Armada Arw 106 — Review

The Armada Arw 106 is the women's entry in Armada's playful freeride and freestyle line, a 106mm-waisted all-rounder built to bounce between the park and the powder. For the 26-27 season the ARW 106 is the direct twin of the men's ARV 106: it shares the same mould, the same construction and the same poppy, surfy character, differing only in its length run and graphics. This is a ski for a skier who treats the whole mountain as a terrain feature — someone who wants to butter, slash, jib and float rather than lay down railed high-speed arcs.

The personality here is playful and forgiving above all. On paper the freestyle-leaning shape and soft poplar core suggest a ski that pops eagerly off rollers and side hits, stays loose and slashy in soft snow, and rewards a jibbing, freestyle approach. Float in powder is genuinely good for the width, and the rockered tip and tail let it smear and pivot rather than track stubbornly. The trade-off is edge grip and composure on hard snow: on firm groomers and ice this is not a carving specialist, and it prefers a moderate, playful pace to full-send directional charging. Because it is forgiving, it flatters progressing skiers and doesn't demand an expert to enjoy — though it still has enough backbone to please a strong freestyle skier. Touring is possible but not its calling; the shape and build are built for the resort and the sidecountry lap.

The Arw 106 uses a poplar core with an ash binding insert for solid screw retention, wrapped in a W3Dgewall sidewall that is pressed directly into the core for a clean, damp edge feel. A 2.5mm Impact Edge adds durability against rocks and hard landings, and an S7 sintered base runs fast and holds wax. There is no metal in the layup — the titanal-reinforced version is the separate ARV 106 Ti — which is exactly why this ski feels light and forgiving rather than damp and demanding. The dimensions are 132/106/125mm across all lengths, with a turn radius that grows from 17m at 164cm to 18m at 172cm and 20m at 180cm. Weight per single ski runs from 1730g (164) to 1850g (172) and 1920g (180), and it comes in 164, 172 and 180cm.

This is a ski for playful, freestyle-minded women who ski the whole resort and want float without losing pop. The obvious sibling is the Armada Arv 106, the identically-built unisex/men's twin — same shape and feel, just a different length run and graphics; pick between them on sizing and looks. The Faction Prodigy 3 is a comparable playful freeride 106 but rides a touch more directional and less park-neutral, so it suits skiers who point downhill more than they jib. If 106mm feels like more float than you need, the Armada Arw 100 is the narrower sibling — quicker edge-to-edge and more all-mountain, but with less powder float.

Pros

• Playful, poppy and forgiving from park to powder.
• Strong float for the width in soft snow.
• Light poplar layup that flatters progressing skiers.
• Durable Impact Edge and fast sintered base.

Cons

• Limited edge grip and composure on hard, icy snow.
• Not built for high-speed directional charging.
• Metal-free build lacks damping for aggressive skiers.
• Short length run tops out at 180cm.

Verdict: The Armada Arw 106 is a joyful, do-it-all freestyle-freeride ski for women who prize playfulness and float over hard-snow precision. As the direct twin of the ARV 106, it delivers pop, surf and forgiveness in a light package — ideal for jibbers and soft-snow lovers, less so for carvers who want icy grip.