Elan Ripstick tour 88 w — Review

The Ripstick tour 88 w is the women's narrow chassis in Elan's lightweight touring lineup, mirroring the men's Tour 88 with a build calibrated for lighter riders. It combines an 88 mm waist with a TubeLite Woodcore, 360° sidewall and the asymmetric Amphibio profile. Verified weights are about 1,160 g per ski at 148 cm and 1,210 g at 156 cm — the longer 163 and 170 lengths are not separately specified by Elan but use the same chassis. The result is a tourer aimed at human-powered days on firm and mixed snow.

At 88 mm under foot with radii from 13.7 m (148) up to 16.8 m (170), the Ripstick tour 88 w is responsive in tight terrain and stable on traverses. The cambered inside edge holds confidently on refrozen surfaces and skinned-up groomers, while the rockered outside edge keeps initiation light when the legs are tired. Quick foot-to-foot transitions feel natural at lower speeds, and the ski stays controllable in wind crust and breakable spring snow. As with any narrow tourer, very deep untracked sections are not its strength.

Elan builds the Tour 88 w around the same TubeLite Woodcore as the men's version: two carbon tubes embedded in a lightweight laminated wood core, aligned with the sidecut for torsional stability without extra mass. 360° sidewall construction wraps unbraided carbon-fibre strips along the edges, a Carbon Bridge rod in the tip absorbs vibration, and a sintered high-speed base sits below. A small titanal binding reinforcement plate gives a stable mounting zone while the chassis stays free of a full titanal layer. Lengths are 148, 156, 163 and 170 cm; tip/waist/tail run 126–128 / 88 / 104–107 mm and radii 13.7 to 16.8 m.

The Tour 88 w suits intermediate-to-advanced women tourers who spend most of their time on firm, spring or refrozen surfaces and want a manageable, lightweight chassis for moderate-width days. Compared with the Nordica Santa ana 88 unlimited it is noticeably lighter and clearly biased toward the climb rather than fifty-fifty. Against the resort-tuned Elan Ripstick 88 w the Tour version trades some downhill damping for a much friendlier weight on the skin track. Riders looking at the wider Elan Ripstick tour 104 should pick this 88 w when powder days are rare and most outings stay on firm snow.

Pros

• Low single-ski weight in 148/156 cm makes shorter, lighter riders' ascents easier.
• Amphibio profile gives confident firm-snow edge hold uncommon at this weight.
• Four lengths starting at 148 cm fit smaller skiers who often size up unnecessarily.
• TubeLite Woodcore and 360° sidewall keep the chassis torsionally stable.

Cons

• 88 mm waist is limited in deep, untracked snow.
• Lightweight chassis trades some damping at higher speeds on rough chop.
• Asymmetric profile rewards confident edging, less forgiving when stance drifts.
• Touring-tuned flex is not built for resort-only days.

Verdict: A lightweight, narrow touring ski for women who prioritise the ascent and still want trustworthy edge feel on firm and mixed snow during the descent.