Ripstick 84 review

Overview

The Ripstick 84 is new for 26/27 and the narrowest ski in Elan's Ripstick family, sitting below the Ripstick 88 and 96. Unlike Elan's Wingman and Wildcat lines it is sold flat, without a plate or system binding. The geometry is a modern all-mountain shape that scales with length: 123-81-102 mm at 154 cm up to 126-85-106 mm at 182 cm, with the "84" waist at the 175 cm reference length. The radius runs from 12.4 m (154) to 16.4 m (182). The build is Elan's CarbonDeck Technology — Tubelite Woodcore, Carbon Rods and UD carbon edge bands — with the asymmetric Amphibio profile and no metal anywhere in the ski. The RRP is €499.95.

On-snow performance

On paper the Ripstick 84 is a groomer-first ski with enough forgiveness to leave the piste. The Amphibio design gives each ski a cambered inside edge for grip and a rockered outside edge for easy turn entry; combined with the moderate Early Rise tip rocker and a 15.4 m radius at 175 cm, it should carve medium turns readily and switch edges quickly. Without titanal, the ski relies on the carbon rods and the flax-fibre tip layer for damping rather than on mass, so the construction suggests a lively, energetic feel instead of a planted, heavy one: quick at moderate speed, less glued down than a metal 84 when the piste is hard and chopped up. At 84 mm with tip and tail rocker it will handle soft snow at the piste edge and spring slush, but it is not a powder ski — that is what the wider Ripsticks are for.

Construction & specs explained

• Core: Dual Woodcore with Tubelite construction — a laminated wood core with two ultra-light carbon tubes running the length of the ski, for torsional stiffness and rebound with less material.
• CarbonDeck Technology: the Tubelite core combined with Carbon Rods and unidirectional (UD) carbon edge bands for rebound, torsional rigidity and edge control.
• Flax Fibre: a layer of natural flax in the tip to neutralise vibration.
• Sidewall: SST (Slanted Sidewall Technology) for direct power transmission.
• Profile: Amphibio Technology (dedicated left and right skis, cambered inside edge, rockered outside edge) with an Early Rise Rocker tip.
• Base: sintered High Speed Gliding base.
• No metal layers; flat ski, binding not included.
• Dimensions and radius: 123-81-102 / 12.4 m (154), 124-82-104 / 13.4 m (161), 125-83-105 / 14.4 m (168), 125-84-105 / 15.4 m (175), 126-85-106 / 16.4 m (182).
• Weight: about 1,415 g (154), 1,615 g (161), 1,665 g (168), 1,765 g (175) and 1,855 g (182) per ski, halved from the retailer's per-pair figures.

Who it's for & comparisons

Elan aims the Ripstick 84 at advanced skiers who spend most of the day on groomers and want a light-feeling, quick ski that does not punish them off the side of the piste; progressing intermediates will also get on with it, because there is no metal to fight. Inside Elan's range, the Elan Ripstick 88 is the same recipe with 4 mm more width and longer lengths — the better pick if you split your time between piste and off-piste. The Elan Wingman 86 ti is the opposite approach: titanal and a system binding for a damper, more piste-locked ride. Against other brands, the Salomon Stance 84 and Blizzard Anomaly 84 both use metal and should feel more planted at speed, while the K2 Mindbender 85 mens is the closest in spirit: a metal-free, playful all-mountain ski for the same kind of skier.

Pros, cons and verdict

Pros

• CarbonDeck construction with Tubelite Woodcore and carbon rods, no metal — energetic and easy to turn.
• Amphibio asymmetric profile and a 12.4–16.4 m radius range for quick, clean edge changes.
• Versatile 84 mm all-mountain shape that scales per length.
• Sold flat, so you choose the binding.
• Five lengths from 154 to 182 cm.

Cons

• Around 1.77 kg per ski at 175 cm — not light enough to double as a touring hybrid.
• Without titanal it will not be as damp as metal 84s on hard, rutted pistes.
• The Ripstick 88 costs the same and adds float; the 84 only wins if you stay mostly on piste.
• No length above 182 cm for tall or heavy skiers.
• Binding not included.

Verdict: The Ripstick 84 brings the Ripstick recipe to a narrower, piste-leaning shape: a lively carbon all-mountain ski for advanced skiers who want quick turns on groomers and the freedom to dip into soft snow at the edge. If you spend half your day or more off-piste, step up to the Ripstick 88.