is a bit on the ample side, the Head Oblivion 94 is still built a lot like a pure all-mountain ski with a twin tip shape. Additionally, the overall footprint of the ski is a lot more on the traditional side rather than modern. There’s not a whole lot of rocker or taper here, leading to crisp engagement and satisfying rebound in a carved turn. If park and slopestyle is more your focus, you’ll get fantastic flex in the tips and tails, allowing for creativity in the butter, press, and groundwork world. They’re stable and sturdy when you want them to be and have a longer turn radius for smooth and variable turns shapes and styles. Head uses vertical stringers in the wood core and elastic dampers in the tips, tails, and underfoot zones to absorb shock.

Who it's For:

Fun-loving traditionalists. You want real ski feel but with a modern flex to allow for fantastic park and freestyle performance.

Price: $649.00

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2026 Fischer Nightstick 97 Skis

Overview:

This is a sleeper of a ski if we ever saw one. The Nightstick 97 punches above its level in almost every way. Built with a poplar wood core and a titanal reinforcement in the underfoot zone, the shape and flex of this ski takes it to places that we never thought possible of a freestyle-oriented ski. In the park, the shape and rocker allow for modern balance and flex. You get a ton of durability out of the metal underfoot while the taper and flex combine to make a smooth and buttery feel in more swervy style skiing. When you get this ski on groomers, it’s able to actually hold a good edge and rip through carved turns, especially in softer snow. Whether it’s spring conditions or packed powder, these skis turn way better than expected. You can hook into the 17-meter radius with ease while the ski’s sturdier weight of around 1900 grams in the 177 keeps you grounded with a predictable feel.

Who it's For:

Skiers looking for a good time on the hill. There’s nothing really business-like here, it’s more about the party.

Price: $624.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2025 Fischer Nightstick 97 Ski Reivew

At a Glance:

2026 K2 Omen Team Skis

Overview:

Now in year two of the current build, the K2 Omen Team returns as a freestyle-focused twin with smooth taper lines and a durable and stable overall feel. Taking over from the Poacher was no small feat, but Omen Team delivers and brings with it a modern and refined twist. Built with an aspen micro-block wood core and carbon stringers, this ski holds up to aggressive slopestyle hits and big mountain jumps. This is another ski with a medium to long turn radius, but the flex in the shovels and in the tails make it accessible and amenable to shorter turns. As good as this ski is in the park, it’s also quite useful in an all-mountain situation, making easy work of bumps and trees on your way to the big jumps.

Who it's For:

Skiers who send it pretty big. There’s a lot of K2 athletes who use this as an exclusive slopestyle ski.

Price: $649.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results

At a Glance:

2026 Line Chronic 94 Skis

Overview:

Each time we’ve gotten on the Line Chronic 94, something else positive comes up. This past year, it was the mogul and off-piste performance. The year before, it was the carving. All that said, it’s still a fantastic park and freestyle ski. The –4 mount point and the symmetrical rocker profile account for a fair amount of symmetry while the thicker core profile makes it feel incredibly grounded and capable in an on-trail format. This ski simply continues to surprise us here, and it looms large as an underrated ski in this category. It also has dimensions of 123/94/117, featuring a 6 mm drop in tip to tail width. Balance and symmetry take center stage here with the flex pattern as well. The front and back of the skis are quite flexible, but underfoot it’s pretty stiff. Overall, it’s an excellent ski for the park and beyond.

Who it's For:

A surprising number of skiers. You don’t have to be a freestyler to enjoy the Chronic 94—it has a lot of redeeming qualities outside of the park.

Price: $599.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2024 Line Chronic 94 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Volkl Revolt 96 Skis

Overview:

Some freestyle-oriented skis are just heftier than others, and in this list, the Revolt 96 is certainly part of that group. The 181 comes in at almost 2100 grams per ski, which is impressive since it’s just a multi-layer wood core. The cool thing here is that it uses Volkl’s 3D Radius Sidecut to give it a versatile feel in varying turn shapes and styles. These skis feel damp and stable—capable of landing huge tricks with ease and satisfying the needs of more demanding skiers. That said, they’re not the most poppy or energetic, making them a bit more difficult to use for normal or average skiers. Keep in mind as well, that these skis offer a center mount point and nothing else. That “ask” of Volkl, combined with the weight, make it a very interesting ski. You can certainly move that mount back and get more all-mountain use, but the park emphasis is strong with this one.

Who it's For:

Competent freestyle and slopestyle athletes who don’t mind some extra weight to their twins.

Price: $599.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2024 Volkl Revolt 96 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Elan Ripstick 96 Skis

Overview:

As one of a few directional skis on this list, the Ripstick 96 is a light, quick, and peppy ski that is easily used by a variety of skiers in a multitude of ways. By using a light wood core and two different carbon applications, the Ripstick 96 keeps the weight down and the energy up. They also get to use asymmetry here, which is fun because many of the other skis on this list utilize the opposite to create a fun and creative feel. These change shape and construction resulting in a right/left-specific ski that makes it feel like a cohesive set of skis. The carbon rods add a lot of life, using a 360-degree format of the material. Additionally, the uni-directional carbon strips below the core keep the silence to a maximum while adding rebound and fun.

Who it's For:

All-around, all-mountain skiers who want something light and agile that’s still playful and fun.

Price: $799.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2026 Elan Ripstick 96 & 96 Black Edition Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Volkl Blaze 94 Skis

Overview:

Like the Ripstick, the Blaze 94 stands out in this category as one of the more directional and all-mountain skis. They work great on-trail, have a lot of edge grip, but still are super-easy to maneuver and have high levels of off-trail versatility. Volkl is interesting because they use a flatter overall profile to highlight their 4 Radius Drive sidecut. This allows for a lot of different turn shapes and styles with minimal effort. There is metal underfoot for increased edge grip and damping, but the core consists of lighter wood and a hybrid core for lighter and more dynamic skiing. There’s a lot of long and low rocker in these skis, so they do float quite well for the width. Always excellent in bumps and trees, the only thing they’re lacking is a twin tip to fit more into a park format.

Who it's For:

This is a ski with a huge audience. The fact that it’s light enough for touring only increases the potential customer. It can be used as a hybrid or as a dedicated ski for either resort or touring.

Price: $749.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2025 Volkl Blaze 94 & 104 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Salomon QST 94 Skis

Overview:

It’s safe to say we’ve been pretty bullish on the new QST 94 from Salomon this year. This is a very complete ski with wonderful energy, awesome carving capabilities, and well above average soft snow performance. It’s smooth, easy to ski, and has a high ceiling for aggressive skiers. Built with a poplar wood core, basalt stringers, and cork inserts in the tips and tails, this flatter tailed ski grips and rips carved turns with emphasis and intent. In the woods and in the bumps, it handles great, with outstanding steering control. The intuition of this ski is off the charts, and it simply goes wherever you’re looking or thinking. We love the versatility and well-rounded feeling of this ski as it makes itself available to a wide range of skiers and skier types. This is an ideal, dictionary-definition type of ski in this range. It certainly could be in all-mountain as well as freeride, we just have a Stance Pro 96 to consider in the burlier range.

Who it's For:

Skiers who split time equally between on and off-trail skiing. You want one ski that can handle everything.

Price: $699.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2026 Salomon QST 94 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Line Optic 96 Skis

Overview:

These Optics continue to fly under the radar, and as arguably the most versatile, the 96 definitely needs to be on more lists. These skis utilize an aspen wood core and get a sheet of metal that’s fine-tuned to deliver torsional stiffness, damping, and edge grip while keeping the ski flexible and playful enough for softer snow performance. The central spine of metal keeps the ski silent and smooth while the branches that extend to the edges deliver uncompromising carving capacity. Since it’s more of a twin tip than a directional ski, it fits in great among other skis in this section as it moves between multiple fields of performance with ease. With ample rocker and taper to create a rounder and more playful character, these skis have a freeride feel to them and they are not discounted from park and slopestyle use.

Who it's For:

Skiers who are in the camp of looking for a mid-90's twin that can be both all-mountain and freeride oriented with a high-performance level.

Price: $754.95

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2023 Line Optic Collection Preview

At a Glance:

2026 Blizzard Rustler 9 Skis

Overview:

The Rustler 9 has arguably entered legendary status, and that continues into 2026 with a fresh new graphic. The ski remains structurally unchanged, though, bringing with it a sophisticated wood core and a multi-level metal frame that delivers grip, smoothness, and power to a playful and creative shape. This ski has a lot of drama in the splay, with excess distance between the tips and tails, but this doesn’t necessarily equate to a long rocker profile. What’s amazing is that the Rustler continues to be even a bit underrated despite its popularity. These do amazing things on the snow, from carving aggressive turns to floating through powder and dancing through trees. There’s a lot of energy here as well, making the Rustler 9 feel like a narrower ski when asked and going wider and rounder when needed.

Who it's For:

Advanced skiers who dabble in all conditions and terrain. You want endless versatility and a solid feel to go along with it.

Price: $799.99

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2024 Blizzard Rustler 9 Ski Review

At a Glance:

2026 Black Crows Camox Skis

Overview:

The all-new Black Crows Camox takes the energetic and solid feel from its predecessor and adds some interesting twists. The ski is now a bit flatter, a bit stronger, and has a shorter radius than before, but don’t tell that to the high-speed Camox as this thing rips long carved turns. Built with a poplar wood core and an ash pocket underfoot, the Camox has a very strong sense of edge grip through the middle of the ski. With a rounder shape in the tips and tails, the off-piste performance is smoother than before, but the weight and the stiffness keep this from being an easy ski. It’s not inherently drifty, you do have to be a willing and active participant in the process. The most surprising aspect of this ski, though, is its comfort at speed. Feel free to open it up and let it run—it's incredibly useful in GS style turns even on firmer snow.

Who it's For:

Strong skiers who are more directional in nature. You like a woody feel in a ski and a smooth predictable flex.

Price: $849.00

Buy Now | Ski Test Results | 2026 Black Crows Camox On Snow Review