Elan Ripstick 106
Best ride
Brand: Elan
Model: Ripstick 106
Our take
The Ripstick’s funky profile may look a little warped, but our testers loved the way right- and left-dedicated skis picked up the attributes of both camber and rocker. The inside of each ski is down-turned (camber), which let us edge in hard and packed snow, while the outside of each is upturned (rocker), good for smearing and initiating turns. “The 106mm Ripstick feels narrower and more dynamic going into turns—like something in the low- to mid-90s—but skis a lot wider, like my 120mm-waisted planks,” one tester said at our in-bounds ski test.
The details
Hollow carbon tubes embedded in the Ripstick’s poplar core shave weight without sacrificing rigidity, but the 106mm waist felt a little cumbersome on long climbs and tours with overnight packs. Nice touch: Flat tails make easy work of attaching skins.
Trail cred
“The Ripstick lived up to its name on a descent of Andrews Glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park,” one tester says. “I didn’t have to change my style or approach when moving from corn to crust, or apron to glades. These are super-fun skis.”